Following up: Jason Benetti did the hard part
When Jason Benetti officially took over for Hawk Harrelson, it reminded me of the White Sox letting A.J. Pierzynski go and giving the catching job to Tyler Flowers. Benetti and Flowers were both younger options who stood a better chance at fulfilling the modern expectations for the position going forward, but neither was likely to provide the same kind of visceral satisfaction their predecessors routinely achieved.
Flowers ended up having a nice career and validating the value of his skill set, but his excellence at the subtle parts of the game couldn’t be appreciated as the immediate replacement for Pierzynski, who was so much better at playing to the arena. Flowers needed to return to Atlanta in order to be evaluated on his own merit.
Benetti actually survived the adjustment period and became a fixture in his own right, albeit in a different way. As noted in the discussion about his departure to Detroit, he couldn’t deliver on the same level as Harrelson when it came to the big moments. Harrelson had three decades to establish his unique rhythms and language, and he had the license to let his emotions lead him to some majestic peaks, even if they also dragged him into some really dark corners.
Benetti couldn’t match Harrelson on that raw emotional level, but Harrelson left so much room for improvement elsewhere. Benetti could certainly out-prepare him. He could certainly show more curiosity about the game and its players. He could certainly care more about what Steve Stone had to say.
He stuck to all of his strengths, and what resulted is a broadcast that took the responsibility of informing fans seriously.
I suppose Benetti’s style could be seen as replaceable. He’s a Syracuse grad, so he initially sounds like a number of other broadcasters until you listen long enough to recognize the individual touches. His sense of humor had fans and haters, although I think the excess silliness was often a defense mechanism against awful baseball, and the White Sox provided way too much of that.
But however his choices hit your ear, the information was always current, because his interest in telling the story of the teams, their players, and the state of baseball in 2023 was genuine. One of the reasons the White Sox finished among the top booths in baseball is because they correctly (or correctly enough) relayed accurate information about the opponents.
“Genuine” also described his his relationship with Stone, whose interaction with Benetti revealed greater depth to the person. My ear always caught the moments when Stone would tell Benetti that he hadn’t shared a certain story before, or that Stone wouldn’t accompany anybody else on the Nationwide jingle. Setting aside the debate about whether the Nationwide jingle should’ve been retired years ago, it symbolized a level of gameness that Stone offered to Benetti and nobody else.
That’s the biggest reason I think Benetti will be hard to replace, and there’s no reason to think the White Sox can gracefully do so in a year where they’ve displayed staggering incompetence around every corner. However, there’s some solace in the idea that Benetti helped install what should be a forward-friendly booth. If somebody like Mike Monaco takes over, they’ll probably automatically be 85 percent of the way toward replicating a Benetti-quality broadcast the moment he arrives. That wasn’t the case when Benetti started working his way in on Harrelson’s turf. He absorbed the unfriendliest feedback and other consequences from being the man who replaced The Man. The transition should be smoother for whoever’s next.
The remaining 15 percent will be the tricky part. That involves things like his wide-ranging knowledge and quick recall, his upbringing as a 1990s Sox fan, his empathy and his ability to connect with marginalized groups. The hope is that the next person has their own 15 percent that makes it easier to appreciate them for what they bring.
(Going backward is not an option. Hawk Harrelson is 82 years old and will probably take his grudge against Brooks Boyer to the grave.)
As for the reasons the White Sox let Benetti go, it didn’t seem to be just one thing. The contentious negotiations from last year had Benetti talking about which companies appreciated him, and this part of his introduction with the Tigers jumped out to me:
โI got on a plane to come here because in the interview process, I felt and knew,โ Benetti said. โIt was just a feeling. I knew that I was surrounded by people who want to be so extraordinarily great and forward-thinking, and do this in a smart, analytical way that is just beyond the scope of anything I would have expected in terms of what they also want from their television announcer.โ
Over the course of the day, other factors emerged. Dan Bernstein said Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t care for Benetti’s sense of humor, while Stone said later on that Benetti wanted a multi-year deal, while the White Sox might not want a contract that extends beyond their deal with NBC Sports Chicago, which expires after next season.
