It's a White Sox Media Town Now
By Kyle Koster
The Chicago White Sox made one of the savviest moves of the offseason by luring Len Kasper a bit further south. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic broke news late last night that the longtime Cubs television play-by-play man was jetting across town to become the radio voice of the Pale Hose on ESPN 1000, where he'll team with Darrin Jackson.
It's an inspired, yet surprising hire. Kasper is as steady as they come, one of the best in any local market. But after 15 years at Wrigley and unfriendlier confines, he's grown synonymous with the franchise and enjoyed a near universal approval rating among the fanbase.
Marquee Sports, which has done an incredible job of making observers scratch their chins and wonder what the hell the master plan is, will reportedly fill the massive hole left by Kasper with Chris Myers. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.
Does that movie inspire confidence that the network is any closer to figuring it all out? Your mileage will vary.
Where everyone should have the same math is on the White Sox side of the ledger. This young, exciting team now has Jason Benetti on television and Kasper on the radio waves. One would need to search far and wide to find a franchise with as strong a combo. It's believed the opportunity to call a World Series factored into Kasper's decision. Reading the tea leaves, that means he believes the White Sox have a far superior chance to reach one than their crosstown rivals.
And, look, perception isn't everything. But here's how it looks from the outside. It looks like there is something going on with the Cubs. Roster turnover. Theo Epstein leaving. Media partner uncertainty. Just a general sense of not entirely optimistic change.
If broadcasting arts are, in this case, reflective of real life, it's been a long time since Chicago felt like this much of a Sox town.
Normally the departure of a Kasper makes a place feel like less of a ghost town. In this case, though, it makes the North Side feel a lot less alive and a bit less secure about the future. The locus of energy has fully shifted and revolution promises to be both on radio and televised. Extremely competently.