The Future of the White Sox TV Broadcast Team

[Bob Sacamano]

I really like Plesac

[Snopek]

2 hours ago, Sox guy said:

I got banned from WSI for saying someone threw like a girl.  One of the most common phrases in our language, completely benign and harmless, said by millions every second of every day...  and I got banned for it. 

It’s an antiquated and derogatory phrase. Find a different way to get your point across. It’s not that hard.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

2 hours ago, Sox guy said:

Ugh, I hate that.  This shouldn't be like reddit.  I detest conformity, we should even allow cub fans here.

 

Well, I'm fully prepared to take heat for any take, as long as it's not a ban.  I got banned from WSI for saying someone threw like a girl.  One of the most common phrases in our language, completely benign and harmless, said by millions every second of every day...  and I got banned for it.  So yeah, I'm gonna tread carefully here until it's proven that the coast is clear.

 

That being said, Shriffen sucks. He's lame, talentless, annoying, cringe, and has absolutely no guap.  Doesn't matter how much 108 rear he brownnoses, that doesn't make him a good announcer.  Stone knows it, but has too much class to just tell him "Leave.  Just leave already.".  But he definitely wants to.

 

Despite a phenomenal career on the field and in booth, plus acting opportunities like when he was offered to get with Susan Lucci...  Stone is still humble.  It's interesting to witness.  He's deeply religious, and simply wouldn't hurt a soul, almost to a fault.  Except when he slams former ch7 political reporter andy Shaw on twitter, those tweets are hilarious.

You might see things completely different from me. I've been here a long long time and I know I'm not alone in thinking what I said. But not liking Schriffen is in line with the majority .

Announcers don't bother me at all. Seems like a nice guy , upbeat and personable. Nothing he does makes me cringe. Why should it ? He's not embarrassing me. It's just extreme homerism . I'm probably an extreme homer too when it comes to the on field product even when it stinks. I do my best not to be critical of the prospects because they are young men pursuing their dreams like all of us once were at one point, so I root for them to achieve it. I could point of their flaws but there's plenty who do that so instead I root for Baldwin and Elko and hope and dream they become more than most diehards project them to be. I want Teel and Quero to both be playing as much as possible. I so badly wanted Robert to show how good he was so it would help the rebuild more like the unexpected rise of Crochet did. I'm ecstatic that Houser, Shane Smith and Vasil came out of nowhere to give the Sox another trade chip and more pitching depth in a year that Hagen Smith, Schultz , and Grant Taylor hit some development bumps in the road.

Jerry I criticize all day but don't have it in me right now to be ultra critical of Getz just because there not much more I can say than he's just a Jerry puppet  figuring things out as he goes , given no money to work with , who realizes his own limitations but really leaned into hiring people with good reputations or considering a rising star like Venable and seems to be using whatever money he is getting into building a Research and Development based infrastructure that he hopes serves the team into the next ownership whether or not he's a part of it.  

I don't think he's as cocky as Hahn but he does his best to pump up the changes taking place and It appears Schriffen is a key cog in that machine. With the amount of skepticism in the organization Schiff is the public face of the Sox spinning BS to pissed off fans who respond STFU I'm sick of this bullshit. You made promises and I believed you, you bastards ! 

I also think Stone knows what going on and he doesn't let the losing get to him. He's a professional. He's 78 with a cushy gig with a lot of vacation time and being 78 traveling so much you need more vacation time . If he hated Schiffren why would he sign a new contract at the end of the worst Sox season in history partnered with a cheerleading inexperienced PBP guy ? 

[southsider2k5]

11 hours ago, Sox guy said:

Connor is an absolute pro, we're lucky to have him.  He's miles better than Shriff on PBP.  I hope we don't trade Connor for prospects.

You can't blame him for that, he's a Ford Frick caliber talent paired with a shmuck who makes "boom goes the dynamite" guy look like Vin.

 

Shriff is an absolute disaster, but I think he's signed for 2 years beyond this one, so we're stuck with him.  I have the gut feeling I know what Brooks and Jerry are thinking when approving of the guy, but can't really articulate it without sounding controversial.  Gotta get a feel for the freespeechness of this forum before knowing what can be said here.

 

Nonetheless, the Sox had the ideal pairing with Len and Steve, yet tossed it like gold into a dumpster.  Just terrible.  and like I said in another thread, I don't buy Len's whole "radio only" shtick.  Put him on TV, return him to radio if we make playoffs.  Simple as.

 

I do hope Sox come to their senses and toss out Shriffen like Jazz by Uncle Phil.  But that would mean they'd eat money, which they won't do.  add Shriff's hiring, and the Benetti debacle, to the list of dumb things Jerry has done thru the years.

