Editor’s Note: During SoxFest Live 2026, the Sox On 35th crew had the chance to interview several members of the White Sox organization as part of a Podcasters’ Row event. This is one story based on their conversations at the event.
If you’ve lived in Chicago long enough, you probably don’t need an introduction to Len Kasper.
Milwaukee. Miami. North Side. South Side. More than 20 years in this city. A World Series call.
A career most broadcasters would sign up for in a heartbeat.
And yet, when you talk to him, it’s clear that even such an accomplished career hasn’t stopped Kasper from being excited about looking ahead.
“It’s nice to talk some baseball, talk some White Sox baseball in 2026,” Kasper said with a grin as our crew caught up with him at SoxFest. With Midwest weather doing its usual February thing (those of you who think winter is over are kidding yourselves), you could tell he was ready for summer.
More importantly, he sounds ready for what’s next.
Watching the process unfold
Kasper arrived on the South Side in 2021, at a time when it felt like everything was going the team’s way. They were right in the middle, so they believed, of what was going to be a long contention window, and they had some of the best broadcasting talent on both TV and radio to deliver all the winning action.
Obviously, that hasn’t been the case.
But still, Kasper has stayed through the downturn of a 121-loss season and another rebuild, and also sees the upswing that’s coming.
“You’ve got a young nucleus that’s been together for a year and will continue to grow,” he said. “I think the word I’ve heard a lot in the last year is ‘culture.’ Just the environment that has been built around Will Venable, the coaching staff, and this front office. A lot of good vibes right now for the White Sox for sure.”
That word – culture – has been thrown around a lot lately. It usually receives far more focus when the team on the field isn’t bringing in wins. At the same time, when someone like Kasper says it, it still carries weight. He’s seen enough clubhouses, enough rebuilds, enough resets to know when something feels real.
And if you don’t trust him, take it from conversations he’s had with connections around the league. In those moments, he’s heard similar things.
“Well, I think last year, particularly, what I heard from a lot of other teams and broadcasters was that, ‘You guys are scrappy, you don’t beat yourselves.’ A lot of the stuff that’s being said about the White Sox now is kind of the opposite of what happened before that.”
For a team that endured brutal 2024 and 2025 seasons, that upswing matters.
He pointed to improved baserunning and better situational play as signs of positive growth, and he believes that even more athleticism could be coming because of the sort of roster that Will Venable envisions building on the South Side. He also mentioned that in the second half last year, the White Sox posted a positive run differential, a small but meaningful indicator that things might be stabilizing.
“I think that really good teams are dynamic and do a lot of different things, and I think we’re starting to see a little bit of that.”
Of course, this new, young core has everything to do with that. Kasper named Kyle Teel in particular as one of those dynamic players he will have his eye on this season.
“I was talking to Kyle Teel yesterday, and he’s probably put on 20 pounds of muscle, and I’m totally curious – how many home runs is he gonna hit? He’s got a great approach at the plate, but I really feel like he’s gonna have some sneaky power. I don’t know if he’ll ever be a 30 home run guy, but my guess is that he’ll hit more home runs than you probably think he will.”
That’s the tough thing about a rebuild… it doesn’t turn overnight. But you start to notice the pieces fitting.
Kasper is noticing.
Why radio still means everything
For all he’s accomplished, including 16 years as the TV voice of the Chicago Cubs, Kasper is clear about what keeps him motivated now, including his love for the game itself and the aforementioned “process” that he gets to watch unfold every year on the South Side.
But, the most important thing to him?
Radio.
“Baseball on the radio is very special,” he said. “The other three major sports are very linear… baseball is not. It’s really intellectual. I love being able to paint the picture for the listeners. You’ve got people doing errands, having a picnic, doing whatever, not necessarily keeping their eye on every game, so I think radio will always be a big deal as it pertains to baseball.”
That’s not lip service, either. Radio was the dream from the start.
“Ernie Harwell [longtime broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers] was my guy growing up, so I wanted to be the radio voice of a team.”
You likely know Kasper’s story as someone who started in Milwaukee on the radio and then went to TV. For many broadcasters, that sounds like the ultimate climb to the top of the mountain. For Kasper, however, it was a detour.
“In some ways, I know it’s the reverse of what happens in the business. You start in radio, you end up in television. But for those who viewed me as a TV person, which I understand, actually, I’m more of a radio guy.”
The decision to leave a high-profile television job for radio wasn’t random. It came during COVID, after nearly 20 years on TV, when he started thinking about unfinished goals.
