I was heartbroken to read Thursday that Jason Benetti was leaving the White Sox TV broadcast booth for a similar post in Detroit.
Every nice thing you heard about him is true times infinity. He was so kind to everyone and always had time for everyone. Up until the last day of last season, Jason waited in the long Bards Room line for his food just like everyone else. While it was obvious Jason was preparing while in line, he was always approachable and conversational. He had a knack for remembering everyone’s name, too, which was so heartwarming.
Jason would also visit the scoreboard control room — where I work — from time-to-time with well-wishes or compliments. He was also effusive of his praise on-air of the work the scoreboard and Gene Honda did.
He is so talented that I think we will all say “We knew him when” when he is calling Super Bowls, World Series’ or Final Fours. He’s that good.
Actually, I am one of the lucky ones who knew Jason “when.” I had the good fortune of calling one game with him on radio. The year was 2005 and Chris Hubble bid on a night in the Windy City Thunderbolts’ radio booth. He won it and gave it to me. My partner that night … 22-year old Jason Benetti fresh off the campus of Syracuse University.
Jason was amazing. The time flew as we chatted about everything from the game to the Frontier League to the old Kenosha Mammoths to my job with the Sox to his background. He even let me do an inning of play-by-play, which was such a nice thing for him to do considering he was using this job to build a resume.
I was late arriving to the game — TRAFFIC — so I didn’t meet Jason off-air until after the game. It was only then that I realized he had cerebral palsy. I learned a lot that night about opportunity and judgement. I think these are the lessons Jason humbly imparted on all of us on a daily basis and through his work with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
When Benetti got the Sox job, I approached him and after some memory refreshing, he did remember our game together years prior. It was a nice bond we had and it was a moment HE would bring up to me from time to time, which was so cool.
You know what else was cool? Every once in a while he would read a Tweet of mine during a broadcast and give me credit by name and as the @soxnerd.
Good luck, JB. Detroit is lucky to have you.