Teddy G proves once again today that he is loyal to his Tribune employer...to a horrible fault. In his grading of the local baseball announcing teams, he gives the WGN radio team of Hughes and Santo a B+. In his description, he notes a few of Santo's horrible failings and Hughes' solid professionalism. By Teddy's own description of each of them, he would appear to give Hughes an A and Santo an F. Serious question: Is there a worse professional sports announcer (any sport) than Ron Santo? How could Teddy justify giving Santo anything but an F? But he doesn't grade them individually. Instead he gives the team a B+. I could see giving a "C" by averaging Hughes's A and Santo's F. But a B+? Here we have another case of Teddy playing the house shill and not being objective about Tribune-owned programs or announcers. If Hughes and Santo combined are a B+, then Teddy's expectations for professional broadcasters are horribly low and his grading standards are laughable.

Maybe the funniest line in the piece was Teddy's last: "Hughes treats Santo like the Hall of Famer he deserves to be". Teddy seems to be treating Santo based on his near HOF baseball career also, rather than on his broadcasting performance. But this is no surprise for Teddy. His history of this sort of thing makes him appear to be pathologically incapable of being objective about Tribune employees or properties. I won't argue with his other grades (he gives the Cubs TV team the highest grade), but giving the Hughes-Santo team a B+ is a much over-inflated grade. Why would he do that? Does he really not understand how bad Santo is? His comments about Santo seem to indicate he does. His grade seems to be a gratuitous bouquet that Santo doesn't deserve. If he is really serious about being a media critic, perhaps he could get some lessons from Phil Rosenthal, who has shown how to be objective and honest about Tribune-related issues and people.

The good news is that college football season starts soon. Teddy will hopefully stop pretending to be a media critic for awhile. We can only be thankful for that.

Not arguing with your criticism of Teddy one whit Coast, but is it good news
that Ed Sherman will be back on the sports media beat?

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Everyday when the sun goes down, I get with my friends, I begin to clown.
Now I don't care what the people are thinkin'. I ain't drunk, I'm jus' drinkin'!
-Albert King

It's hard not to argue with Teddy Greenstein's pick of Cubs' TV voices Len Kasper & Bob Brenly as the best of our city's local broadcast teams. They're far and away superior than their radio counterparts Pat Hughes & Ron Santo. Yes, Pat is a good play-by-play voice, but Ron is absolutely dreadful and why WGN 720 continues to employ him when he adds nothing and is tentative at best baffles the hell out of me! While 670 "The SCORE" overaired the promos, Steve Stone has made listening to a White Sox Radio broadcast with Ed Farmer much more listenable. Steve & Ed seems to have connected right away, and it's an upgrade over Chris Singleton. As for Ken Harrelson & Darrin Jackson on White Sox TV broadcasts, I'm still having a tough time trying to figure out how they've been able to last this long. I wonder if FOX Sports will give D.J. a call next Saturday when they feature the second game of the second Sox/Cubs series over at "The Cell"... For all the money FOX has invested in Major League Baseball, their announcers are awful!

How many time is this article going to be written? Didnt the suntimes just write this article for all announcers? Sounds like a slow news day. I would have preferred more fuel on the north fire.

technically, ron santo may be the very worst announcer i have ever heard, but i would be lying if i told you that hearing him and hughes banter makes me laugh sometimes. i know, his first job is to provide analysis of the action, and he fails at that a lot, but i do have some appreciation for his undying affection for the team. hearing him so excited and then so suicidal does make for a kind of fun listen. when the cubs win a game late or make a great play, hearing him screaming and getting excited works for me. hughes and santo works on some level, but if you are looking for nothing but a straight, by the books, x's and o's call, you definitely are looking in the wrong place. they have such a good connection with each other in the booth, they sound like they are enjoying themselves so much, i tend to overlook his lack of ability to give solid analysis.

i want to give one example of another guy who was cut from this mold who was held in high regard and beloved before his passing: myron cope. he was so wrapped up in his love of the steelers, he totally abandoned his duties to give impartial game analysis, and was nothing more than a fan with a mic, and listening to him was pretty interesting to say the least. he wasnt a wordsmith at all. he groaned and screamed and complained and was completely calling the games on an emotional level. he is a legend in pittsburgh though, and rightfully so.

I lived in Pittsburgh and and can relate to your comparison of Santo to Myron Cope. He was an unabashed homer, but Myron did actually provide some analysis. He also did a nightly sports talk radio show on WTAE in those days and he did know his onions about the NFL. I have no doubt that Santo has forgotten more about baseball than most of us have ever known. I just wish he would learn to prepare like a real professional broadcaster and learn to express his knowledge in between the cheers.

And don you are absolutely correct. Ed Sherman on the media beat would not be a plus. I guess I need to be careful what I wish for. I might get it.

You're spot on Coast. Ronnie and Pat get a B +, but the Sox radio team receives a B. Please.
My grades.
Cubs TV -- A ++++++
Cubs radio -- C (even with a stellar performance from future HOF-er HUGHES -- not Santo).
Sox Radio -- B + (could be an A by the end of the season).
Sox TV -- D. (The Sox are trailing and I don't hear much from Harrelson. I forgot, Hawk is pouting.)

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

TG is trying to stir it up so North mentions him on the air again.

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"It's not exactly a rocket surgery." D.J.