This week, the National Sports Media Association revealed its 2023 sportscasters of the year by state. The Illinois winner was former White Sox TV voice Jason Benetti, who left the team in November to join the Tigers’ TV booth.
Talk about a mic drop.
Benetti isn’t one to gloat while walking out the door. He saw the humor in the award, posting, “Don’t need your own stand-up special to appreciate marvelous comedic timing from voters.”
Benetti’s wit will be missed on Chicago airwaves, but he leaves behind plenty of astute, talented broadcasters. With that in mind, I present my fourth annual Chicago sports-media power rankings (I know, I can’t believe it, either), which examine the market’s TV and radio broadcasters based on appeal, quality, longevity and, of course, personal preference. For the first time, they don’t include Benetti, who, sadly, no longer qualifies.
More than 100 names were considered. The top 20 follow, with last year’s rank in parentheses, plus some special mentions.
1. Pat Hughes (3): New rule: Induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame guarantees the inductee the top spot in the following year’s rankings. The Cubs’ radio voice received the Ford C. Frick award for “major contributions to baseball” by a broadcaster. Hughes has contributed context, detail, description, humor and knowledge, all with a comforting yet excitable voice. He is the essence of baseball on the radio.
2. Adam Amin (1): It took a Hall of Famer to knock Amin from his perch. He’s fantastic calling Bulls games on TV, showing deep knowledge of the teams (officials, too) and setting up situations for viewers. When the game calls for it, his excitement is off the charts. He even has jumped out of his own seat.
3. Jon Sciambi (8): “Boog” had a big year, finally calling meaningful Cubs games in September on Marquee Sports Network and becoming the national radio voice of the World Series for ESPN Radio. He and Jim Deshaies are a delightful listen, providing equal parts insight and entertainment.
4. Dan Bernstein (7): He’s the best sports-talker in town, able to speak knowledgeably about practically anything. Even when he isn’t talking sports on The Score, he has an informed opinion. How he has found time to grasp baseball analytics, basketball actions, cooking, fishing, etc., is one of the world’s mysteries.
5. Leila Rahimi (9): Rahimi’s content machine continues to churn. She appears on The Score’s midday show and NBC 5’s newscasts and pops up on NBC Sports Chicago, either hosting or reporting from the sideline. She makes it all work, though she’s at her best talking off script on the radio.
6. Laurence Holmes (4): He’s the most level-headed, thoughtful voice at The Score. He’s informed, insightful and interesting. He’s also creative and adaptable, as evidenced by his comic-book endeavors and House of L podcast network, respectively. He and Bernstein have worked great together.
7. David Kaplan (14): Though he’s off TV, Kaplan has developed quite a following on YouTube, where his channel of short videos (REKAPs — get it?) has more than 162,000 subscribers. And he’s still getting up before dawn for the morning show on ESPN 1000 with Jonathan Hood.
8. Ozzie Guillen (13): Fun fact: Illinois’ most popular personality on Cameo last year was none other than Guillen. No joke; that’s according to Cameo. NBC Sports Chicago’s White Sox pregame/postgame analyst is adored by fans for his candor, which somehow hasn’t cost him his job.
9. Danny Parkins (5): Parkins is an excellent host at The Score, but he gets dinged for failing to quell executive producer Shane Riordan’s lewd commentary in May. The show has recovered and remains a place where things happen. Parkins is at his best talking Bears and NFL, and there’s lots of that to come.
10. Marc Silverman (6): “Silvy” worked a six-day week during football season, adding Bears pregame/halftime host to his duties at ESPN 1000. On his afternoon show, Silverman challenged Bears coach Matt Eberflus with tough but fair questions every week. He still wears his heart on his sleeve.
11. Dionne Miller (15): The ABC 7 anchor raised her profile by becoming part of ESPN 1000’s Bears network pregame show.
12. Jason Goff (10): He continues to lead NBCSCH’s Bulls pregame/postgame shows, the best shoulder programming in town.
13. Stacey King (11): King tells it like it is on Bulls broadcasts, and he was quick to chide the fans who booed Jerry Krause last week.
14. Tom Waddle (17): He simultaneously appeared on Marquee Sports Network’s “Bears Den” and co-hosted on ESPN 1000. Amazing.
15. Steve Stone (12): “Stoney” is still as sharp as a tack in the Sox’ TV booth. He’ll need to be as he breaks in a new partner.
16. Darren Pang (NR): It has been so refreshing to have the experienced and knowledgeable “Panger” on Blackhawks TV.
17. Zach Zaidman (20): Zaidman is a fantastic basketball announcer. It’s a shame he’s calling such lousy DePaul games. His play-by-play on Cubs games has improved.
18. Jeff Joniak (NR): His non-game appearances on ESPN 1000 have revealed more of his personality, for which there wasn’t much time at WBBM.
19. Ruthie Polinsky (NR): A fine addition to NBC 5, Polinsky did well in her first season hosting NBCSCH’s Bears postgame show.
20. Marshall Harris (NR): The CBS 2 anchor has been a welcome addition since arriving in 2021. He has raised his profile by appearing on The Score.
Dropped out: Jason Benetti (2), Len Kasper (16), Matt Spiegel (18), Chuck Swirsky (19).
Rising star
John Scott: He has the personality that Blackhawks studio shows have been missing for decades. His appearances on “HawkCast” have been more entertaining than the games. Let him work from the woods, just keep him on the air.
Constant annoyance
Cole Wright: No TV host says “uh” more than Wright. Count them. No TV host uses more words to say less than Wright. Listen to his meandering prose. And what’s with the squinting? If only the Cubs pregame/postgame shows weren’t an hour.
Underrated
Joe Brand: He filled in for a voiceless John Wiedeman last year on Blackhawks radio broadcasts and was remarkable. It sounded like he had been on the call all season. Normally, he hosts pregame/postgame on WGN, but there’s more to him.
Overrated
Lance Briggs: Among NBCSCH’s “Football Aftershow” analysts, he’s a distant third out of three (behind Alex Brown and Dave Wannstedt). That’s why I was surprised when ESPN 1000 added him to its pregame show. He has good stories, but he’s short on analysis.
Dulcet tones
Anthony Herron: Among football analysts, Herron has the smoothest voice in town. He can be a bit loquacious on The Score, but he’s so easy on the ears that you let it go. And having played the game in college and the pros, he does fine work on the Big Ten Network.
Paralysis in analysis
Tom Thayer: Thayer obviously knows his stuff, but even after 20-plus years on Bears radio, it sounds like he has trouble articulating his thoughts at times. He also tends to get so caught up in the emotion of the game that it takes him time to say what happened.
Lifetime achievement
Lou Canellis: The Oak Lawn native and Loyola grad has been on Chicago TV and radio for more than 30 years, the last 15 as the lead sports anchor at Fox 32. He goes back to the SportsChannel days, when he was a sideline reporter for Bulls games. He always has been a pro’s pro and a class act.