 

Steve Stone has some years left in him, he isn't done by a long shot.  We need to keep him here, he's a true White Sock.  Listen to his demands, cater to the guy if necessary, we are very lucky to have him too.

 

Gotta value your  prised assets like Stone and McKnight.  Guillen too, I hope the org truly shows them how much they're valued.  Shriff is crap, and Chuck is ok, but wouldn't be a big loss if he left.  I'd prefer Tom Waddle in his spot, or even White Sox Dave tbh.  Chuck can be a bit too nerdy sometimes.

 

Brooke, of course, is a perfect 10 lookswise.  Talent, however...  no comment.

Stone has been like this thru Jason and Hawk.  It's who he is.  He is a problem  

[southsider2k5]

5 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

It's a bit of a boys club around here. A lot like high school.If your opinions are in line with the majority there are no free speech issues. But if you buck the system there's still free speech but be prepared to take some heat or even be ridiculed especially if your knowledge level is below average or show any particular patterns in your writing style . 

Of course many opinions are based on ignorance , passion and over reaction in any sports forum. But that doesn't really excuse crimes of passion. 

Some would call it bullying, or browbeating or wolfpack hectoring.

I think there are plenty of  people here who are intimidated not to go too much against the flow and some who get driven away or fed up . No one is really told to cool it especially if your voice matches the forums moderators. 

I am just going to say this outloud and let whatever happens here, happen.

Literally no one else cares about your grudges.  This is a message board.  If you need to hear everyone sing in unison repeating your opinion back to you in perfect harmony,  yes, you are in the wrong place.  We have all been trying to ignore your rants, but anymore you can't seem to make a post without it turning into another diatribe. 

It stops now.  Subsequent posts will be deleted, and if it needs to be more actions, it will.  Discuss topics all you like, but no more attack posts.  

 

[palehose1]

17 hours ago, Ducksnort said:

I actually think AJ would take the job if offered. I love the homer announcers, and AJ is actually a great analyst. He seems to love the Sox still.

Good call, agree

[Tnetennba]

17 hours ago, Ducksnort said:

I don't get the Stone hate. He's fantastic and has a wealth of knowledge.

It's not Stone hate. He was once really great at the job, and his knowledge of pitching is still unmatched, but now he comes across as old and bitter more often than not. Just look to his Twitter feed to get a sense of the general contempt and disdain he has for anyone that isn't in lock step with the org. The game passed by even Hawk, and Stone is getting to that point too.

[77 Hitmen]

19 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

I can tell you from a high ranked person in the front office if they have their way Schiffren isn't going anywhere. They are very pleased with his work. (Their words not mine).

Don't know what Stone's future is but getting Plesac involved was an excellent move. The question with him is would he want to leave the MLBN?

Personally as a broadcaster myself I don't think Schiffren has improved that much in year #2. Doing play by play for baseball is an art form, a real skill. It is so different from doing football, basketball and hockey.

I was told by both Pat Hughes and the late Dave Wills it is different from anything else a broadcaster may have done before. 

Anyone who is surprised by this really hasn't been paying attention to how this organization has been run over the last 15-20 years.

[Tnetennba]

5 hours ago, Sox guy said:

Ugh, I hate that.  This shouldn't be like reddit.  I detest conformity, we should even allow cub fans here.

 

Well, I'm fully prepared to take heat for any take, as long as it's not a ban.  I got banned from WSI for saying someone threw like a girl.  One of the most common phrases in our language, completely benign and harmless, said by millions every second of every day...  and I got banned for it.  So yeah, I'm gonna tread carefully here until it's proven that the coast is clear.

 

That being said, Shriffen sucks. He's lame, talentless, annoying, cringe, and has absolutely no guap.  Doesn't matter how much 108 rear he brownnoses, that doesn't make him a good announcer.  Stone knows it, but has too much class to just tell him "Leave.  Just leave already.".  But he definitely wants to.

 

Despite a phenomenal career on the field and in booth, plus acting opportunities like when he was offered to get with Susan Lucci...  Stone is still humble.  It's interesting to witness.  He's deeply religious, and simply wouldn't hurt a soul, almost to a fault.  Except when he slams former ch7 political reporter andy Shaw on twitter, those tweets are hilarious.

Because to anyone outside of your male-centric perspective, using how girls throw to imply that someone is weak or lesser, is insulting to anyone who isn't male. It is antiquated, derogatory, and frankly, offensive as f***. I would wager that any girl in high school or college softball can throw better than the majority of non athletes, so the analogy in your insult even lacks merit to begin with.

You also claim to detest conformity, but here you are being upset that a message board won't conform to your antiquated notions of what is acceptable speech, over a sexist insult that is no longer in common usage. Do you not recognize the disconnect here?

