* The White Sox just lost arguably the best play-by-play announcer in baseball to… Detroit? What?…
The Detroit Tigers have their new play-by-play announcer. The team announced on Thursday that Jason Benetti, one of the top voices in sports, will join the Tigers.
Benetti was previously the play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox for the past eight seasons.
“I’m incredibly proud to join this historic and ascending Tigers franchise,” said Benetti. “From every single person I talked with throughout the interview process it was clear why so many respected professionals and creative people have joined the organization in the last several years. There’s something special about it, and I’m excited to bring that energy to Tigers fans around the globe. I’d also like to thank Chris Ilitch, Ryan Gustafson, Scott Harris, and everyone else I’ve met with in the last several weeks who have been so welcoming. Everyone I spent time with made it clear this was the right place for me. I was born and raised in the Midwest, and understand how important sports are, especially here in the Motor City.”
Detroit?
* Seriously?…
Sell. The. Team…
- Keyrock - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:28 am:
Banned words.
- Vince Glothor - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:29 am:
TRAGIC!
- Gravitas - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:31 am:
Collateral damage from a 100 loss season? It could not have been much fun describing the 2023 White Sox to viewers.
- Andersonville Right Winger - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:33 am:
Fire Reinsdorf.
- Livco - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:34 am:
That statement is a lot of words to say “we cheaped out again.”
- Stones - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:36 am:
Benetti did a great job calling the Sox games. We can’t even get the announcers right. How are we to believe that this regime can actually build a winning baseball team?
- Hannibal Lecter - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:37 am:
Bring back the Hawk!
- So_Ill - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:38 am:
Not a Sox fan and really loved Benetti. That’s a really bad loss.
- Roadrager - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:39 am:
There is no good reason to attend games in person.
There is no good reason to watch games on TV.
There are suddenly very compelling reasons for me to finally unload my cable TV package because there is no good reason for me to keep paying for Comcast’s NBC Sports Chicago.
For anyone here doing Arlington Heights Bears advocacy, if you could make a quick pivot to landing Jerry Reinsdorf a sweetheart deal on a ballpark in Nashville, it would be appreciated.
I am done here.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:40 am:
The Reinsdorfs have an incredible ability to treat the most incompetent people in their organizations as if they are diamonds to be treasured and protected, while treating people who can actually do their jobs well in the opposite manner.
You can see why they like to do business inside of non-competitive monopolies.
- workingfromhome - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:41 am:
He and Stoney were the best part of watching the games.
- Benjamin - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:45 am:
I am more saddened to see Benetti go than I was to see Hendricks and Anderson depart, and I really liked those guys. This is terrible.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:46 am:
Shades of when Wayne Larivee jumped ship to the Packers in 1998.
Do the Reinsdorfs have the McCaskeys on speed dial, and vice versa?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:49 am:
Thanks for the last 8 years Jason. Godspeed.
- H-W - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:49 am:
Sorry for the anonymous post
- Stones - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:49 am:
Adding….speaking strictly as a life long White Sox, Bears & Bulls fan I can’t recall a worse sports year in Chicago (Cubs not withstanding).
- Frida's boss - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:52 am:
Typical….it just doesn’t get any better with the Sox, Bears, or Bulls. Old owners who aren’t concerned with the fan base and don’t care if they win or lose as long as they’re in the third largest market they’ll make their money.
- Dirty Red - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:53 am:
Benetti is a national treasure. This stings.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:53 am:
Re: the Jay Cuda tweet.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have 10 Baseball Analytics staffers, 46 scouts (including one based in Chicago), and 65 in ticket sales.
https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/team/front-office
- TradedUpForMitch - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:55 am:
I’m a Cubs fan, but not a Sox hater. Watched a lot of Sox games, since I won’t pay for Marquee until their non-game programming is worth it. This is a huge and unnecessary mistake. Shows a complete lack of regard for the viewing audience. Whether the issue was money or allowing JB to do other broadcasts doesn’t matter. The fan connection to broadcasters is very real. JB wasn’t a showman, but he was a big part of the show. Just a huge mistake.
