'Thank you for filling my heart' Benetti leaves White Sox broadcast

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When Magglio Ordonez departed the White Sox for the Tigers via free agency prior to the 2005 season, Jason Benetti remembers thinking “What did he do?”

Benetti grew up in the Chicago area and grew up as a staunch White Sox supporter, before becoming one of the most likable and nationally renowned broadcasters currently working. So Benetti can relate to the White Sox fans angst over the television voice of their team for the past eight seasons, the talented replacement for Hall of Famer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, now inking a multi-year contract to become the television voice of the Detroit Tigers.

In a Thursday morning Zoom following the announcement, Benetti thanked the White Sox for giving him this opportunity. He also thanked the White Sox television production crew, whose excellence Benetti admitted was one reason Detroit had interest. And of course, he thanked White Sox fans.

“I have friends who I have met on White Sox [X, the platform formally known as] Twitter who I will be friends with forever,” Benetti said. “They have shared things with me beyond the scope of anything I would have expected. I’m never going to not have Chicago in my heart.”

Benetti’s first White Sox broadcast came on April 9, 2016, and he remembers having friends and family in a suite at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox did everything they could to make that moment matter.

It was living out a childhood dream, which explains why Benetti grew emotional on Thursday and said it was tugging at his heartstrings when asked about this opportunity.

“I’m so grateful to Jerry Reinsdorf, Brooks Boyer, Scott Reifert ... I can’t list everybody. It would take a long time,” Benetti said. “But that whole organization has done so much for me in my life and my career. To have been home and do that is the chance of a lifetime.”

An official statement was released by the team on behalf of Brooks Boyer, chief revenue and marketing officer of the White Sox. Otherwise this day was all about Benetti and his new broadcasting venture.

“We want to thank Jason Benetti for all he has done for the Chicago White Sox throughout his tenure and for all he means to White Sox fans,” Boyer said in the statement. “Not only is Jason one of the very best broadcasters across multiple sports, he is a born-and-raised White Sox fan who shared his passion for the team on air night in and night out. He represented the club in the community and engaged with fans, all while delivering one of the very best local broadcasts in Major League Baseball.

“As we have in the past when career-changing opportunities were made available for Jason’s consideration while under contract with the White Sox, including ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Statcasts, the Olympics, Peacock Sunday MLB games, and most recently, becoming one of FOX’s top play-by-play talents for national broadcasts, we agreed to allow Jason to explore the opportunity with the Detroit Tigers, which he has accepted. We are proud to see Jason continue to live out his dream to bring the games he loves into the homes of fans in his unique style. We will miss Jason calling White Sox games and wish him the very best on this next chapter of his storied broadcasting career.”

Boyer’s statement added that Len Kasper is fully committed to radio broadcasts, meaning the next step is “to find the best person to pair with Steve Stone to continue to provide White Sox fans with smart, entertaining, and informative broadcasts in 2024.” Boyer added the search will begin immediately.

Beyond his broadcast work, Benetti was a down-to-earth inspiration. He was born with cerebral palsy and is part of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation’s "Just Say Hi" campaign that launched in 2015. He is a unique talent and individual, who takes a piece of Chicago with him as he moves to Detroit.

“The only way you get to be fulfilled in this world is by taking on new challenges,” Benetti said. “This is something that’s different for me. There is a corner of my heart that this was really hard.

“I know what people might say about me leaving and all of that, but the White Sox didn’t have to grant permission to have this opportunity either. There are a lot of great people I care about deeply … The White Sox hired me, a person who doesn’t walk normally, to be the front facing person in their organization in 2016. The only reason I’m here is because of them.”