Lovers Lane
In The Flesh

Media: August 2020

| August 1, 2020

Andy Masur knows his new gig as radio play-by-play man (WGN Radio) for the White Sox is a great opportunity, but he also realizes who he is following.

ā€œThereā€™s a little pressure because itā€™s not so easy to replace someone like Ed Farmer (who passed away a few months ago). I donā€™t ever feel you can replace someone with the legendary status of Ed. He grew up on the South Side. He pitched for the team. He broadcast for them. You donā€™t get much more South Side than that.ā€

Itā€™s a job made even tougher by his own affection for the man. He worked with Farmer closely these last few seasons as the pre-game host at WGN (AM 720), but heā€™s known him a lot longer than that.

ā€œWhen I was with the Cubs (in the early 00s), and we came across town for the games against the Sox, Ed really showed the caliber of person he was. Iā€™ll never forget the way he looked in on Ron Santo, who had lost his legs and had a hard time moving around. Ed checked on him constantly to make sure Ronnie didnā€™t need anything, that he was fed, that he was taken care of. I never forgot the kindness he showed. I mentioned it to Ed when we worked together the first time, and he waved me off with a ā€˜thatā€™s what you do. You take care of people.ā€™ Ed was the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back and would be pissed at you if you didnā€™t ask for the shirt off his back. He really wanted to help people.ā€

Because Masur was already a part of the extended White Sox family, his arrival hasnā€™t ruffled too many feathers.

ā€œIā€™ve been very grateful for the way Sox fans have accepted me,ā€ he says. ā€œIā€™ve really immersed myself in White Sox baseball the last couple of years and have gotten to know all the guys. I worked with Ricky Renteria before when I was in San Diego. DJ has been great. There are guys that have been in this organization for years and years, and Iā€™ve known them from my days as a reporter. If I need an answer to a question, there a lot of people that will help me out. Jerry Reinsdorf is a loyal guy and has built a great thing here. It feels like being part of a family organization. Jerry has taken care of his employees during the pandemic, which is something not every team has done. Itā€™s a good group of people to be associated with; Iā€™ll tell you that.ā€

And doing the games on WGN Radio makes it even better for Masur.

ā€œTo be able to do this job, and to be on WGN radio is great. Itā€™s a thrill for me because WGN is where I grew up in radio in Chicago. I worked there from 1999 to the beginning part of 2007, and luckily they welcomed me back after San Diego in 2014 when I needed someplace to go. I have a lot of loyalty to the people there, especially Dave Eanet, who likes to remind me that he hired me not once, but twice. I tell him this all the time, and he wonā€™t accept it, but itā€™s true. In all my travels and tribulations in the world of radio and TV, heā€™s the best boss Iā€™ve ever worked forā€”hands down. Nobody else is even in the equation. He means that much to me. So yeah, doing games on WGN, is pretty darn special to me. Itā€™s a dream come true.ā€

On top of that, Masur appears to be broadcasting games for a baseball club on the cusp of something special.

ā€œYou look at the organization and what they are trying to do with the rebuild, and I feel like I did come in on the ground floor of an express elevator. Itā€™s amazing where they are. Itā€™s going to be strange this year because it will be difficult to really know how they are progressing because of the short season and the implications of that, but thereā€™s no doubt at all that the future is bright.ā€

Masur cut his teeth in the booth last year, doing about 35 games with Darren Jackson while Ed Farmer was dealing with medical issues. It wasnā€™t without a few bumps.

ā€œThere was a day game that we did in Detroit last year, and nobody warned me about the booth in Detroit. For the first two innings of day games, you canā€™t see. The sun beats down on the countertop and goes into your eyes. In the first inning, a Tigerā€™s player crunched a ball. I heard it, but I didnā€™t see it all. I had to describe the play by watching the fielders react. I saw the right fielder look up like it was gone, and then I looked to the umpire and saw him make the home run signal, and so I called it correctly. After the inning, DJ said to me, ā€˜You didnā€™t see that home run at all, did you?ā€™ No, I didnā€™t.ā€

This year there is extra pressure to get it right.

ā€œFans are going to rely on us even more than usual because they canā€™t be there themselves. Itā€™s a big challenge, but I feel like Iā€™m up for it.ā€

-Rick Kaempfer

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