Contrasted with the Cubs news this week, it just shows how far behind the Sox are at being a major market team.
- Benniefly2 - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:56 am:
Seems to me that the sox expected a bigger commitment from Benetti toward the team than the ownership or front office appear willing to give themselves. The transformation to full clown show on the south side is now complete.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:56 am:
=Adding….speaking strictly as a life long White Sox, Bears & Bulls fan I can’t recall a worse sports year in Chicago (Cubs not withstanding).==
1999 maybe? Sox 75-86-1, Cubs tanking at 67-95 (and firing Riggleman), Bears 6-10 in Jauron’s first year, and Bulls 13-37 after the lockout and Krause’s dismantling of the ballclub.
- Roman - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 9:59 am:
In the frantic race between the Sox and Bears to be the worst run franchise in sports, the Sox just put a nose in front. Anxious to see what the Bears have in store for tonight.
- Cool Papa Bell - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:01 am:
Nice dig at Jason for becoming a broadcaster with a national profile.
White Sox pat him on the back and then chide him for out growing his singular role on the South Side. - Classy.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:03 am:
=Anxious to see what the Bears have in store for tonight.=
Looks like a Bears loss, in embarrassing fashion, is now a guarantee for tonight.
- Just Another Anon - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:11 am:
I go to 20 to 30 sox games a year. I received multiple unsolicited emails seeking me to buy season tickets from a designated sales rep. Not AI generated, not general requests, freaking individualized prospecting emails from an actual person. That they have 50 such persons on payroll makes that make better sense now.
- Huh? - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:11 am:
Never did like any of the Sox announcers. They don’t make the games enjoyable to listen too.
- Amalia - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:15 am:
Huh? Huh? Are you kidding me? Jason is the best announcer in any sport. I’m beyond belief sad and frustrated and surprised at this. Maybe letting him go all the time was an issue but I can’t imagine he will give things up just to Tigers. Just lost about this sad news.
- Gravitas - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:21 am:
Once upon a time, when life was simpler, the Cubs would fire a manager after a really bad season while the Sox would change their player uniforms and replace their radio broadcasters.
It is weird now: David Ross joins Joe McCarthy, Jim Lefebvre, and Joe Maddon by being axed after posting a winning record but failing to advance to the postseason and the Sox let one of the most talented announcers go to a rival organization much like the popular Harry Caray.
Can we demand that Virginia McCaskey and Jerry Reinsdorf retire?
- New Day - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:25 am:
Scouting personnel: 2? Surely that’s a typo. You can’t run a major league team with 2.
And Ticket Sales: 50? Wow. They. Don’t. Sell. Tickets. Nobody comes. Geez.
Sell. The. Team.
- Huh? - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:33 am:
“best announcer in any sport”
Sorry, Pat Hughes and Ron Comer are the best. The Cubs announcing team seem like the genuinely like each other. Makes for enjoyable listening.
The Sox team seem like they can barely stand each other.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:36 am:
Man, this is disappointing.
The pride of Homewood working in Detroit. I suspect they will be more accommodating of his other opportunities (and well they should be and it is sad the Sox were not).
It seems that the Sox have decided to become an HBS Case on how not to run an organization. I am legit starting to wonder if the plan is to pull and Oakland, run the organization really poorly, and then claim lack of fan support as a reason to move.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:37 am:
Horrific news for the franchise.
Here’s the sitch;
“When you’re here, you’re family”
That’s Reinsdorf, better or worse, all angles.
“How so”
99.996% of people see “cheap”, including me, and we are all correct.
But.. Reinsdorf sees… sleek and loyal.
His people, his group, no outsiders… small circle.
