Stone, D.J. broadcast swap not without risks for Sox
Be careful what you wish for, White Sox fans.
Some things just make so much sense they ought to be examined for hidden pitfalls, and that's the case with the Sox' plans to swap roles for Steve Stone and Darrin Jackson next season.
In his return to broadcasting and his move to the South Side, Stone has melded better than anyone had any right to expect with the entrenched Ed Farmer on WSCR 670-AM. As I wrote earlier this season, it's provided focus for Farmer as a play-by-play announcer, and it has made the team's radio broadcasts sound better with a polished pro like Stone replacing Chris Singleton.
Yet Stone and Farmer are both former pitchers, and over in the TV booth D.J. and Ken "Hawk" Harrelson are both former hitters. While Stone stepped in for Singleton this season, he first placed himself in the Sox' plans with his smooth work alongside Hawk during D.J.'s paternity leave last season. So with D.J.'s contract up at the end of this year, it provided an opportunity to realign the announcing teams in a way that makes sense.
Again, perhaps too much sense.
On one hand, the adage is if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and the Sox' broadcast teams are already in the best shape they've been in for some time.
In addition to Farmer and Stone melding better than expected, D.J. has simply continued to improve throughout his broadcast career. He's better now than he was last year and the year before that. He works hard reporting in the locker room on a daily basis, and he has no problem playing sidekick to the more established Hawk, while also coming more to the fore in recent years.
On the other hand, the old sports adage is one should never be afraid to improve, and that has been general manager Kenny Williams' modus operandi - for instance, bringing in Jim Thome after the 2005 world championship (I still get a kick writing that phrase).
It's now Brooks Boyer's apparent motivation in putting his indelible stamp on the broadcasts as the team's vice president and chief marketing officer.
Hawk and Stone not only make a good pairing of complementary old pros, but they're also two high-profile announcers who might combine to improve the team's ratings no matter the performance on the field.
I don't know if the Sox can ever aspire to match the Cubs - in TV ratings or in attendance anymore - but with their two best announcers combined on TV, where the bigger bucks are, they can dream, can't they?
Yet at what cost? While he's said all the right things about the possible switch and the prospect of working with Farmer, D.J. has not exactly leaped at the opportunity to move to the radio booth and the Score. In the past, he has had opportunities to do color analysis on the Fox network's "Game of the Week" broadcasts.
Would that be more tempting? Would he follow Singleton into ESPN's studio (where he'd have to be considered an instant improvement on Singleton and most of the ex-players the sports giant already has working as baseball analysts)?
In addition to prestige elements, there are probably some monetary inequities to be addressed as well. So what if D.J. says no? In the tradition of D.J. and Singleton, do the Sox pluck Nick Swisher from the field and put him in the booth? ("Would that they could," I hear Sox fans saying.)
So, here's where I come down: It's a bold move to reach for more, and it may well improve the team's overall broadcasts - if D.J. can keep Farmer focused, and if Stone doesn't mind being called "Stone Pony" for at least the next six years.
tcox@dailyherald.com
In the air
Remotely interesting: Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter for the Cubs averaged an 8.5 local Nielsen rating Sunday night on Channel 9, good for almost 300,000 Chicago-area households and a 12.8 percent share of the viewing audience. It peaked at a 15/21.3. The Cubs are averaging a 7.5 local Nielsen this season on Channel 9, up 17 percent from last year. Channel 9 will rerun Zambrano's no-hitter at 10 p.m. today. ... ESPN claims this week's "Monday Night Football" game between Dallas and Philadelphia pulled the biggest audience in cable-TV history with 18.6 million viewers.
End of the dial: In case you hadn't heard, it's official, WGN 720-AM Cubs color analyst Ron Santo is a finalist for induction into the Hall of Fame - as a player, by the Veterans Committee. The long overdue good news should finally come down Dec. 9. In the meantime, don't forget to vote for broadcast finalists in the Ford C. Frick Award at baseballhall.org. The Cubs' Pat Hughes and the White Sox' Steve Stone, Ken Harrelson and Ed Farmer are all up for the honor, as is Santo, but let's agree to get him in as a player, shall we?
The women's softball Chicago Bandits are already cranking up the hot stove league with the hourlong "Bandits Weekly," airing at 6 p.m. today on WRMN 1410-AM, with Jeff Myers and Kyle Bault as hosts. It will also stream at wrmn1410.com.