ARMOUR SQUARE — You can ... PUT IT ON THE BOARD ... YES!
The White Sox have announced a substitute a play-by-play broadcaster to take the place of Hawk Harrelson for half of the upcoming season.
That broadcaster will be 32-year-old Jason Benetti, who will join Steve Stone to announce all 2016 White Sox home games.
The Chicago-area native will continue his work with ESPN, where he has often announced college baseball, basketball, football and lacrosse.
“Joining the White Sox television team of Ken Harrelson and Steve Stone — with the chance to work with Steve on home games — is truly a dream come true for a kid who grew up in the south suburbs watching Sox games during the 1990s,” Benetti said in a statement. “This is beyond exciting for me.”
Ken “Hawk” Harrelson will announce 78 of 81 away games in 2016. A five-time Emmy winner, Harrelson will be starting his 32nd season in the booth, bringing with him his signature one-liners like "Mercy!" and "Put it on the board!"
A graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in broadcast journalism, economics and psychology, Benetti earned a law degree from Wake Forest while announcing games on the side.
Before he signed with ESPN in 2011, Benetti announced games for the Class AAA Syracuse Chiefs, Fox Sports 1, Westwood One Radio and Time Warner Cable.
“Jason is one of the top up-and-coming voices in sports television,” said Brooks Boyer, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the White Sox, in a statement. “We believe Sox fans will immediately connect with his humor, intellect and personality.”
Benetti has had to overcome challenges outside his broadcasting career. The Homewood-Flossmoor graduate was born with cerebral palsy.
He now works with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation’s “Just Say Hi” campaign ESPN’s ENABLED, a group that celebrates employee diversity and people with disabilities.
“The way I look or walk is such a small part of who I am as a person,” Benetti said. “I like to joke that fortunately, I chose a profession where all I needed was my voice, not my legs. I have always felt that if I can help one other person, or if I can help change one person’s attitude about how they perceive others, then I have made a positive difference.”
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