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. Apparently Jerry didn't like how Benetti had other sporting events he had to broadcast, though. If that's true then maybe he doesn't like Randazzo doing Apple TV Friday's.

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by ron883

45 minutes ago, ron883 said:

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. Apparently Jerry didn't like how Benetti had other sporting events he had to broadcast, though. If that's true then maybe he doesn't like Randazzo doing Apple TV Friday's.

You have about three choices here.

1. Pay the person you pick enough to where they have no desire to work other jobs.

2. Share the person with other jobs

3. Pick someone crappy enough they have no other jobs.

I think Wayne Randazzo is the overwhelming favorite.

I am of the belief the Schriff should not be back. But to use this as an excuse would be more than lame. You gave him the PTO, he has other gigs, this was most likely set up weeks in advance. How was he supposed to know the Sox would clinch that day? It has seemed apparent to most he unlikely wasn’t coming back next year any way, if he blows off the Vegas thing, maybe he is out there as well. When it’s time to announce it, just keep it classy, it isn’t very hard.

2 hours ago, Dick Allen said:

I am of the belief the Schriff should not be back. But to use this as an excuse would be more than lame. You gave him the PTO, he has other gigs, this was most likely set up weeks in advance. How was he supposed to know the Sox would clinch that day? It has seemed apparent to most he unlikely wasn’t coming back next year any way, if he blows off the Vegas thing, maybe he is out there as well. When it’s time to announce it, just keep it classy, it isn’t very hard.

This is a great way of putting it. I am not going to be sad he is gone, but the whole it's his fault because he didn't even care enough to be here is the type of crap we need to not be doing to Ex-Sox people.

4 hours ago, kba said:

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.

Per the article, his contract did have that clause to allow him a certain number of missed days, and he chose to use one on clinching day.

4 minutes ago, GreenSox said:

Per the article, his contract did have that clause to allow him a certain number of missed days, and he chose to use one on clinching day.

I promise you he scheduled it long before it was clinching day. He probably scheduled it when they were more worried about clinching a top draft pick vs a playoff berth.

No one from the Sox management was quoted in this article.

Jeff agest, the media critic, speculated about this only. That's his job

I did not see it as a hatchet job..he even praised John as " improved" this season.

He stated the obvious, John just is not suited for baseball.

I like randazzo and onion.

So John decided to so some UFC s%*# instead of showing up for the last series of the year? Speaks to two things:

1) The Sox are cheap

2) John is the sort of "talent" they attract.

Time to change things up.

14 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

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

this is Brooks’ Seinfeld character

8 hours ago, hawkeyesox said:

No one from the Sox management was quoted in this article.

Jeff agest, the media critic, speculated about this only. That's his job

I did not see it as a hatchet job..he even praised John as " improved" this season.

He stated the obvious, John just is not suited for baseball.

I like randazzo and onion.

I don’t see it as a “baseball” problem. More like an “assclown” problem.

Edited 51 minutes ago51 min by Chick Mercedes

On 10/3/2026 at 7:54 PM, JoshPR said:

Nah I'm good. Benetti was annoying

Schriffen though not a great announcer had more passion than Benetti but not showing up for the playoff clinching game probably sealed Schriffen’s fate, my guess if he wanted to arrangements could have been made to call the clinching game, bottom line, he’s gone.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by The Mighty Mite

1 hour ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Schriffen though not a great announcer had more passion than Benetti but not showing up for the playoff clinching game probably sealed Schriffen’s fate, my guess if he wanted to arrangements could have been made to call the clinching game, bottom line, he’s gone.

Again...to each his own...but to me Scriffen's "passion" seemed incredibly forced...and intentionally theatric! Benetti's excitement seemed genuine to me...showed it when it was real! Agree though...he ain't coming back which makes me look forward to Sox TV again!

25 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said:

Again...to each his own...but to me Scriffen's "passion" seemed incredibly forced...and intentionally theatric! Benetti's excitement seemed genuine to me...showed it when it was real! Agree though...he ain't coming back which makes me look forward to Sox TV again!

Excitement isn't a commodity to be sold to the public. You can't be the same excited about a 40 win team as a playoff team, or no one believes you. You have to respect your audience knows what their watching.