[Highland]

The worst Sox broadcast team ever. Haven't watched a game all year.

[Chisoxmb35]

10 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

It's a bit of a boys club around here. A lot like high school.If your opinions are in line with the majority there are no free speech issues. But if you buck the system there's still free speech but be prepared to take some heat or even be ridiculed especially if your knowledge level is below average or show any particular patterns in your writing style . 

Of course many opinions are based on ignorance , passion and over reaction in any sports forum. But that doesn't really excuse crimes of passion. 

Some would call it bullying, or browbeating or wolfpack hectoring.

I think there are plenty of  people here who are intimidated not to go too much against the flow and some who get driven away or fed up . No one is really told to cool it especially if your voice matches the forums moderators. 

This is a CRAZY ass take my guy. It's also completely unfounded. I disagree with a lot of posters here, but I've never had ANY problems voicing said difference of opinion.

[Ducksnort]

3 hours ago, Tnetennba said:

It's not Stone hate. He was once really great at the job, and his knowledge of pitching is still unmatched, but now he comes across as old and bitter more often than not. Just look to his Twitter feed to get a sense of the general contempt and disdain he has for anyone that isn't in lock step with the org. The game passed by even Hawk, and Stone is getting to that point too.

I'm not on Twitter and more people shouldn't be, just from everything I hear it's  a cesspool of negativity and breaking news 😆 I wonder if Stone just needs the right partner. I don't like Schriffen, he comes across as even less knowledgeable about the Game as Benetti did when he started, and Schriffen is just cringy. Not my style. I thought Stony and Benetti paired very well together however.

[Falstaff]

Pre & Post: Chuck & Ozzie excellent

Radio:  Len & Darrell excellent

 Connor & Brooke excellent

TV: Shriff & Stone, or Dan Pleasac, or Gordo, or Connor all are great 

Edited July 20 by Falstaff

[WBWSF]

1 hour ago, Falstaff said:

Pre & Post: Chuck & Ozzie excellent

Radio:  Len & Darrell excellent

 Connor & Brooke excellent

TV: Shriff & Stone, or Dan Pleasac, or Gordo, or Connor all are great 

The pre and post game show aren't as good without Frank Thomas. I thought that Thomas wasn't brought back this  year is because he was too honest as to how bad the team was last year. He was very outspoken and  I think JR didn't like it.

Edited July 20 by WBWSF

[soxfan49]

23 hours ago, Ducksnort said:

I actually think AJ would take the job if offered. I love the homer announcers, and AJ is actually a great analyst. He seems to love the Sox still.

Not me. IIRC he and his family live in Florida. The fox gig is a good one because he's at home 4-5 days a week. He'd never be home if he took this job unless he uprooted his family

[southsider2k5]

23 hours ago, Ducksnort said:

I actually think AJ would take the job if offered. I love the homer announcers, and AJ is actually a great analyst. He seems to love the Sox still.

There is no way AJ is ever offered a job with the Sox.  They do not want want someone who doesn't protect Jerry above all.

[Lip Man 1]

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

There is no way AJ is ever offered a job with the Sox.  They do not want want someone who doesn't protect Jerry above all.

Keep in mind they already removed him as a team ambassador last year. 

They only way he returns is when JR is gone. 

[WhiteSox2023]

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Keep in mind they already removed him as a team ambassador last year. 

They only way he returns is when JR is gone. 

Was this a direct result of AJ talking about the Sox negatively on his Foul Territoy podcast?

[Lip Man 1]

21 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Was this a direct result of AJ talking about the Sox negatively on his Foul Territoy podcast?

A.J. said that it was.

[Buehrle>Wood]

AJ was on the broadcast all of last weekend.

[WhiteSox2023]

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

A.J. said that it was.

Here it is…

 

[oldsox]

21 hours ago, Snopek said:

It’s an antiquated and derogatory phrase. Find a different way to get your point across. It’s not that hard.

Wokesters don't like it.

[JoeC]

13 minutes ago, oldsox said:

Wokesters don't like it.

"Do your best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

It's part of the natural evolution of society and language.

[Kyyle23]

52 minutes ago, oldsox said:

Wokesters don't like it.

Boomers blame woke for everything because it’s easier than being nice 

[JoeC]

Schriff seems OK as long as he just lets the game come through him. I think he'd be great as a "vanilla" broadcaster, honestly. Just call what you see, maybe with some emotion to match the moment. Treat the color guy like an interviewee, but don't force it.

As soon as he gets excited (or pretends to be excited), it just feels forced. I don't think it'll ever be as bad as the "we're not gonna take that" bit, but the excitement just doesn't feel natural from him.