One can only hope.

Schriffen’s contract has an option for next season. If the Sox don’t pick it up, what will they do? That could depend on how much of a season there is next year, with a lockout looming. If it looks like Opening Day will be delayed significantly, they could hold off for a year on hiring someone and put someone already on the payroll in the booth. That likely would be McKnight.

If by some miracle it looks like much or all of the season will be played, there are plenty of good fits for the Sox, some with local ties. Connor Onion, a La Grange native and Chicago resident, is a rising star in the industry. He calls baseball on Fox and FS1. Wayne Randazzo, a Berwyn native who also lives in Chicago, calls the Angels and Apple TV’s “Friday Night Baseball.”

The Sox also could scour the minor leagues for the next big name. Whatever they do, they need a baseball broadcaster. With a team on the rise, they need a TV booth to match. And before anyone gets any ideas, Len Kasper is not walking through that door. He’s living his best life on the radio with Darrin Jackson. Besides, there’s no sense filling one spot and opening another.

4 minutes ago, Sleepy Harold said:

One can only hope.

That reads like Brooks Boyer wrote it to justify not bringing him back.

Some announcers have contracts that allow them to take days off to do network gigs, but the team also gets a certain number of days where they can override that - opening day, potential clinchers, etc. - when they want their number one announcer on the local broadcast.

Wonder if John's contract didn't have that clause, or the team decided they were just as happy to have McKnight call a game that would have a bigger-than-usual audience.

If the latter, that's telling, as was John's decision to call a UFC event in the first place.

Randazzo is already calling Bulls preseason games. If he indeed lives in Chicago (despite calling Nagels games), I'd be surprised if it isn't him.