Posted by ABRockNJock on January 19, 2024, 11:08 pm
According to the Sun-Times' Jeff Agrest, the search for the White Sox TV play-by-play job has narrowed to 3, but the rumored frontrunner isn't among them.
Mike Monaco, whom Chicago sports fans had gotten very familiar with in recent years calling Sox, Bulls & Blackhawks' games on NBC Sports Chicago over the last couple of years, was believed to be the frontrunner for the job. However, Monaco's workload with ESPN/ABC and a recent contract extension with the "Worldwide Leader" won't allow him to take this job.
As for who is on the short list, 2 of the names weren't on my radar when Jason Benetti left the Sox for the rival Detroit Tigers.
One of them is Monaco's ESPN teammate John Schriffen. He has primarily worked college basketball, NBA G-League & the NBA Summer League at the network. Schriffen first joined ESPN in 2020 calling the Korean Baseball Organization during the early stages of the pandemic.
The second candidate is Will Flemming, who has called Boston Red Sox games on the WEEI-FM/Red Sox Radio Network since 2019. Will's partner on Red Sox broadcasts, Joe Castiglione, was named the winner of the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award. The award that veteran Cubs Radio voice Pat Hughes won last year. Will's brother Dave Flemming is one of the voices of the San Francisco Giants.
Finally, White Sox Radio pre & postgame host Connor McKnight is the other finalist for the TV job. McKnight, who first won 670 AM The SCORE's reality competition known as "SCORE Search", sets the table up the dial for ESPN 1000's Sox broadcasts described by Len Kasper & Darrin Jackson.
It's unclear how soon the Sox will announce their new TV play-by-play voice, but it's safe to say that commitment is going to be key for whoever lands this job. Stay tuned.