When longtime Chicago Cubs play-by-play man Len Kasper left to become the radio voice of the Chicago White Sox, the fanbase was dejected and disappointed. His replacement, Jon ' Boog' Sciambi, has been a staple at a national level for years and quickly took the reins as the TV voice of the Cubs.
Kasper's partner in the booth, Jim Deshaies, stuck around after he left - and is now in his 12th season with the Cubs. He's been a stabilizing presence for the fanbase as networks and broadcasters changed, offering insights only a former big leaguer can.
In this year's 2024 MLB broadcaster rankings from Awful Announcing, the Cubs' broadcasts ranked ninth, down two spots from a year ago. Here's what they had to say about Chicago's score:
"The Jon Sciambi and Jim Deshaies team is always a pleasure to listen to, and the Cubs’ score and rank are probably hurt by the musical chairs that Marquee plays with the booth at times. Just let these two call as many games as possible and stop meddling, alright?"
Part of the 'musical chairs' can be attributed to Sciambi's contract with ESPN, under which he calls MLB play-by-play on ESPN Radio, college basketball and MLB on ESPN. Hall of Famer Pat Hughes fills in as needed, as well as Beth Mowins, who made Cubs history recently alongside Elise Menaker and Taylor McGregor as the first all-female broadcast team in franchise history.
But it's not just the play-by-play chair that changes regularly. The third member of the team is where it's truly a revolving door, with a number of individuals stepping into the booth in recent years. Baseball fans, in particular, love consistency and stability, so Awful Announcing is likely spot-on in their assessment that the constant change probably hurt the team's showing in this year's rankings.
What would help more than anything? A high-quality on-field product, something the Cubs have lacked for the last half-decade or so. When the team is winning, these off-field critiques often quiet down quite a bit. But when fans are disappointed with the standings, it feels like nobody is safe from that criticism.
But as far as Cubs' TV broadcasts go, it's a solidly above-average ranking for Boog and JD - hardly a surprise to anybody who listens to them on a nightly basis.
