New Chicago White Sox television play-by-play voice John Schriffen was a guest during Parkins & Spiegel on 670 The Score in Chicago with host Danny Parkins and guest co-host Anthony Herron. The White Sox made it official yesterday the 39-year-old Schriffen would be the replacement for Jason Benetti. Benetti left after eight seasons to call games for the Detroit Tigers.
Schriffen, who has worked for ESPN and also ABC News, said everything happened fast. He was in Arizona having dinner with White Sox analyst Steve Stone and then met with team owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He found out he got the position on Tuesday.
“It still hasn’t really hit me,” he said. “I’m going to be the next voice of the Chicago White Sox in one of the best cities in the world.”
Schriffen has done plenty of sports coverage and play-by-play with ESPN and CBS. However, it is not often a team introduces a new broadcaster with a background as a correspondent for ABC News.
“My dream was always to get to the majors,” Schriffen told Parkins and Herron. “I thought it was going to be as a pitcher. All these years later I’m getting to the majors as a broadcaster, and it’s wild, my path and my arc and how it happened, but I’ve always wanted to be here.”
Schriffen was a pitcher at Dartmouth College but got hurt during his freshman season. The team broadcaster invited him to come to the broadcast booth for an inning and it was love at first sight.
“I got in the booth and I knew at that moment it was the closest I was ever going to get to the playing field again,” said Schriffen. “I was in my happy place, and from that moment on, in college, my goal was always to be in that zone, my happy place and get to the majors. To have it happen with the Chicago White Sox is a dream come true.”
The plan is for Schriffen to be full-time with the White Sox, calling most of the games on NBC Sports Chicago. Schriffen realizes he has big shoes to fill and not just in replacing Benetti.
“The seat that I am filling has been legendary broadcasters for a long time,” Schriffen said. “You go back to Harry Caray, Hawk Harrelson, there’s so many legendary broadcasters who have been in this seat. When I first found out about the job, that’s one of the things that appealed to me the most – just the expecation that whoever is calling White Sox games is one of the best broadcasters in the entire country.”
When asked about his broadcasting style, Schriffen did not hesitate to say, “I’m going to bring the heat. I’m bringing the energy. As soon as there is a crazy play, you are going to hear it, you are going to feel it. Im a passionate person.”
Schriffen also mentioned getting to work with analyst Steve Stone was a big selling point of the position for him. “He is, I think, one of the best analysts in the business as a legend,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty smooth transition to work with him on a daily basis becuase he has so much knowledge.”