Some of my own speculation: Reinsdorf and Boyer probably saw plummeting TV ratings that started with a “0” and didn’t think Benetti could be all that valuable. Introspection has never been Reinsdorf’s long suit, and he’d much rather foster a culture of people who wouldn’t or can’t leave him, even if a superior product requires talent that takes effort to retain.
Given all this, I’m not broken up about it because Benetti is too young and in-demand to be stuck in a job that won’t reward him. He’s right to question whether his loyalty is misplaced and explore the way other teams go about their business. He always did what he could to be a conduit for White Sox fans, and he saw that responsibility all the way to the end of this chapter, didn’t he?
Jerryโs instinct was to let him go so of course he should have stayed.
Jerry should do the opposite of whatever his first instinct tells him. His gut feeling is wrong 90 percent of the time
Jason was an excitable guy. The kind of guy that can get enjoyment from the little goofy things that happen in life. Jerry is a small minded and extremely dull man who lacks any long term vision. I canโt say Iโm surprised he didnโt like Jasonโs sense of humor.
Ah, the Constanza method.
The hits really do just keep coming with this franchise. Honestly, what are we holding onto here, some memories? Just let Jerry move the team to Nashville and let’s start over with an expansion team. It used to be a joke a coworker and I had, but now I think it’s strategically the best fan path forward.
The sad reality is people are hanging on because Jerry is 87. We might be looking at Jeffrey Loria levels of fanbase destruction if Jerry was 59.
Why do you want to punish me?
Don’t worry Jim, you can cover the new Chicago team remotely as you’re doing now. Besides, if a new franchise lands in Nashville and they seem too promising, we might lose you to them. Better for us here this way!
For the first time in my life, I consider this a reasonable option.
Jason seemed like a mensch, and was really easy to root for. Leaving aside his style, I was always glad to have him on our side coaxing the best out of Steve Stone in a way that others did not. Heโs off now to the city of broken dreams, and their fans are happy to have him (as they should be). Godspeed, young man!
https://www.blessyouboys.com/2023/11/9/23953861/detroit-tigers-jason-benetti-chicago-white-sox-matt-shepard
A great broadcaster doesn’t impress the audience with how smart or gifted they are. A great broadcaster sets up the people around him to be the experts and induces and coaxes the conversation and then sits back and lets it take life.
Seeing Stone rejuvenated the way he was, is evidence of a really good broadcaster playing his trade at a very high level.
Benetti’s on-air relationship with Stone gets at one of his remarkable talents. Through preparation, curiosity, and empathy, he’s able to establish a conversational rapport with anyone on the broadcast. Stone, Bill Walton, Eduardo Pรฉrez, even John Smoltz all become the best versions of themselves during their broadcasts with Benetti.
He makes it sound so easy, but fostering that atmosphere takes real skill. I’ve seen him establish these relationships with enough different partners and enough different production crews that it’s clear he is responsible. The next PBP voice will no doubt have crisp enunciation, but what I really loved about the Benetti-Stone booth was the rapport that the best booths (Mets, Giants) have.
And that the Tigers clearly lacked in recent years. I called my relatives in Michigan yesterday to congratulate them on their best heist from Chicago since Chet Lemon.
This is so dead-on and will be Benetti’s hardest skill to replace. He made everyone and *anyone* next to him better. It’s not easy to do that. At all.
We should have put him in the dugout then.
The bigger issue than who announces is that the games are an unwatchable turdshow that is likely to remain that for years.
I will believe that Getz was not a totally idiotic and insane hire only when he produces actual fruit, and he isn’t forced to tow the same party lines and spout the same phony narratives as his bobbsey twin predecessors. Until Jerry dies or sells, this team is the funeral home of MLB.
If two very different people such as Hawk and Jason both suggest that Brooks Boyer sucks, I think we can safely say that the guy sucks. I’m also just naturally suspicious of anyone with a plural name.
If I recall correctly, Farmer wasn’t a big fan of Boyer either. I think we have enough evidence that he’s a PoS. I’d also say his press release was directed at his boss and not the fanbase.
It’s become apparent the last few years that the WS FO communicates with JR thru press releases or at least releases press releases that they think will satisfy JR. This further supports the narrative that JR is basically done with the WS and an absentee owner. I don’t think he’d have done anything with Hahn\KW, and said as much btw, if there wasn’t a shareholder uprising that might have threatened his control with incapacitation or neglect. So he shows up, fires a couple people, hands the keys to the next guy in line, makes a quick comment about how he’s still involved to counter the threat and heads back off to Scottsdale. This is both good and bad for us and more importantly Getz. The bad is that there’s no strategy or buy in from the boss so you don’t know clearly where the boundaries are. The good is you get free reign to a point.
