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.
Showing posts with label WGN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WGN. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
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.
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.
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