Len Kasper named White Sox radio play-by-play announcer

Here's the biggest surprise of the offseason so far: Longtime Cubs TV announcer Len Kasper is moving to the South Side. He will become the radio play-by-play voice of the White Sox on ESPN 1000.

Kasper will join Darrin Jackson as the permanent replacement for Ed Farmer, who died April 1 at age 70. Andy Masur filled in throughout the 2020 season, and I figured he was the front-runner for the job. 

Not so. Turns out, Kasper says he sought the Sox out because he's always wanted to work on the radio. Interesting. 

The general rule of thumb is TV jobs are better and more high profile than radio jobs, and certainly, there are few TV gigs more high profile than the Cubs. But hey, if Kasper wants to work on the radio, welcome to the South Side, Len!

Sox fans have said for years that the radio booth could benefit from a true play-by-play voice, and Kasper is that. I can't say that I have a strong feeling about Kasper's ability one way or the other -- I don't watch many Cubs games -- but I do like that the Sox are adding an experienced broadcaster to their booth.

It's better than hiring a former player, or some other "Reinsdorf favorite" for the job. Like most Sox fans, I look forward to the day when the phrase "Reinsdorf favorite" is put into retirement.

In any case, Kasper won't exclusively do radio work. We'll see him in the TV booth on NBC Sports Chicago for 20 to 25 games a season. He'll fill in alongside Jason Benetti when Steve Stone takes a few games off.

Kasper and Benetti are friends, and word is they will be creating "several multimedia projects" throughout the year. Not sure what that means, but I'm intrigued, and I'll be listening. It sounds as though Kasper and Benetti are planning to start a podcast as well. Once again, I'll be listening.

And I guess that's the point, to get people to listen, right?

Andy Masur joins White Sox radio booth; latest on Field of Dreams game

A couple of White Sox notes from Tuesday:

First, Andy Masur will be the radio play-by-play voice of the Sox on WGN 720-AM this season. Masur will replace the late Ed Farmer and work with longtime analyst Darrin Jackson.

Farmer, who battled kidney disease throughout his life, died of an undisclosed illness April 1 at age 70.

Masur has filled in for Farmer on numerous occasions, including during some spring training games in March. Masur grew up in the Chicago area and has spent the past two seasons as a pregame host on Sox games.

The veteran broadcaster also worked in the Cubs' radio booth as an occasional fill-in for Pat Hughes when the North Siders were on WGN radio. He also spent eight years in San Diego as part of the Padres' radio broadcast team.

Reports indicate Masur has been given no guarantees past 2020, and replacing Farmer will be no easy task.

“Ed was a legend in his own right, and it was a well-deserved legendary status,” Masur told MLB.com on Tuesday. “The guy bled White Sox baseball. He pitched for them. He got a chance to grow up watching them and got a chance to be around them when they won a World Series. He had been around them as they’ve been rebuilding to what they hope to be here in the next couple of years.

“From my perspective, I go in and just kind of do what I do and hope that I make Ed proud and hope I make D.J. proud. I hope I give White Sox fans what they are looking for, as far as a game broadcast with information and making sure you know where the ball is and what the inning is and what the score is.”

Sox might play NL Central opponent in Iowa

Remember when the Sox were supposed to play the New York Yankees in the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, on Aug. 13?

Well, the Sox definitely won't be playing the Yankees. With this shortened season and a geographically based schedule, there will be no games against New York -- just games against clubs from the AL Central and NL Central.

The latest reporting says that Field of Dreams game could go on, but the opponent will be a National League team -- either the Cardinals, the Cubs or the Brewers.

Let me cast my vote: Bring on the Cardinals!

I'm pretty sure the eyes of Chicago will be on the six games between the Sox and the Cubs, no matter where they are played. Those games do not need an unusual venue to get extra attention.

So why not play St. Louis instead? Let's add a little juice -- and a national TV audience -- to a matchup between the Sox and Cardinals.

Remembering Ed Farmer (1949-2000), White Sox pitcher and broadcaster

My favorite memory of Ed Farmer involves a day when I never actually saw him: Aug. 20, 2016.

My girlfriend, Jen, and I had tickets to a ballgame between the White Sox and the Oakland Athletics. We were sitting at ChiSox Bar & Grill on 35th Street eating dinner before the game, when the restaurant manager approached us and asked if we'd like a ticket upgrade.

Umm ... sure!