Funny you say that because I was thinking along similar lines; at what point are the other shareholders going to start getting angrier about any of this?
As has been noted before, I think the typical shareholder is pretty old. I don’t think there’s any real long-term thinking with the White Sox. In fact, there might not be a lot of thinking, period.
Thank you for the fantastic write-ups Jim.
While I enjoyed Jason, the point that he brings out the best in his partner is really what I saw all season. There were really few reasons to watch the games this season, but Jason and Steve were the reason for me since they were able to commiserate without the brooding silence of Hawk.
Ultimately this season, I realized that Steve Stone is kind of a weird dude, and the fact that we actually got to see his personality is the genius of Jason. Here are a few things I learned this season.
True comradery in the broadcast booth is a good thing. We spent too long where it was dominated by one person, or, if you listened to the radio, by jokes about one person’s pitching appearance. Jason simultaneously brought a degree of polish and casualness that made the game more enjoyable to watch.
The big question is how much of Jason’s changes will go away. Sox Math, the Nationwide jingle, etc.
I really like Jason, but I would be totally fine with Sox Math going away (and this is coming from a math teacher).
You math teachers are just upset about order of operation.
Please
Excuse
My
Dumb
Ass
Sox
He’s afraid one of his student will get it wrong, or worse, ask him a Sox math question in class.
Stone telling stories on-air about tagging along with his dad as a boy as his dad repaired jukeboxes in Cleveland certainly never happened before Benetti.
This is about as low as I’ve felt as a Sox fan, it’s amazing how far this organization has fallen since 2019. There is absolutely no hope for this organization until there’s a new owner. I’d love to know what Jerry is thinking, he surely can’t be thinking things are going well, can he? He probably just doesn’t care, and if he doesn’t care, then why should I?
Exactly. Really hard to picture things getting a lot better under a joyless, cheapskate owner who simply does not care, and is too evil to die.
I’m resigned to finding another team to root for. I didn’t care about any of the teams in the playoffs but am a free agent as a fan. Enough of the Sox until an ownership change. I hope Ohtani winds up somewhere other than LA or New York. Rangers and Cubs have been mentioned.
I always figured Benetti’s stint as a full-time Sox broadcaster was limited due to the inevitability that he would someday become the national guy, be it for Fox, ESPN, or elsewhere. However, I thought he’d always be around for some games at least due to his ties to the White Sox.
Once again, Reinsdorf, Boyer, & Co. have proven me wrong. Between this and the fact that TLR is evidently still involved in talent evaluation and decision-making processes, all that’s left is to wait around and hope the organization is sold sooner rather than later.
Yes, I canโt wait for these guys toโฆ โsell.โ
You read between the lines perfectly, sir.
The devil has deep pockets.
I don’t know, what’s the exchange rate on souls to dollars these days?
Soulflation is real.
It is gonna feel strange to turn on a White Sox game and not listen to Jason’s voice. I wasn’t a super fan of Jason at the beginning, but he was superb, and I started to enjoy his presence over time. Similar thing happened to me with Vin Scully. Jason is definitely on the top 5 in current baseball broadcasting.
Jerry does not deserve to own a sport franchise. Too bas he owns more than one. He does not have the passion a true sport’s owner would have. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that Jerry does not even watch baseball games.
Jerry does not speak about the White Sox like a fan would. He refers to the White Sox as a CEO refers to assets, liabilities and EBITDA. A fan sees Luis Robert, and thinks of HRs, SLG%, OPS. Jerry sees an asset and wonders how much money he can gain from it.
All we have to do is wait and let Mother Nature do its thing. In the mean time, enjoy whatever is left to us to enjoy.
I can’t remember where I read or heard this but someone pointed out that Jerry was a tax attorney in his previous life and that’s exactly how he runs this team. Looking for loopholes and short cuts, trying to bend the rules in his favor, thinking primarily about the bottom line etc. The concept of investing and actually growing something just doesn’t register to him and we all get to see the results.
