Ed Sherman interviews Steve Stone

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: Q and A with Steve Stone : Posted by Ed Sherman : at 5/1/2009 5:39 AM CDT on Chicago Business : First of two parts. : "I have a question for you," Steve Stone says. : "Name the only person who played for the Cubs and White Sox and then worked in the television booth for both teams?" : "Uh, J.C. Martin?" I said, full well knowing the answer is Mr. Stone. : "It's an exclusive club," he said. : The Sox television booth is the latest stop in what has been an eventful decade for Mr. Stone. He left the Cubs television booth for health reasons in 2000 only to return in 2003. However, he parted ways with the team in controversy after the 2004 season. Cubs players and manager Dusty Baker objected to his criticisms of the team on the air, and the situation disintegrated from there. : Mr. Stone, 61, went to work games for ESPN and served as a baseball analyst for WSCR-AM. Missing the day-to-day feel of being at the park, he joined the Sox radio team last year. This year, he is working with Ken "Hawk" Harrelson on the televison side. : On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to catch up with Mr. Stone prior to the Sox game with Seattle. Since Mr. Stone hardly is shy with his opinions, I decided to divide the interview into two parts. : Today will focus on Mr. Stone calling Sox games and his perspective of the organization. Monday, Mr. Stone will detail the obstacles he believes the new Cubs owner will face. : : Last year, when you went to the Sox radio booth, you did it on a trial basis. What clicked for you to decide to sign a six-year deal to do the Sox on television? : Mr. Stone: When the opportunity came up last year, I talked it over with my wife. She said, 'You love Chicago. You know how much you miss it. Go do it.' I wanted to see if I still had the fire to do 162 games, to be at the park every day, and to do all the research. I found out that the answer was yes. I loved every minute of it. Last year for me was proof that I still had the fire. My wife knows coming to the park every day is critical to my health and well-being. : When they asked if I wanted to do television, the negotiation probably was the easiest Brooks Boyer (the Sox vice-president and Chief Marketing Officer) ever had. If somebody wants you and you want them, it doesn't take too long to figure out what to do. : : You were working the Seattle locker room before the game. Talk about your preparations for doing a telecast. : I love to do the research. I still call people all over the country almost on a daily basis. I go to games in the Arizona Fall League every year. I saw Evan Longoria play before he stepped on a Major League field. I said back then, he's better than 2/3s of the third-baseman in the majors. : I try to find out everything I can. Eventually, you're going to have rain delays or a 9-0 game when you have to call on your research. I prepare as if we're going to do an 18-inning game. I want more than I need. If we go 19 innings, then I'll start making things up. : : How have you found working with Mr. Harrelson? : I've enjoyed it a lot. I've always said most former players who become play-by-play men are former players doing play-by-play. I've found Hawk to be a much better broadcaster than I expected. I view him as a broadcaster who just happened to play baseball and as opposed to a player who now is broadcasting. : He really likes to have a conversational play-by-play. It makes for a nice listen. : : What are your impressions of the Sox organization? : I've always respected Jerry Reinsdorf. I first met him in 1983 when I was doing Monday night baseball for ABC. He talked to me about becoming a pitching coach. I'm in the restaurant business with Rich Mellman. I've always viewed him as one of the most loyal people I've ever seen. Jerry is one of the most loyal baseball fans I've ever seen. He really cares about the team and you could see it trickle down throughout the entire organization. If you do a good job for Jerry, give him an honest day's work every day, you'll always have a job with him. I think that says a lot about this organization. : : You have harbored some aspirations to work as a general manager and you even sought to have a role in the ownership group of one of the prospective buyers of the Cubs. Does this long-term contract with the Sox mean that you've put aside those aspirations? : Life takes some strange turns. I thought I would broadcast the Cubs my entire career. As we know, it didn't work out that way. I thought I would be with ESPN for a number of years. The number was two. I do know I've signed a long-term deal and if it works out that I'm here the rest of my career--I hope it's another 20 years--I'd be happy with that. These people here are terrific. : On the other side of the coin, it's not a question of looking around the next corner, but sometimes you have to adapt. Knowing the vagaries of life, you never know what life will present. Just when you think you have it all planned out, life has a tendency to throw you a curve. You have to be open to it.

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