Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode Title: Jason Benetti - Tigers play-by-play / FOX / ESPN
Air Date: December 25, 2025
Host: Dan Bernstein (DB)
Guest: Jason Benetti (JB), Detroit Tigers play-by-play announcer, FOX, ESPN

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Dan Bernstein sits down with his long-time friend and acclaimed broadcaster Jason Benetti for a candid, wide-ranging discussion. Touching on everything from the demands of a modern sportscaster’s schedule, the philosophy and art of play-by-play, comedic influences, broadcasting industry trends, and signature sports moments, the conversation is rich with insider stories, introspection, and sharp wit. Long-standing professional camaraderie and mutual respect lend warmth and insight throughout, including a heartfelt exchange about their shared broadcast journeys.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life as a Constantly Traveling Broadcaster

[03:19 – 05:19]

• Topic: Jason Benetti on balancing travel, professional demands, and personal friendships.
  • JB shares the exhausting yet dream-fulfilling reality of covering “10 games in 16 days in assorted cities.”
  • On downtime: “Last night was my first day off the road in a while, and I remembered I had friends and I called them all...” (04:18)
  • Admits that quality time with friends sometimes slips away due to the job.
  • Keenly self-aware about not complaining: “There are many people with harder jobs and all of that. So I'm loathe to ever sound like, oh, woe is me, because it's not that.” (04:59)
• Mental health and time off matter, even in the dream job.
  • DB concurs: “No matter how much one can enjoy one's job, it is still one's job.”

Comfort Media and Nostalgia: What Broadcasters Consume Off the Clock

[06:02 – 11:41]

• Topic: What Jason reads and watches for relaxation and background comfort.
  • JB is reading John Cleese’s behind-the-scenes “Fawlty Towers” book, appreciating its blend of comedic insight and entertainment history.
  • On comfort viewing: “One of the things that I watch that's comfort food is Murder She Wrote.” (08:40)
  • Prefers “shows that drive,” not “ambient music” when prepping broadcast materials.
  • Story: Angela Lansbury cast Golden Age stars to help them keep their SAG-AFTRA insurance active—a gesture JB admires for its kindness and practicality. (10:27)
• Dan on nostalgia TV:
  • References “Law and Order” as his wife’s comfort show and shares amazement at star cameos.

Community, Kindness, and Broadcasting Lore

[12:38 – 15:01]

• Topic: Unique broadcast moments, local sports fandom, and kindness in the industry.
  • Magnum P.I. Day with the Tigers: Tom Selleck’s guest appearance connected generations of fans.
  • Faye Dunaway inning: Crew humorously riffs on a young analyst not knowing her filmography.
• Insightful anecdote:
  • JB describes the latitude and creative freedom given by the Tigers organization, emphasizing the shift in his “sensibility” over time.
    • “My sensibility has changed and sort of crystallized...a lot of it is working with Bill Walton, honestly.” (15:01)
    • Walton’s creative freedom gave JB (and others) “license to say basically anything” and to embrace performance and personality in their work.

The Art of Play-by-Play: Finding and Trusting Your Unique Voice

[18:35 – 38:16]

• Topic: The balance between individuality and conformity in national vs. local broadcasting.
  • On national broadcasts: Announcers are discouraged from showing bias or personality—required to “disappear in the broadcast and don't be a reason for tune out.” (30:56)
  • Homogenization concern: DB notes the “Syracuse baritone” effect—many play-by-play voices start to sound the same, lacking unique signatures.
  • JB validates this observation, attributing it partly to how aspiring broadcasters are trained:
    • “People get taught what to say, not how to say it at the outset.” (28:41)
    • Importance of “sonic uniqueness”:

      “Play-by-play announcers are cover bands… We know all the lyrics... but the value we provide is how we sound.” (29:02)

  • JB’s impression of Sean McDonough illustrates both homage and the pressure to conform.
  • Personal anecdote:
    • DB was told directly by Vin Scully, “the most important thing is you sound like you. Don't impersonate anyone. Just trust your own sound.” (36:36)
      • JB: “You go back and you're like, I better sound like me. I better stop. I don't know how.”

Regionalism and the Disappearing Accent

[32:28 – 34:20]

• DB laments the loss of regional diversity from sportscasting—the “chain restaurantization” of play-by-play.
  • Misses when you “knew which conference you were watching, you knew which area because they sounded like it.”
  • JB: “I do think we are all better off when there's texture and detail in the sound.”
  • Both agree uniqueness humanizes the broadcast and connects fans to teams and places.

Signature Sports Moments

[42:40 – 46:09]

• Who has taken your breath away recently?
  • JB: “Tarek Skubal... has the Jordan ambition and the Last Dance sort of insatiable need for being better than the other person. He threw a Maddox against Cleveland... It's the height of badassery.” (43:31)
    • Skubal’s unflappable competitiveness and subtle, “cold” on-field demeanor stand out.
  • Best college basketball player seen this year: JB lauds Michigan’s Yaxel Lindeborg and especially Arizona’s Caleb Love—“the ease at which he gets the air he gets... it was breathtaking.” (45:25)
• MLB Labor Outlook
  • JB is hopeful a baseball work stoppage can be avoided after the progress generated by recent rule changes.
    • “They have done such a good job rehabilitating the game with the rule changes... I really hope not, because I can feel [growth and excitement] around ballparks.” (46:09)

Heartfelt Final Reflections

[47:30 – 49:17]

• JB thanks DB for supporting his career:

  “The people in this world who were dedicated to my career before anybody cared, I can count on a hand or two... there are not many people who did what you did for my career in the world. And so I will always appreciate you for that.” (48:10)

• Both express gratitude and mutual respect, capping off a genuinely warm and candid conversation.

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I remembered I had friends yesterday.”
  — Jason Benetti, (04:18)
• “It's the chain restaurantization of play by play in a lot of ways… I do think we are all better off when there's texture and detail in the sound.”
  — Jason Benetti, (34:20)
• “Don’t impersonate anyone. Just trust your own sound.”
  — Vin Scully to Dan Bernstein, recounted at (36:36)
• “Play-by-play announcers are cover bands… the value we provide is how we sound.”
  — Jason Benetti, (29:02)
• “Tarek Skubal... It's the height of badassery.”
  — Jason Benetti, (43:31)
• “You contain multitudes in that regard. But that's every broadcaster.”
  — Dan Bernstein, (35:47)
• “The people that stuck their neck out to make sure people knew that I had talent based on minor league baseball tape... I will always appreciate you for that.”
  — Jason Benetti, (48:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Personal/professional balance, mental health: 03:19 – 05:19
• Nostalgia TV, comfort media, Angela Lansbury story: 06:02 – 11:41
• Magnum PI Day, creative latitude as a broadcaster: 12:38 – 15:01
• Influence of Bill Walton, changing play-by-play style: 15:01 – 18:35
• National vs. local broadcasting, fitting into a ‘template’: 18:35 – 23:16
• Homogenization of play-by-play voices ("Syracuse baritone"): 27:27 – 34:20
• Trusting your sound, Vin Scully anecdote: 36:35 – 38:16
• Sports moments that took your breath away: 42:40 – 45:02
• MLB labor outlook: 46:04 – 47:11
• Heartfelt thank you, friendship: 47:30 – 49:17

Final Thoughts

This episode highlights the artistry, humanity, and hard-won wisdom behind sports play-by-play work, filtered through a Chicago sensibility and the rapport of two industry veterans. If you care about the voices behind the games, the culture of sports media, or simply enjoy sharp, warm conversation, this one’s a must-listen.