Welp, that’s no way to run a railroad or a ball club (scouting, PR, front office, media, you get the gist) and frankly…
Jason outgrew the Sox because that “family” wasn’t giving him opportunities, Jason was bigger than the support the Sox felt was “enough”… nothing is owed to the Sox by Jason…
…
That dig is like a family member being hurt, not an organization losing a valued employee.
All that’s wrong with the Sox is the cultural mindset of “family can do it” with a harsh dose of “cheap.
Twenty years from now, Jason will still be grateful to the Sox, Reinsdorf, as the world of sports celebrate him every time he’s behind the mic… globally.
- Roman - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:39 am:
Just heard Lawrence Holmes on the Score say: “The White Sox organization is run with unearned arrogance ” Perfect description.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:41 am:
===Pat Hughes and Ron Comer===
This is a whole QOTD, just for Chicago.
You telling me Pat Foley and Eddie O aren’t in a discussion of best ever?
You look at a Vin Scully, or any decades long voice of a team… let alone a sport…
… Jason is “next”, Jason knows it, those who listen to him know…
“Best Chicago announcer, today and all time”
Pack a lunch, pack two.
- Gravitas - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:44 am:
I have read the entire X message.
I am somewhat surprised to learn that Len Kasper is going to remain in the radio booth opposite Darrin Jackson rather than teaming with Steve Stone on television.
Kasper has years of television broadcast experience with the Brewers, Cubs, and Marlins. I don’t understand why the Sox management wants him to stay on radio.
My personal perspective is that it is easier to reshuffle the radio broadcast team than to change the television announcers.
- Anthony - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:46 am:
10:1 ratio of ticket sellers to analytic folks is truly unreal. The White Sox front office have their heads in the gutter
- Melido Perez - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:47 am:
Jerry - sell the team(s)!
- Adam Laroach's Son Drake - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:49 am:
And with that, I will start the process of filing my paperwork to terminate my white sox fandom. It was not fun while it lasted.
- TradedUpForMitch - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:51 am:
@Gravitas
I think that is Kasper’s call. When he left the Cubs, the main reason he gave was that being on TV gets you shelved for the playoffs. Radio gets to do postseason. Don’t think it is going to be an issue though…
- Cool Papa Bell - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:54 am:
=Kasper has years of television broadcast experience with the Brewers, Cubs, and Marlins. I don’t understand why the Sox management wants him to stay on radio.=
It seems Kasper has ZERO interest in TV. He left the Cubs because he wanted to be on radio. It’s not a management decision - it’s Len’s.
- Gravitas - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:55 am:
The current White Sox ownership is not the cheapest front office in town. The Halas/McCaskey family continues to behave as if they are operating a mom and pop corner grocery store in competition with supermarkets.
Ed Obradovich has related how the 1963 Chicago Bear Champions did not receive any bonuses or gifts from ownership.
My favorite story is about halfback Beattie Feathers questioning Coach/Owner George Halas about his pay envelope being a few dollars short.
Papa Bear explained that Feathers had asked the trainer for some gauze bandages and Absorbine Jr. to treat a minor playing injury and that he had deducted the cost of the items from Walgreen’s from his pay. This story is recounted in a book about Bronco Nagurski.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:56 am:
The Sox negotiated with Bennetti directly and would not deal with his agent. It was probably just money or a better opportunity, but the whole thing shows how the Sox are dysfunctional. Bennetti has a very bright future, and this day was coming anyway, but no reason in the world to lose him to the Tigers.
- tea_and_honey - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 10:58 am:
Gravitas -
Len Kasper specifically left the Cubs to seek a radio job. He’s been clear he prefers radio to television and I’d have to think he’d move on if management forced him back to tv.
- will county - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:03 am:
Plus Bennetti is a hometown person from Homewood-Flossmoor.
