Today, Chicago Cubs’ play-by-play broadcaster Len Kasper confirmed that he has re-upped for five years, signing an extension that will keep him in the booth through 2016. He was due to be a free agent, as it were, after this season.
Kasper, an adopted Cubs fan for the last seven years, is excited to stick around.
“Working with Bob [Brenly] every day makes me sound better, and I’m fortunate to have the best partner in the game,’’ Kasper said. “I thought it would be the greatest job in the world when I got here, and it’s been beyond my expectations. Of course, it’s more fun when the Cubs win, but to get to call half the games at Wrigley Field, it never, ever, ever feels routine.
“From every angle, professionally and personally and from a family standpoint, being back in Midwest [after three years with the Marlins] felt very familiar to me,” Kasper said. “Being from the Midwest, I feel like I have a good read on how people view the world here, and I’ve felt accepted here from Day 1. Cubs fans have been absolutely wonderful to me.”
Brenly, Len’s partner since 2005, is signed through 2012 as the Cubs’ color man, but, as the frequent target of managerial rumors, you have to wonder how much longer the pair will remain. Brenly has made only cursory efforts to hide his interest in returning to the dugout.
Whatever happens with Brenly in the near term, Kasper will be around for a while. And, I suspect, most would agree that’s a good thing. He has always struck me as knowledgeable and genuinely interested without being overly-homerish. He’s got a pleasant voice, and he’s excellent at keeping the action on the field at the fore, even when his discussions with Bob veer into humorous, tangential territory.