Heard a quote from Marcus Thames mentioned on Effectively Wildโsomething about Getz wanting more hit and run and bunting. The hosts then listed the leading and lagging teams in bunts. The Diamondbacks were the only decent team with a ton of bunts and the teams with the lowest amount of bunts were almost all pretty good.
Well, if you are winning because you can hit, you probably don’t bunt that much.
…. sigh….
Iโm old enough to remember all the way back to when the Sox had a manager who asked the team to bunt too much. Those were the good old days!
I liked Jason, even if I’m too old to catch all of his pop culture references. He approached each game with thorough preparation, warmth, and humility.
I think that humility is what makes him successful. He didn’t have to fight Steve Stone for control of the broadcast, the way Hawk did, but could gently set Stone up to do what he did best. Or maybe he just had enough confidence in his own intelligence that he didn’t need to act like the smartest guy in the room, even if he really was. And it wasn’t just Stone, he facilitated every partner I ever heard him accompany, even a few who were truly awful.
Best of luck to you Jason. You deserve better than working for the current White Sox. Of course, we deserve better as well. With the team as awful as it has been, there were plenty of nights I tuned in only because I enjoyed Benetti and Stone.
For the record, Jason’s replacement will be Gordon Beckham, because he checks all the boxes for a Reinsdorf hire: Inbred, arrogant, ineffective, but familiar. I won’t be surprised if Stone decides to retire.
Beckham is color. Heโs being groomed and likely replace Stone when itโs time, but heโs not play-by-play.
Since when did the WS worry about square peg/round hole?
Agreed but….Farmer was color also…once.
where he should’ve stayed imo
Very nice article.
However, the fact that so many sox fans are wringing their hands over the loss of Jason has me befuddled. I’ll agree that he and Stone seemed to enjoy each other’s company in the booth. I watched almost every game, which was actually more than Jason and Steve. Here are just some of the problems with his announcing:
I’m sorry, I won’t miss the guy who I think was a disability hire. Sure, Hawk had a past due date that had long expired but Jason was no Bob Costas, Harry Caray, or Vin Scully.
This sucks.
Specially the last paragraph.
Cut him some slack; Uncle Lou clearly scarred him badly.
Thereโs some validity to a lot of these points and itโs just a matter of taste whether they bother you or not.
I donโt get your issue with number 9. If you donโt like his announcing, why do you care if heโs on assignment? Itโs the old food is terrible and the portions are too small bit.
Howeverโyou really spit the bit with your second to last line. Who knew that having a disability was a ticket to getting hired to broadcast multiple sports across several different networks?
That one was an assumption. But who hires someone to announce who clearly can not see clearly.
ESPN, FOX, ABC, The NCAA, I’m probably missing some others. I have no problem with differing preferences but you’re willfully ignoring the fact that the rest of the broadcast world found him very talented, hence his high demand.
Please, go grab some bench with your asumption.
The chances the next lead announcer for the Sox is better at the job than Jason Benetti are vanishingly small.
Do you really think that all of the problems you suggest were Jason’s decisions? For example, but by no means complete:
#4 Who do you think sent the person into the booth? The WS of course,and there was usually a WS purpose that Jason and Stony were expected to sell. The most annoying regular to me was the WS Charities lady (forget her name), she never stopped talking and interrupted many a play.
# 5 As opposed to give Stony more technical questions, allowing Stone more options with his answer.
#7 Nationwide is a WS sponsor, apparently the singing and banter satisfied the sponsor.
#8 In 2022 both he and Stony were critical of WS mistakes on the field; much less so in 2023, particularly later in the season. Do you think they stopped seeing them, or perhaps it was “suggested” by their employer that they can the criticism?
#9 Many regular baseball announcers have national side-gigs, generally the better ones.
#10 See #8.
#11 See #8
#12 Do you suspect that the WS were the prime decision-maker in sending the food to the booth, intending to increase venue food sales?
I think you don’t give enough credit to the WS for being the primary decision-maker rather than the announcers. Granted, the announcers in this case would almost certainly have made better ones.
Bonus statement: You asked, “I think you donโt give enough credit to the WS for being the primary decision-maker rather than the announcers. Granted, the announcers in this case would almost certainly have made better ones”.