On to the graphic about front offices. If true shows the inept of that front office. Ticket sales? No one goes to the games!!!! But the upper categories cost money and we know the Sox don’t want to spend. Reinsdorf taking the MLB cut, paying nothing for a state stadium and running a poor franchise. Chicago deserves better with the Bears, Bulls and Sox!!
- stateandlake - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:33 am:
An absolute gut punch to Sox fans who watch television broadcasts. Benetti is an play-by-play master, and has brought so much creativity to the broadcasts. What a loss.
I am a Sox fan for life, but each year it seems I pay a little less attention to the team after Memorial Day.
Sell. The. Team. — agreed
- ChrisB - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:37 am:
Benetti, Holmes and Garfien. All HF products. Bob Comstock did wonders with that program.
It’s unreal how Jerry has screwed this up. Jason was the only reason I flipped on games after May.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:39 am:
This is dreadful news. Benetti is a terrific announcer who made it enjoyable to watch an awful team perform. His partnership with Stone was an ideal pairing.
Tomorrow they will trade Luis Robert for a bag of baseballs…
- Been There - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:50 am:
I actually ended liking the pairing of Len Kasper and Steve Stone whenever Jason went over to those many National gigs he did.
- stateandlake - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:55 am:
Word on the street is that Skip Parker of WGN sports is available…
- Save Ferris - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 11:55 am:
If Jerry Reinsdorf ran WGN, Tom Skilling would have left 25 years ago.
Bennetti was their guy. Their face. Local. Grew up as a Sox fan.
Gone to Detroit.
Dee. Troit.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 12:14 pm:
So basically the sox are telling don’t come to the games and don’t watch them. JAson and Stoney were one of the best teams on the air. Funny, smart, honest.
this is just soooooo many banned words and punctuation.
- Amalia - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 12:37 pm:
@Huh, the Cubs announcers are paint drying. jason and stoney have….had…a great partnership filled with fun and baseball smarts and humor. and jason with Walton on baseball…that one Cali trip several years ago…and basketball, fantastic. Jason is coveted and lauded by all sorts of national pundits. he is smart and funny and self deprecating. it is an immeasurable loss for White Sox fans.
- Jumbo - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 12:52 pm:
As a Tigers fans (born and rasied in MI) this is phenomenal news for me. Sorry Sox fans.
- Blago’s Hairline - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 1:32 pm:
Jason leaving has me on legit unalive myself Watch
- Lurker - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 1:51 pm:
Adding insult to injury. And if Gordon Beckham gets the job, then we basically went from first to last in another category. Frustrating. And as for 2 scouts, I (stopping before I get banned)
- Bogey Golfer - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 2:19 pm:
Heard that Detroit’s opening game next year is against….the White Sox.
I now have a reason to go to our Michigan home more often. Tiger games with Jason on the call.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 3:00 pm:
Just saw this video with Benetti. Everything positive he says about the Tigers is an indictment of the White Sox, e.g., the Tigers are “forward thinking” (and the Sox are ???). Worth 3 minutes of your time.
https://www.freep.com/videos/sports/mlb/tigers/2023/11/09/jason-benetti-detroit-tigers-tv-broadcast/71520157007/
- Just a guy - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 3:23 pm:
As a lifelong Tigers fan that grew up listening to Ernie Harwell talk about Trammell and Whitaker up the middle turning two, I’m thrilled. For White Sox fans, sadly, it’s another example of how the organIzation of Jerry Reinsdorf places value on the almighty dollar above all else. Won’t spend, won’t invest, and will keep collecting all that money on TV revenue until 2028 when he figures out where he relocates the team to collect his next paycheck. As a lifelong Bulls fan (I know, weird right, but I hate the Pistons), he might be the worst owner in professional sports. He’s definitely the worst owner in Chicago, which is saying something in and of itself.
- SAP - Thursday, Nov 9, 23 @ 3:24 pm:
==There is no good reason to watch games on TV.==
White Sox pre and post is one of the best things on TV. And the radio call during the game with Lenny and DJ is very good.