Turns out Farmer didn't have anyone to take his tickets that day, so he told the restaurant manager to give them to people who looked like true Sox fans. Well, I'd like to think we qualify, and we ended up sitting right behind the Sox's dugout for that game.

We had an awesome view of Chris Sale tossing eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball as the Sox defeated Oakland, 6-2, that night. Somewhat amusingly, Ross Detwiler -- current Sox roster filler -- took the loss for the Athletics after giving up six runs on 10 hits over four innings.

Thanks for the great seats, Ed! I've never forgotten it!

Sadly, Farmer died Wednesday night at his home in Calabasas, Calif. He was 70 years old.

I could tell you about how Farmer was a native South Sider who grew up dreaming of playing at Comiskey Park, and how those dreams came true during an 11-year playing career that included an All-Star Game appearance in 1980 as a member of the Sox.

And I could tell you about his long broadcasting career with the Sox, which began in 1991 and continued until spring training this year, when Farmer had to step aside because of his declining health.

But instead of listening to me babble, let's hear from Farmer in his own words about a life in baseball:

RIP, Ed. Your activities here will not be forgotten.

Maybe Ricky's boys don't quit, but they sure can't pitch

Ervin Santana

You have to give the White Sox front office credit. They took a 100-loss team and somehow managed to make it even less enjoyable to watch.

I'm glad Tuesday's 10-5 Sox loss to the Tampa Bay Rays was an afternoon game, as being at work spared me from the majority of the agony. Although, Jace Fry's 46-pitch slog of a relief appearance in the top of the ninth inning spanned most of my 45-minute drive home from the office.

That's a little too much bad radio with Ed Farmer for me. The game ended at 5:06 p.m. local time, which means the nine-inning game took four minutes short of four hours.

Sox starting pitcher Ervin Santana didn't survive the fourth inning. He worked only 3.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out one. He threw only 45 of his 88 pitches for strikes and gave up three home runs.

Tampa Bay batters drew eight walks, and I don't even want to count how many three-ball counts there must have been in that game.

The Sox are 1-4 on the homestand and 3-7 for the season. They have received poor starting pitching in every single one of the these five home games. Here's a look at the last pass through the rotation:

Reynaldo Lopez: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 Ks, 4 BBs, 3 HRs allowed
Lucas Giolito: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 Ks, 4 BBs, 1 HR allowed
Ivan Nova: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 Ks, 1 BB, 0 HR allowed
Carlos Rodon: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 Ks, 5 BBs, 0 HR allowed
Santana: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 K, 3 BBs, 3 HRs allowed

So, Sox starters have a 13.50 ERA on this homestand. That's not going to get it done. In fact, it's completely unwatchable, watching this team get buried in the early innings day after day.

Personally, I've grown tired of the alleged "positive trajectory" the Sox claim to be on. They think they are positioning themselves to compete for "multiple championships."

Frankly, I think they are positioning themselves to alienate the few fans they have left. Yes, Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada are swinging the bats well. However, with so little pitching in place and not much beyond Dylan Cease in the pipeline, this looks more like a express elevator straight to hell than a "positive trajectory."

Second impression of 2019 White Sox ... more tolerable

I'm a glutton for punishment. After Sunday's disastrous game, I gave White Sox spring training baseball another chance on my commute home from work Monday afternoon.

I picked up the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Sox trailing the Los Angeles Angels, 6-5.

Moments later, the Sox tied the game on an infield single by minor-league catcher Nate Nolan that included a throwing error by Angels minor-league third baseman Jordan Zimmerman (not the Detroit Tigers pitcher).

I listened to the rest of the game, which ended in a 6-6 tie, before I made it home.

Hey, at least they didn't lose!

And they rallied from an early 6-2 deficit. I've read that Reynaldo Lopez struggled, allowing four earned runs on four hits over 3.1 innings. However, he said he was happy with the outing, and that he's not worried about his spring numbers. True enough, spring numbers don't matter for guys who know they are going to be on the team.

That said, it's nice when guys who are going to be on the team perform well. Take presumed closer-to-be Alex Colome, who retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth inning. Or reliever Nate Jones, who allowed a hit but worked a scoreless sixth.

Backup catcher James McCann went 2 for 3 and is hitting .333 for the spring, so there's that.

The Sox are now 3-6-2 in Cactus League games. It will be nice when a game or two makes its way to TV, so there can be more to observe than just a few nuggets gleaned from a box score.