Answer: I get the point that being a broadcaster means reading the promo, bringing the white sox charity lady in for discussions, and showcasing food. However, there is right way to broadcast and a wrong way. I don’t think Jason picked the right way. I found him annoying. The commenters here generally loved him but it looks like X users were split based on the exit decision and whether Bernstein’s “anonymous” source was right about Reinsdorf not liking Benetti’s style.
Weather you liked him or not there is still the matter of Jason bringing a level of national prestige to the booth by being there. Hes a very popular TV guy who has national exposure with his work with ESPN and Fox, he also has a really nice story of somebody overcoming a disability and reaching a very high peak in his profession that requires you to be on TV in front of millions and being comfortable with it. He brings a positive PR spin on just being “your guy” similar to how when the Blackhawks had Eddie Olczyk calling games when he was also the top national guy for NBC, or a guy like Mike Breen being the Knicks play by play. You want those guys in your booth cause it makes your overall product look better on the surface level compared to others.
Copy paste the standard “Reinsdorf is shit, doesn’t care and is out of touch” stuff as to why them letting Benetti walk was stupid, especially right now.
โIโm sorry, I wonโt miss the guy who I think was a disability hireโ
What are things a-holes say for $800, Alex?
I want to click the “+” button more.
I think eyesight is important for a broadcaster. You must not watch games if you didn’t notice Jason being unable to discern a homer from a fly ball, a catch from a miss, etc.
You must watch reruns of Jeopardy streaming instead of the games since Alex is rather dead.
To be honest with you, I watch around 90% of the White Sox games per year, and I have never noticed Jason misses. He probably does miss a call here and there, but he is that good that one doesn’t really notice it or does not care about it.
The only time I remember that happening was in 2020 when he was calling road games from a studio rather than at the game.
The no-traveling thing continued into 2021. Jason went to the outside to express his concerns about this. They finally got to travel with the team again in late 2021. Making his displeasure public was probably part of the contentiousness of the previous renewal.
Whatโs his disability? Iโm serious. I never noticed anything. I could google it but it doesnโt really matter.
Cerebral palsey.
While John Rooney was with the Sox, he had a national gig, CBS Radio I think. I think he also did Bulls play-by-play for a few years. He was regularly gone the whole weekend throughout his 15+ years with the Sox. Please don’t pretend this is only Jason Benetti who does this.
Vin Scully, Mike Breen, etc etc
I would sooner listen to Benetti read the transcripts of a local zoning commission meeting than read another comment like this. Don’t complain about their eating in the booth being disgusting if you wanna follow it with a gross comment like that.
I just received A Scot Merlin โWhite Sox Beatโ news email with this nugget from the GM
He is capable of playing different positions,โ said Getz, when asked if Moncada could go back to second base from his current third-base locale. โHe has played second base with us. I think heโs a better third baseman than second baseman.
โThat doesnโt mean there arenโt going to be perhaps times where he goes over to second or plays first base and perhaps even the outfield. Weโll do whatโs best for our club.
If this multiple position idea actually happens, I foresee months on DL
I mean, it’s not like staying at 3rd’s kept him healthy. I actually don’t mind it. Some added versatility might boost his trade value midseason.
If he doesn’t start to hit again, I don’t think it matters where they play him. Right now his defense at third is about the only thing keeping him a viable player.
When healthy, he hit last year. The health is the question with him.
The point still stands; if he doesn’t hit like he did in April and September and continues to provide below-average offense, nobody’s gonna care if he can play second base or right field (positions he’d likely not be particularly good at anyhow).
No offense, but predicting multiple months on the DL for Yoan is akin to predicting the star of an episode of My 600-Lb Life is going to be obese.
This is a matter of personal taste but for baseball on TV I am a โless is moreโ guy. I donโt want the announcers feeling like they must be talking all the time – itโs not necessary and in the smart phone age the barrage of stats is something Iโd rather get off my phone than being recited constantly. That works for radio – for tv it is annoying. I realize part of that is the director but the play by play guy has a say in some of that. And part of the problem may be Jasonโs network experience because the national TV networks are the worst offenders of having the announcers talking constantly and not letting the action speak for itself for 5-10 seconds.
There are only 3 or 4 MLB teams with tv announcers I wonโt turn off the tv volume. Jason was not one of them. I think he is best suited for radio where I think he would excel.
