Wait until he has to do the play-by-play. That will be a mess and then some. So much for guys busting their tails to try and get to the big leagues who are more qualified than this guy.

This is just another example of people getting work in this industry thanks to who they know and not what they know. Sure that is what happens in any business, but when you have had successive failures and have become a laughing stock in an industry in which people tie personalities to the product, one would think that regardless of who you know you probably will not get hired.

As a Sox fan I have been disgusted by what they have done regarding their radio broadcasts. Farmer is possibly the worst play-by-play man I've ever heard (having listened to games for over 40 years, both Cubs and Sox), and Darrin Jackson was just a terrible fit. The two had no chemistry and were not an enjoyable listen.

Now, if the rumors are correct, you bring North into the booth. Reinsdorf is very loyal to his friends and it seems evident to me that North, somehow, falls into that category. This would be a slap in the face to any Sox fan who listens to the radio. His inability to communicate (in other words, have a command of the English language) in this medium is astounding. The man falls over his words constantly and has a need to be the center of attention. He contradicts himself almost regularly and his uneducated and uninformed opinions turn off listeners rather than bring people to the station. This is another example of the ownership treating this third major market team like some sort of small market entity. Two words: train wreck.

This hire also tells me that the club is desperate to do something to attract attention. The hiring of Ventura is beyond a head-scratcher and the dumping of players like Santos and Buehrle (with possibly more to come in the way of Quentin and Thornton) makes me think Reinsdorf has pulled the white flag from several years ago back out. Maybe the thought is that what happens in the booth will divert the attention of people from the problems that exist on the field.

I'll be interested in seeing how WSCR management tells their on-air staff how they have to conduct themselves in light of this situation. Will they be allowed to not only take shots at the team, but will they be able to criticize North as they see fit. I'm wondering if they will tell them that the broadcasts are "hands-off" and cannot be talked about. I wonder if this will go into the "who ya crappin" segment because you know there will be a line of callers just itching to take their shots.

I would cover for SHARK, Drop In, Dave in Champaign, my Mom, and Urlacher's Missing Neck. After that, the list gets pretty thin. There are a few people about whom I would definitely fabricate charges.

Bryan,
A) 44 years old. It was a great experience to do the SCORE search contest.
B) North did not pull ratings for years, while he was paired up with Dan Jiggets. After their break up-which many have said was orchestrated by North, his numbers took a dive. Once his head got too big for the station his ratings took a drop. In fact, when he took over the morning show from Murph and Fred, he did not pull numbers near what they had. In fact, Murph and Fred had the highest rated morning show on the station. They consistently beat "Mike and Mike in the Morning" while North could not do that.

As for my comment about guys busting their tails to make it to the big leagues-and I should have clarified this-I meant guys who are doing minor league ball or lower market major league teams. I think Dave Wills would love to come back to Chicago to do Sox games. There are many who would love the chance and who would probably do a great job. The curiosity that will come with North's appearance in the booth will be short-lived once people hear the ear-bleeding radio he will produce.

Cronyism exists in all facets of the business world. I just find it interesting that in a case like this with North's recent poor track record, that both Reinsdorf and the Score would agree to let him in the booth. It's moves like this that set broadcating back 50 years.

Yesterday in transition,LoHo and Danny talked about 24 minutes about the 20 year reunion,not once mentioning the "original" guys.

I heard that. You would have thought that the station was changing the world with the way they were patting themselves on the back for lasting for 20 years. Bernstein also mentioned that the station has transitioned and is now for the smarter fan. I found that interesting, as if he had no clue about this North rumor unless he disconnects the White Sox announcing team from the actual shows on the station.

I still cannot believe this is actually going to happen. What a fucking farce of a broadcast.

Les Grobstein's huge hog is proof that God has a sense of humor, isn't it?

This market is filled with recycled talent that are not good at what they do.

Many that is true, but an incomplete statement.

Chet. I'd take Chet a thousand times before MN.

Who the hell are you to rip Mike North? I mean you are certainly free to speak your mind, but as a guy who wants to break into the sports broadcasting business you should be able to acknowledge & recognize North as the most influential sports talk show host in the history of Chicago. You are old enough to remember when he ruled this town, right?

To Q. Bovis and Scorehead,

Who I am is a Sox fan and consumer of their product. While I respect your opinion regarding Mike North and your being entertained by him, I think I represent the majority of people who find him to be bad at what he does. His time has come and gone. Yes, he was a big deal in the sports industry here in Chicago....20 years ago. His ego got the best of him and it cost him. He could not beat "Mike and Mike in the Morning" in the ratings (something that both Murph and Fred as well as Mully and Hanley have done), his two tv ventures (Comcast and Channel 2) were failures, and, lest we forget, there was that debacle that was webio that cost some good people not only their jobs but their reputations. If he is as important and talented as you seem to think he is then how come he could not land a full-time gig at ESPN radio or other sports outlet? It was obvious during his radio and tv stints that he saw himself as someone who could talk more than just sports. How did that pan out? If was good at what he did they why didn't WLS or WGN pick him up? He was on the outs regarding sports broadcasting in this town. He had to buy the time on Comcast to get on and that failed miserably.

I give him credit for hustling and giving himself chance after chance. His continued efforts to get back into doing something he enjoys should be admired. But, it doesn't mean he is good at what he does. He is not the only one. This market is filled with recycled talent that are not good at what they do. The reasons for their continued work in this market are their friendships with others in the business and the mere fact that they worked in the market. His schtick worked back when the SCORE started, but it has long since wore thin.

Baby McNown, thank you for the kind words. I do appreciate all opinions and love the back and forth that goes on here on the board. I try to make sure that I support what I write with some facts. Debates are great and enjoy getting involved in issues like this. I have no hard feelings to anyone on the board and I hope the feeling is mutual.

Joe and Darkside, I do agree that you can get guys like Mac and Chet (both facebook friends) back in the fold, but I see them more as the exceptions to the rule. I think television and radio as an industry is filled with people who get chance after chance despite not producing. I have my opinions on some of the people working in the town-both news and sports-and, frankly, I think a number of them should not be working in the number 3 market. Chet pointed out some in his last book where he rated the ten worst sports personalities in Chicago. Some I agreed with, some I didn't. I just think that a market this size deserves people who are at the top of their profession. This is not a training ground, yet there are some still here who, in my opinion, are not worthy of being in the top 20 markets.

haven't asked or looked, has anyone said this is official?