The reason for Steve Stone's rebirth in the White Sox broadcast booth at 72? His 35-year-old partner, Jason Benetti.

CHICAGO - Steve Stone is all wound up just when he might be expected to be winding down.

Rather than retiring - or just plain tiring - the 72-year-old veteran baseball analyst seems rejuvenated.

The result is he and play-by-play man Jason Benetti are complementing each other even better this year than in the previous three seasons, when fellow announcer Hawk Harrelson was part of the mix.

"Just when anybody might count Steve out as, 'Hey, he's in his 70s,' and 'How curious is he?' and all of this, there's a fire in him for gathering information," Benetti said. "I love being next to that. "

Part of Stone's apparent rebirth stems from his partnership with Benetti. But don't underestimate the role of the Sox themselves, their development fueling a ratings uptick and high hopes. Some fans have been rattled by the team's performance since the All-Star break, but Stone has made clear his faith is unshaken.

We can't tell anyone