If given a vote a would say โyesโ to retaining Benetti, for sure.
Where I seemingly differ from yโall is I enjoy him much, much more calling the 50 or so CBB/CFB games Ive seen him do. I think while the chumminess with Stone was endearing- and it was even neater in the aftermath of the Hawk/Stone Pony freeze out toward the end-I think heโs even much better when thereโs more action to call and a less playful environment. Sometimes it felt like two pals on the phone and we were listening in. Yes, Iโm confident this would change had he and Stone been able to call the few playoff games there were. But nonetheless, I guess I see some of these strengths as weaknesses and vice versa
I think thatโs just the difference between a once in a while game and 150 or whatever games.
My feeling towards Jason as an announcer are somewhat impartial. I donโt like or dislike him.
However, I have a tremendous amount of respect for (what I know of) him as a person and donโt blame him one bit for getting the hell away from this turd of a franchise.
He was clearly popular with the majority of viewers (both Sox and league-wide), which is where my disgust lies. It seems as thought this team goes out of its way to ensure the fanbase is as miserable as possible. The arrogance of White Sox personnel – who are utterly terrible at what they do – is astounding.
I pray Jerry dies sooner rather than later, but if the good die young that dipshit will live to be 200.
I didnโt care for him because he could never let the game breathe.
Pretty simple.
Jerry is thinking of ways this very minute to make WS Nation share in his misery. I’m guessing Southpaw is next to walk the plank. Probably to Cleveland Guardians.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/lee-richard-passes-away.html
BeeBee was fast and had a great arm but couldn’t hit and his fielding caused Harry to call him the Juggler. Seemed like a nice guy who didn’t ask for the expectations placed on him as a first-round draft pick.
I unfortunately believe the White Sox will continue to be mired in mediocrity until Reinsdorf sells the team. To steal from Jason Benetti’s quote, he wanted to be “… surrounded by people who want to be so extraordinarily great and forward-thinking.” He has certainly touched upon a key problem with the current White Sox regime that fails in making a commitment to greatness and forward thinking.
Another commenter said this: mired in mediocrity would be an improvement.
Hmm, we need an alliterative phrase that means worse than mired in mediocrity.
Wallowing in woe?
Trapped in terrible?
Snarled in scat?
Bogged in brutal?
Glued in ghastly?
Dwelling in disfunction?
While I personally loved Benetti in the booth, I get if he’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Maybe some people would feel differently if he had a different partner, because I can see how his chummy banter with Stone could get a little over the top at times. But in the absence of a product worth talking about, these guys were filling in time that Hawk just left as dead spaces in the broadcast.
What I think everybody, even his detractors, need to appreciate is that few people came as prepared to call a game as Jason Benetti. He knew the details of each player, the opponents, the fields, the history, and all sorts of nuggets in between. He brought that same professionalism to every game he called, which is part of why he has been in such high demand in the industry.
I tip my cap to him, and wish him well for divesting himself of this goat-fuck of a franchise for a team that recognizes and rewards top talent.
There you go again denigrating an innocent section of the population that doesn’t deserve to be painted with such a broad brush.
I have a lot more respect for goat-fuckers than the White Sox franchise hee- haws. A LOT!
Has anyone seen my knee high rubber boots?
I learned on my first deployment that goat-fucker is not just a clever turn of phrase.
I have always preferred the radio broadcasts and listen to them as I watch the games. The radio broadcast has a way of bringing you closer to the game. John Rooney, Ed Farmer, Len and DJ are the voices I think of when it comes to White Sox broadcasting and watching the games.
Benetti was a solid listen and brought his own thing to the fans which we all came to appreciate greatly. It is what it is, not going to ruin my fandom anymore than the team currently does on its own, so might as well give whoever comes along next a chance. It sucks that this feels deeper though than just some broadcaster changing it up. Almost personal from the owner since it was one of the few things likable about a largely unlikable franchise at the moment. Not sure if this Brooks Boyer guy is a problem on the business side of things, but the optics are bad regardless so I can see why so many are super pissed and others are like its just a broadcaster, thanks for the memories but these things happen. Either way, fan how you want. I’m too dug in and stubborn to change until its forced on me. Go Sox. and F the Tigers.
At this point there is a multitude of voices screaming that Boyer is a piece of shit.