Paul Sullivan: 40 years in the booth: White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone celebrates his anniversary with an unplugged conversation
CHICAGO — Steve Stone tweeted some positive news Sunday about a sub-.500 Chicago White Sox team battling through injuries and underachieving players.
Then the Sox TV analyst goaded fans to chime in with an opposing point of view.
“I’m optimistic,” Stone wrote. “But feel free to whine and complain.”
It was a far cry from the Steve Stone of 2004 whose on-air criticism of Cubs players and manager Dusty Baker got so heated it created a rift that couldn’t be healed, leading to Stone’s abrupt departure from the WGN booth after the season.
After a few years in self-exile, Stone returned and reintroduced himself to the South Side, first in the Sox radio booth and then on TV broadcasts with Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. Stone still is going strong at 74, and on Tuesday he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his broadcasting debut on ABC’s “Monday Night Baseball.”
There’s a lot to unpack since June 7, 1982.
Stone basically has gone through four metamorphoses while partnering with Harry Caray, Chip Caray, Harrelson
