Ed Sherman posted a piece this morning about the Padres releasing play-by-play announcer Andy Masur.
The White Sox should hire him ASAP. Unfortunately, they won’t.
Not the the White Sox necessarily need a new play-by-play announcer, for either radio or television, but an upgrade wouldn’t hurt. Ken “Hawk” Harrelson’s days are far behind him, and while he is still popular among some Sox fans, there are equally as many who are tired of him. I’m also tired of the tension between Harrelson and analyst Steve Stone as well as Hawk’s old baseball stories. A new play-by-play voice would make Stone far happier, as well as Sox fans (even those who still like Hawk… in due time).
Having sampled MLB.TV in the past, I have heard some of Masur’s work and he is good. I’ve also sampled enough other team broadcasters to realize that there is a lot of good baseball discussion (scouting, drafting, the business of the game) that is missing from White Sox broadcasts.
The radio side of White Sox broadcasts can also use an upgrade. Almost no one would lose sleep if Ed Farmer were to suddenly disappear (nothing personal… I hear Farmer is actually a nice guy; unfortunately, he comes across as rather dull on the radio).
Whether it’s radio or television, the White Sox would benefit with a new voice. Andy Masur would be a solid upgrade.