Chicago Cubs: Jon Sciambi, play-by-play; Jim Deshaies, color
Hired over the winter to replace Len Kasper behind the Cubs microphone, Sciambi’s technical credentials to handle that assignment are unquestioned. He’s a veteran of many national performances for ESPN who has won raves for his delivery and knowledge.
What he has not yet established is that he can make the transition from easy-going but objective MLB voice to team mouthpiece. That’s not easy in Chicago, whose parochial fan base expects the same from its voice.
To date, in fact, Sciambi has actually taken the opposite approach, in early telecasts emphasizing his lack of Midwest roots, talking about his recent move from the New York area, and generally self-labeling as an outsider.
Deshaies knows that transition because he made it when he came over from Houston, his long-time home as both a player and analyst, in 2013. Listening to Deshaies, it’s evident that he both understands the game’s mechanics and is comfortable communicating them.
Over time he has come to be accepted as a Northsider, and the guess is Sciambi will in time as well.
For Cubs fans, however, that moment will probably come only when the perception takes hold that Sciambi might lose a few hours’ sleep over a Cubs defeat. As yet that perception has not developed.
Experience: 4
Likeability: 4
Knowledge: 5
Humor: 4
Rapport: 4
Oratory: 4
Total: 25