The White Sox announced Tuesday that former Cy Young Award winner Steve Stone will take over as the color analyst for the team's radio broadcasts this season. Chris Singleton has left the Sox in order to take a job at ESPN.
This is a good thing. The last two years, Sox fans have been subjected to the pairing of Singleton and Ed Farmer. It has been a train wreck.
Farmer hogs the microphone and spends most of that time talking about golf or Notre Dame football.
Hey, Ed! What's going on in the game?
Singleton, the newbie in the booth, was drowned out and didn't seem able to stand up to Farmer's domineering style.
Prior to Singleton's arrival, superb play-by-play man John Rooney kept Farmer's ramblings in check. But after the 2005 World Series season, Rooney left for a job in St. Louis and all hell broke loose in the Sox radio booth.
Hopefully, the addition of the insightful Stone will restore order. Last August, Stone briefly filled in for Darrin Jackson on the Sox TV broadcasts. Most Sox fans agreed he did an excellent job, even predicting a game-winning home run by Sox infielder Juan Uribe a batter before it happened.
Despite his lengthy association with the baseball team on the other side of town, Stone is a former White Sox pitcher. He is familiar with the South Side and its fans. He has good knowledge of the Sox organization. Best of all, he has a big enough ego to put good ol' Farmio in his place. I'm confident we'll actually get some real baseball talk coming out of the Sox radio booth this year.
"I am extremely thrilled about joining the White Sox radio booth for the 2008 season," Stone said in an official statement. "I wish Chris Singleton the best of luck in his new role. He is an exceptionally talented broadcaster and will be a great success. I take great pleasure in having the opportunity to fulfill his commitment to the White Sox in 2008."
Welcome back to the Dark Side, Stone Pony!
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