Thursday, June 30, 2011

Crosstown Showdown- Broadcaster Style

With the Crosstown Series Part II between the Cubs and White Sox set to start tomorrow, I beg the question: Which team has the better broadcasters?

For all three games this weekend the White Sox radio team will be on 670 The Score and the Cubs radio team on WGN-720, so if you are in your car you will have to pick between the two. On Saturday you'll be stuck with FOX-TV if you're at home, but on Friday the Sox TV guys will be on CSN and Cubs on WGN, and Sunday it will be the opposite on TV.

Now I know this is a Cubs blog, so most of us are going to the favor the North Siders when I ask this question. But let us really think about it.

TV Play-by-Play
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is as big of a homer as they come. If you aren't a White Sox fan, chance are you cannot stand the guy. If you are a Sox supporter, you probably love yelling "You can put it on the board... YES!" along with Hawk. He is very entertaining, but I would rather have colorful color analyst than a colorful play-by-play guy. Len Kasper has grown on me since he took over in the Cubs booth in 2005. He does a good job of letting Bob do his job and building the excitement went necessary.
Point: Len Kasper

Radio Play-by-Play
Pat Hughes is one of the best in the business. He is very fair, has a great voice and has a way of making every game seem exciting. In addition, his sense of humor is unique and hilarious. I miss the magic that occurred in the booth for 15 years when Pat was teamed up with Ron Santo. I haven't heard much of Ed Farmer, but I do know that he's no Pat Hughes.
Point: Pat Hughes

TV Color Commentary
Steve Stone and Bob Brenly both have great baseball minds. They are both very insigthful. I believe that BB is easier to listen to and sounds more natural on the air. However, due to Stoney's popularity on the North Side while working with Harry Caray, I believe that most Chicago fans would take Steve over Bob. Just to be fair we'll give this one to the Sox.
Point: Steve Stone

Radio Color Commentary
Keith Moreland was faced with the difficult assignment of having to fill the shoes of Ron Santo this year. Keith is a great guy and provides some insight into the WGN booth, but it is simply not the same as having Ronnie on the air. His mispronunciations and southern accent are my only complaints. When Pat takes his fifth inning break, I wish Judd Sirott would do the play-by-play and Keith would continue doing color, but they have it the other way around. Darrin Jackson, who played for both the Cubs and White Sox, was very popular when he was on TV with Hawk but unfortunately was demoted to the radio booth. I've always liked DJ.
Point: Darrin Jackson

CSN Pre/Post
Everyone love when Dan Plesac did the pregame and postgame shows for Comcast Sports Net, but Holly has stepped in and done just as good of a job. I like having David Kaplan with Holly this year. I find Bill Melton a bit on the boring side for the White Sox pre and post.
Point: Todd Hollandswoth

All and all I think that all eight broadcasters that we have in Chicago are very good. The only one who I do not care for is Hawk, but if he was a Cubs guy that might be different. Thoughts?

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