Cubs, Jon Sciambi fits the profile of historic broadcasters at Wrigley

Everyone around the game knows the history, passion and tradition that fills the air at 1060 W. Addison St. on the North Side of the Windy City on game day. There are few places or fanbases that can hold a match to that experience.

For that reason, new Cubs TV play-by-play voice Jon ‘Boog’ Sciambi was excited to come to Chicago. He has the chance to take his place in team lore, among the all-time greats: Jack Brickhouse, Harry Caray and Len Kasper – each a legend of their time.

Brickhouse was a crafty sort. He realized that, while calling a 12-0 ballgame for the ‘bad guys,’ he had to put on a show. That’s where Jack Rosenberg fit in. The recently-deceased Rosenberg was a ‘do-it-all’ type of man, constantly working behind-the-scenes and alongside these iconic voices.

As for Brickhouse, the job remains the same. Whether up 5-0 or down 10-1, everything stays. The inflection in his voice. The credo must stay the same. Sciambi also knows this.

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“I wanna be where baseball matters and baseball matters on the North Side of Chicago,” he told Marquee Sports Network. “I think this job is special and that’s what it boils down to.” Sciambi said.

Caray and Kasper couldn’t be any different – yet they are both permanent fixtures in team history. Caray liked the limelight back in the day. He would spend the entire night drinking and would be back for baseball at 1:20 the next afternoon. But he never walked into the booth unprepared.

“He told me when I first began to broadcast that I needed to be well prepared when games got out of hand,” Rick Sutcliffe said of Caray. “Harry worked hard at his broadcasts. He told me too many former players try to do broadcasting without doing their homework. Harry had a very professional view of the job.”

Kasper was the first one of the bunch with analytics and metrics in his booth. And his friendship with Jim Deshaies was second to none, creating one of the best broadcasting duos in the sport. Earlier this offseason, he went to the Chicago White Sox to join the radio booth after 16 seasons as the Cubs’ TV play-by-play announcer. Happy trails, Len. You deserve it.

Sciambi will take over for the Marquee Network for 120 games, give or take. As Bruce Levine put it, he is a ‘fun-loving guy,’ and I like that.

“He is one of the few play-by-play men who could do color commentary,” Sutcliffe said about his former ESPN TV partner. “That is how smart and versatile Boog’s range is as a broadcaster. He will be able to keep your attention and have fun even in a 17-4 game.”

Go get ’em, Boogs. We can’t wait to watch and listen to you as you join some of the most beloved names in the minds and hearts of Cubs fans for years to come.