“It was during COVID, and I still had those thoughts… of wanting to be a radio voice, and then the job opening with the White Sox, and that’s how that kind of came about. I just didn’t want to have regrets if I didn’t try to do the things I wanted to do when I was 12.”
And so, he took the opportunity he was given, something his idol Ernie Harwell would have appreciated. In Harwell’s own words, “Baseball is a lot like life. It’s a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life.”
Adjusting to a faster game
Having a long and successful career in anything likely means you’re going to see a lot of change. For baseball, the pitch clock has been one of the newest innovations. Sure, it helps move the game along, but how does it affect a radio voice, where the time available to tell the story of the game has decreased?
For Kasper, it hasn’t mattered. He’s all in on the pitch clock.
“It felt like, ‘Oh my gosh, where’s this been my whole life?’” He said.
“I call every pitch… I can’t turn the game off. So if it’s boring, I can’t turn the game off, but the fan can. What I noticed is, you have a Wednesday night [game], no matter where we were – whether it’s Chicago, Cleveland, or San Francisco on a Wednesday night at 10:00 – the game is in the sixth inning, and it’s three hours in, and the fans are leaving! That’s not what you want; you want the fans to be there until the end of the game! The pitch clock allowed fans to have that two-hour, 45-minute, maybe three-hour experience where they got to see the full game.”
From a broadcasting standpoint, it forced efficiency, but not at the expense of storytelling. Over 162 games, there’s still time to unpack everything. The rhythm just feels better.
“Still, almost a three-hour game, times 162, whatever it is… 500 hours of broadcasting. So we have plenty of time in the season to get into all of the thoughts and opinions that we have, and I don’t feel like the pitch clock necessarily has ruined that.”
Speaking of change: yes, he’s intrigued by the coming ABS system too. Technology, in his view, isn’t something baseball is resisting; rather, it’s something the sport is learning to integrate without losing its soul.
Getting the band together
If radio is the dream job, then music is the release.
Kasper founded his band Sonic45 as what he calls a “side project,” but it’s more than that. With two albums released and a third in progress, on top of writing melodies into a piano app in the offseason, Kasper is all in on something that’s been important to him throughout his life.
“I’ve been a music fan and a musician, and I kind of stopped playing for a while, but when I got interested again was with the other team in town. I started to participate in some of Theo Epstein’s charity events, and I got to know a lot of really impressive people and musicians. I kind of got to the age of 45 and thought, ‘If I don’t start writing music, or figuring out how to devise a band – something I always wanted to do – if I don’t do it now, I’m probably never going to do it,’ so I decided to dive in headfirst.”
And much like a rebuilding team, for Kasper, his music is about the process.
“Whether anybody hears it or likes it – of course, you want people to hear it and like it – the process itself and being able to do this with four of my really good friends has been incredibly satisfying.”
That creative outlet, separate from baseball, helps explain his longevity. Broadcasting 162 games a year requires a clear head, even if that clarity comes from a guitar riff.
“I cannot wait for the season to start”
When asked about his favorite game he’s ever called, Kasper didn’t hesitate.
The Field of Dreams Game.
The setting. The moment. The drama. The walk-off. It’s hard to top.
But he’s not just chasing nostalgia or looking for a team that will provide nothing but big moments. He’s made it pretty clear in both his music and his broadcasting style: the process matters.
“I always remind myself that I have the best seat in the house and that I get paid to sit there and watch the game I grew up loving… I cannot wait for the season to start.”
After more than two decades in Chicago, a World Series ring, a TV-to-radio transition, and a side career in a band, Len Kasper sounds exactly like someone who’s right where he wants to be.
On the radio.
Calling baseball.
And watching the next chapter unfold on the South Side.
Some more fun from the interview
As always, we ended our interview with some rapid-fire questions:
- A man of many talents, Kasper would use the word “fair” as the best one to describe himself. As someone who prides himself on telling the story of baseball in the radio booth, it’s very fitting.
- The White Sox announced their Alumni Home Run Derby a few weeks ago, and Kasper would love to see guys like Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas return. He threw Jose Abreu into the mix as well while acknowledging he may be a *little* too close to his retirement to make it a fair fight.
- Some new music to add to your Spotify playlist: “Pills” is Kasper’s favorite Sonic45 song, perhaps simply because it’s the first song they ever wrote.
We want to thank Len for taking the time for us during SoxFest – it was truly a pleasure getting to interview one of the best in the broadcasting business. We look forward to hearing him call some more “White Sox winners” throughout 2026 and the years to come.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!