In the midst of all the other exciting things happening this week — the release of the new Strokes album, the premiere of “Love Monkey”, the passings of Lou Rawls and Yao Wenyuan (shame they never collaborated) — it escaped my notice that the Red Sox have chosen to air the entire 2006 season on their NESN cable network, thus removing the tiny portion of games previously alloted to Channels 38 and 4.

For those of us of a certain vintage (ie. older than dirt), the Red Sox and Ch. 38 go together like pepperoni and carcinogenic cancer. Like Foxboro and venereal disease. Like Dapper O’Neil and institutionalized racism. It is impossible to think of one without the other, yet progress (in the form of Hazel Mae in HD) marches onward.

That said, it is comforting to know that Ch.38 fixture and former “Movie Loft” host Dana Hersey is not only still alive and working, but is available to provide your business or residence with that badly needed on-hold message.