Regarding John Schriffen

The White Sox have reportedly told their TV play-by-play announcer, John Schriffen, that they won't extend his contract for the 2027 season.

Let me start by saying that Schriffen seems like a perfectly nice dude. I met him once at a pregame tailgate. The party wasn’t state-sponsored, either. The Chicago Sports Bums organized and sponsored it, and they're nowhere near Jerry Reinsdorf’s payroll - they’re literally just a group of fans. I thought it was ridiculously nice that he took that kind of time and literally met the fanbase where we were.

But being a good baseball broadcaster is hard, even when conditions are favorable. I know I could never do it. It didn’t help that Schriffen was given a nearly impossible task: to shepherd a fanbase full of ball-knowers through the worst single-season record Major League Baseball had ever seen.

Talk about baptism by fire.

He doesn’t even go here!

I wanted to like his work, but he and I got off to a bad start. During his first year, I remember a game against the Detroit Tigers when Schriffen asked his counterpart, Steve Stone, why Sox fans were booing Javier Báez. Stone had to explain that Báez earned those boos during his time on the North Side, where he was routinely a thorn in the Sox’s side. It seemed weird to me that, even though he was new to the family, he wouldn’t know that. That’s like not knowing why we boo the Astros.

In a vacuum, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but after that, Schriffen leaned a little too hard into the crosstown rivalry. It felt disingenuous; like he was just using Cub-bashing to win back fans' favor. And I get that the rivalry is part of the journey for Chicago baseball fans, but for a guy who famously mispronounced Bill Veeck’s name, the turnaround was suspiciously fast.

Just this past season, the Sox were in St. Louis pulling off a ninth-inning, come-from-behind win against the Cardinals. (Thanks again for the assist on that one, Randal Grichuk.) It was a huge win with huge implications. With only two weeks left in the regular season, it kept the Sox in first place as they headed to Cleveland to face the Guardians in a season-defining, make-or-break series. It was a euphoric celebration of relief and hope.

Or, at least that’s what it should have been.

But instead of letting me enjoy the moment, Schriffen made the odd choice to use it to take a shot at the Cubs, saying the only thing that would have made the win better was if the Pirates had held on to the lead and beaten them.

Dude.

Come on.

If everything is a moment, then nothing is a moment.

Again, I realize it’s hard to be a good broadcaster. It takes enormous skill to know when a moment needs your commentary and when it needs to breathe, and I don’t think Schriffen ever found that sweet spot. He often tried to make moments much bigger than they were. Like, remember when the Sox played the Brewers, and William Contreras and Tommy Pham had words after Pham collided with him at the plate? Shriffen tried so hard to make that a moment. ("We ain’t taking that from the Brewers! I don’t care how many Ls we have this year; we ain’t taking that!”) It was a cringey overreaction.

Or what about the time he growled? Yeah, that’s right. He growled. It was weird.

Then there was the feud with the sports radio guys, the catchphrases that felt forced, and the nicknames that should have stayed in drafts.

The worst part is that I could tell he was really, genuinely trying. He threw everything at the wall, but nothing stuck. None of it was endearing. I feel bad for the guy, but it just wasn’t a good fit.

Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be.

Next Man Up

So, who will share the booth with Stone in 2027? Will the same names that popped up around the job last time reemerge, or will they go in a different direction? As a fan, I want someone who deeply understands the game. I want someone who can relate to the fanbase. I want someone funny, insightful, and genuinely enthusiastic.

I want Jason Benetti, but he’s not available.