In the meantime, the next game on the radio is Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Presuming I have a decent day at work, maybe I'll be in the mood to tune in and listen to Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson during my drive time.

The White Sox have a new radio home: WGN

It is always a good day when pitchers and catchers report to spring training, but there was additional good news Wednesday for the White Sox and their fans.

WGN-AM 720 has been named the new radio flagship of the Sox. Financial terms were not disclosed, but it is a multiyear deal, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson will remain as the team's radio broadcast pairing. WGN will carry a weekly year-round program showcasing the team, in addition to all Sox regular-season and postseason games, a pregame and postgame show and some spring training games, the Tribune report said.

This is delightful news. The Sox were about to enter into the third year of a six-year agreement with WLS-AM 890, and that deal was not working out.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge put the Sox's rights up for grabs earlier this month at the request of WLS's parent company, Cumulus Media. Cumulus asked the judge to nullify several "extremely unprofitable contracts," including those with both the Chicago Bulls and the Sox.

The judge's decision led the Bulls to jump to WSCR-AM 670, and now the Sox are on the move as well.

The South Siders will be on a much more powerful station, a station with a wider audience, and it's my belief WGN will do its part to grow fan interest in White Sox baseball.

Most people who know me are aware the Sox are my favorite pro sports team, but the Chicago Blackhawks are a close second. And I can tell you that WGN's coverage of the Hawks is quite good and far more extensive than anything WLS was doing for the Sox.

Case in point: I attended a Hawks game last month at the United Center. After the game, I tuned into WGN for the postgame, and the postgame show still was on when we arrived at my girlfriend's house in Arlington Heights, about an hour's drive later. The coverage was thorough and extensive.

In contrast, when I turn on the Sox postgame after leaving Guaranteed Rate Field, the coverage lasts maybe 15 minutes. Sometimes, the Sox coverage on WLS is over before I even get out of the Bridgeport neighborhood. There's no postgame reaction, no calls, no highlights from around the league, nothing. It's like WLS can't wait to get back to the political talk, and when that stuff comes on, it's a cue for me to change the station.

I'm very happy to hear of this change. I think it's a good move for the Sox organization over the long haul, and I look forward to listening to the postgame coverage on WGN when driving home from Guaranteed Rate Field this season.

It may be early May, but it's getting late for the White Sox

The White Sox embarrassed themselves over the weekend.

The Minnesota Twins, who were picked to finish last in the AL Central by everyone, outscored the Sox 31-8 over four games and swept the series.

The Sox committed four errors in Sunday's 13-3 loss, and there could have easily been five or six errors charged had it not been for some hometown-friendly scorekeeping in Minnesota.

Let's credit Sox radio broadcaster Ed Farmer, who said on air Sunday, "This has been the worse exhibition of people playing baseball that I've seen in my 20 years in the booth."

I'm not a big fan of Farmer's work, but I applaud him for being the only person associated with the White Sox willing to tell it like it is. The team is in disarray, and they deserved to be criticized.

Contrast that with the TV booth, where Ken Harrelson continues to insist the Sox "are a good team playing bad baseball."

Hearing such nonsense only adds to the frustration of fans, who have seen no evidence the Sox are "a good team." The South Siders lost 99 games in 2013; they lost 89 games in 2014; and this season has looked like an extension of that misery to this point. Sorry, Hawk, but there is no track record of success here for the organization or the fans to fall back upon.

The Sox have stunk for more than two years, and they will be considered a bad team until they prove otherwise. There comes a point where you cross the line from being "in a slump" to just being a bad team doing the things that bad teams do. Right now, I'd say the Sox are getting very close to being written off as another bad team.

After Monday's off day, they welcome the first-place Detroit Tigers for a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Tigers are seven games ahead of the last-place Sox entering Monday's play, so a Detroit sweep would leave Chicago 10 games out and gasping for air. The Sox have to respond right now, and believe it or not, they are catching a break with the pitching matchups for this series:

Tuesday: Jeff Samardzija vs. Shane Greene
Wednesday: Chris Sale vs. Alfredo Simon
Thursday: Jose Quintana vs. Kyle Lobstein

The Sox are sending their three best starters to the mound, while the Tigers will pitch the back end of their rotation. The Sox will not see Detroit ace David Price, nor will they see No. 2 starter Anibal Sanchez. Justin Verlander remains on the DL.

This is set up for the Sox to right the ship and get a series win. They better, or the fan base might jump off the wagon entirely. There isn't much time left for excuses. Results need to improve immediately.