New Chicago White Sox television broadcaster John Schriffen got the job under some controversy. It was not that he was not qualified that caused it. It was more along the lines that he got the job because beloved voice Jason Benetti was allowed to leave for the Detroit Tigers job in the offseason.
The reasons he was allowed to leave did not sit well with the fan base.
Schriffen's arrival has been greeted with criticism from the local media. Part of it is Benetti had strong ties to that group. The other part of it is how Schriffen has handled the criticism. He called local radio hosts and producers losers after his television broadcast partner Gordon Beckham flubbed a line in a sponsorship read. It was probably him responding to the critique he got for mispronouncing legendary former owner Bill Veeck's last name.
Schriffen also has tried out some calls like "Southside stand up" after the Sox won a few games. It did not hit the mark. Overall, he is trying to adjust to the new gig. He has done a great job using analyst Steve Stone in the broadcast. Stone is the best in the game, so it makes sense to use his expertise.
Schriffen has also tried to be a bit too homerish. It feels like he is trying to be Hall of Fame broadcaster Hawk Harrelson without a great big-league career. Hawk also feuded with local radio, but there was always respect because he played the game well and earned the right to be a personality.
Schriffen still has a long way to go before he reaches the Hall of Fame like Hawk did. Hawk also had that great southern drawl that made his calls sound authentic.
Hawk had cringeworthy moments it was because you could tell he truly loved the White Sox. When Schriffen has them, it is just a reflection of the clown show the organization has become.
His reaction to outfielder Tommy Pham getting heated with William Contreras to end the eighth inning was just downright embarrassing.
Pham was HEATED after being thrown out at the plate pic.twitter.com/wooYjRCHqg
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) June 2, 2024
To be fair, Schriffen is in essence broadcasting for owner Jerry Reinsdorf. So he has to walk that line of being pro-White Sox. Plus, the days of Harry Caray just roasting a struggling club are long gone. Why tune in to a bad product to hear just how bad the team is?
Starting a sentence with not caring about how many losses you have is not going to hit the way you think it is, especially since the Sox are 30 games under .500 and blew leads in all three games against the Milwaukee Brewers. That means the Sox do have to take it.