John Rooney finally arrives at the one radio job he wanted all along
By Matt Halverson
Forty years ago, back when kids actually filled out scorecards instead of watching them self-populate on computer screens, John Rooney and his dad would climb into the family car to listen to St. Louis Cardinals games on the radio. They wouldn’t drive anywhere; they lived in Richmond, Mo.—Kansas City Royals country—and the car radio was the only one they had that was strong enough to pick up the signal.
Rooney developed a love for announcing during those driveway powwows, and it eventually led him to a career in the broadcasting booth. Next month, after 17 years calling games for the Chicago White Sox, he’ll take over as the play-by-play announcer for the team that sparked his love for the game. “There’s still magic to radio,” he says. “People can have it on in the background, and when the announcer’s voice goes up an octave, they know to turn it up and listen in.”
Now that you’re working with Mike Shannon, does this mean you’ll get to eat for free at his restaurant? No, but I have a tab set up. [Laughs.] People have asked me how we’re going to work together; we’ll find out. I’ve worked well with everyone I’ve partnered with so far. I’m looking forward to it.
You’re coming back to the National League after nearly 20 years in the American League. So, designated hitter or no designated hitter? No DH. I don’t see it going away in the American League, but I like it much better with the pitchers batting and all of the strategy that’s involved. They use a lot more of the bench in the National League, and it makes things a lot more interesting.
Tell the truth: will you still be a White Sox fan? I will follow the players, but I’m doing the games for the Cardinal fans. And it’s nice to get to be involved with the teams that you’ve always been a fan of. I certainly wish the Sox well—they were nothing but good to me—but my team has the birds on the bat.
It’s been an up-and-down couple of years, what with Jack Buck’s passing and Wayne Hagin’s short three-year stint. How long would you like to be here? I hope I’m here the rest of my career—I love living in St. Louis. But I don’t look at how long I’m going to be here; I focus on this season. I can’t worry about what worked in the past and what didn’t. It’s my job—and my privilege—to be the fans’ eyes and ears. When I was in Chicago, people would say, “Hey, you’re competing with Harry Caray,” but I wasn’t. I was there to call a game.
