A foul ball so completely destroyed the White Sox booth TV that I'm just intimidated
Being an announcer for a Major League team is a pretty sweet gig, right? You can watch all the baseball you could ever dream of, see superstars from all around the country and even occasionally get to do a game with Bill Walton. (For better or for worse.)
As for foul balls? Well, you might get one, but you could lose important parts of your equipment in the process. That's what happened to Jason Benetti and Steve Stone when the White Sox faced the Twins on Tuesday night. Mitch Garver fouled a ball off in the top of the fifth that soared straight back into the White Sox booth.
Benetti and Stone avoided the smash. Their TV did not:
My goodness. Benetti and Stone were simply happy to not get hit. I've seen foul balls wreck laptops, phones and even other TV screens before, but there's something that's just so unnerving about this one. I can't quite put my finger on it.
Maybe it's because the screen took on an even more ominous look when Benetti shared it on social media with the test pattern in the background:
Ball in booth = this pic.twitter.com/1pBVFmSAt3
— Jason Benetti (@jasonbenetti) August 28, 2019
This just makes me feel like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey is in control of the game now. If the screen spontaneously starts playing an eerie version of "Daisy Bell," then it might be time to run.
That photo of Yolmer Sánchez below the screen says it all: "Yikes" and "Look out." The machines have taken over.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
