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In shocking baseball news, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma reports that Len Kasper, a longtime Chicago Cubs television player, is leaving the Cubs to take the radio station with the White Sox. Sharma adds that news of Kasper joining ESPN 1000 to call up the White Sox games – where he will work alongside Darrin Jackson – will be announced on Friday.
I was expecting some big starts from the Cubs this offseason, but this one was a shock. Sources have confirmed to The Athletic that Len Kasper is leaving the Cubs to take the play-by-play position on White Sox radio. History: https://t.co/SSBZofOoTx
– Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) December 4, 2020
As the Cubs enter a busy offseason, one of the biggest starts is from the broadcast booth. After 16 years as the team’s game show man, Len Kasper has decided to leave for the vacant White Sox radio job, according to multiple sources.
The move will be officially announced Friday morning on ESPN 1000, the White Sox’s new home radio station. Kasper will team up with color analyst Darrin Jackson, who returns for his 13th season in the radio booth and 22nd overall with the team.
Ed Farmer, a longtime voice on White Sox radio, passed away at the age of 70 in April and Andy Masur replaced the role.
Kasper has called Cubs games on television since 2005, after playing a game for the Marlins on Fox Sports Florida. He’s enjoyed by most Cubs fans and baseball viewers, providing intelligent commentary and an entertaining conversation with color commentator Jim Deshaies (who joined the booth in 2013, replacing Bob Brenly).
While this is a big surprise, perhaps it shouldn’t be when you consider the Marquee Sports Network, operated by Sinclair, which has created a heavily criticized and downright odd – and surely uncomfortable – operation since it became the Cubs television network. Naturally, it’s impossible not to wonder if Kasper’s exit is largely related to Marquee.
That may be the case, but Sharma reports that “there was no bad blood between Kasper and Marquee’s management and the decision came from Kasper’s desire to change medium,” adding that Kasper ” always wanted to call it a World Series. Young and exciting White Sox may soon offer this chance.
Kasper, who turns 50 in January, has always been passionate about radio and enjoyed his opportunities to appear on radio shows with Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer in round five of nationally televised matches. Sources indicated that there was no bad blood between Kasper and Marquee’s management and that the decision came from Kasper’s desire to change medium.
It is also well known that Kasper always wanted to call it a world series. With the games on national television going into playoff time, that would be Kasper’s best chance.
So what does this mean for the Cubs’ television work? Sharma reports that veteran broadcaster Chris Myers is “a prime candidate” to replace Kasper.
Several sources told The Athletic that Chris Myers was one of the top contenders to replace Kasper at the Marquee Sports Network booth alongside analyst Jim Deshaies.
Myers, 61, has worked for Fox Sports for 22 years. He is best known for calling NFL games on Fox these days, and was an ESPN presenter from 1988 to 1998. He was actually part of Marquee, and his role was listed as “play -by-play / animator studio ”when Marquee announced his absurdly long list of broadcast hires last January. So, this is an easy homemade fix for Marquee, but not one that would please Cubs fans as a replacement for Kasper.
UPDATE: Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports that Chris Myers will effectively replace Len Kasper on the Cubs TV shows for Marquee.
The source said Chris Myers, longtime ESPN and Fox Sports broadcaster, would replace Kasper on Cubs shows, a year after being brought in as a part-time host for Marquee.
It was not immediately clear if the move was initiated by Marquee or if it was a power move from ESPN seeking to recruit a new radio partner and a field team ready to go. to fight.
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