Jon "Boog" Sciambi and Jim Deshaies in the Marquee Sports Network booth for the Chicago Cubs. Credit: Marquee Sports Network Credit: Marquee Sports Network
By Matt Clapp on
This article was published in conjunction with the 2026 Awful Announcing MLB Announcer Rankings. To see how 85,000 voters evaluated the 30 local MLB team announce teams, click here.

Awful Announcing readers recently ranked the Chicago Cubs’ television booth No. 5 in Major League Baseball for the second straight year. So, what makes the Marquee Sports Network booth one of the best and most popular with viewers?

There are a variety of reasons, with the broadcast offering a little something for everyone.

High baseball IQ and educational commentary

Jon “Boog” Sciambi and Jim “J.D.” Deshaies have served as the primary crew on Marquee broadcasts since the 2021 season, and it was clear from the beginning that they were very like-minded in how they analyze the game.

Sciambi has long been one of the top analytically-minded voices in baseball media. And while Deshaies is a former big-league pitcher, his analysis is much more new-school than old.

But they provide the analysis in an educational, timely way that appeals to both fans who are stats nerds and those who might not be quite familiar with modern analytics and different ways to evaluate the sport. Each of their broadcasts features high-quality, in-depth, and well-communicated baseball discussions that FanGraphs addicts and the average fan alike can enjoy. The intelligent baseball commentary on these broadcasts is second to none.

A deep rotation

Sciambi, like many of the top play-by-play voices in baseball, also has a national television job. And when Sciambi is away to call games for ESPN, the Marquee broadcast has been in great hands, with Alex Cohen stepping in for Cubs play-by-play.

Cohen, the former voice of the Iowa Cubs in Triple-A, has made big strides in his second year as Marquee’s official No. 2 play-by-play announcer. And his workload has seen a sizable bump as Sciambi’s ESPN duties have increased. He’s quickly become a fan favorite for his energetic calls, baseball knowledge, and active presence on social media.

“Just being here another year and another year working with the same color analyst, sideline reporters, our great directors and producers from the truck, I am definitely more comfortable,” Cohen told Awful Announcing. “They are a big part of that — everyone is really easy to work with. For me as a play-by-play broadcaster, I think just recognizing my role in the production element of this broadcast has been a big source of growth.”

Deshaies also takes games off occasionally (and with hip-replacement surgery looming), and former Cubs Ryan Dempster, Rick Sutcliffe, and Cliff Floyd have filled in seamlessly as color commentators when necessary.

Additionally, Marquee has an outstanding group of sideline reporters, with Taylor McGregor, Elise Menaker (also an occasional color commentator), and Lance Brozdowski providing valuable insight on the broadcasts and frequently joining the conversation.

McGregor has been a rising star as a college football sideline reporter at ESPN, and like Sciambi, she has to take some days off with Marquee. But the broadcast doesn’t miss a beat when Menaker or Brozdowski is on duty. Menaker, a Cornell Hall of Fame softball player, is an extremely sharp analyst and brings an engaging personality. And Brozdowski is known in the baseball analytics world as one of the top data-driven analysts and pitching gurus in the sport right now, while also providing such commentary for MLB Network.

Credit: Marquee Sports Network

“I’m the point guard so that the real stars — Taylor, Elise, Lance from a sideline standpoint; J.D., Cliff, Demp, Elise, Sut from an analyst standpoint — can drive home the points they want to drive home OR be the one to give some silence to the broadcast so that the 40,000 fans at Wrigley Field can tell a better story than I ever can,” Cohen explained.

Cohen also elaborated on what McGregor, Menaker, and Brozdowski bring to the broadcasts.

“With Taylor, I think whenever she is on the broadcast and on camera, she makes it so enjoyable,” Cohen said. “The ‘it’ factor is on her side. Great energy, really funny, doesn’t take herself too seriously in the best way possible. Always feels like she elevates the broadcast. Just an incredible talent.

“With Elise, I am not sure I have ever met anyone more prepared, hard-working, and in love with the game of baseball. I think she’s good at whatever she does — sideline, in the booth, in studio — because she will not let herself fail. She’s so engaging, humble, and is such a pleasure to be around.

“With Lance, he’s freakin’ smart. Naturally, so gifted from an on-air standpoint, but he does not take it for granted. Works very hard and always wants to learn more, do more, and experience more.”

Strong chemistry

If a broadcast crew doesn’t have good chemistry, it’s very difficult to have a good broadcast. Sciambi and Deshaies have had that for years. Each of their broadcasts together feels incredibly natural and smooth.

And the growth in chemistry for Cohen and Deshaies from year one to year two has been very evident. The conversations are much freer-flowing, and the duo is on the same wavelength.

“I definitely feel like the chemistry has grown,” Cohen explained about working with Deshaies. “As crazy as it sounds, we’ve only worked maybe 50-60 games together overall. That’s less than half a season. So I think the more games we do together, the more our chemistry has a chance to grow. And I’m really excited for that.”

It also helps that Cohen and several of the guest color commentators frequently work together on the Marquee pregame and postgame shows and on podcasts, allowing them to further develop that chemistry and stay in tune with all things Cubs.

When to be objective, and when to be a bit of a homer

One of the reasons the Chicago booth is so respected nationally is that the broadcast tends to feature objective, reasonable analysis, whereas some local broadcasts have a more biased, homer-ish tone in their coverage. You can watch a Marquee broadcast while not caring about or even liking the Cubs, and it’s unlikely to feel much different than the average national broadcast in most cases.

Now, there are times to be a homer, and Sciambi, Cohen, and company will get excited when the time calls for it- an incredible Pete Crow-Armstrong moment, a walk-off win, etc. But that element is always necessary in a home broadcast to keep fans happy and deliver memorable calls for memorable moments.

There’s a good balance here in how to properly handle the coverage to appeal to both general baseball fans and Cubs fans, and the Marquee booth does a great job of delivering on that.

Keeping it fun

It’s always entertaining on the broadcast, no matter who is in the booth. All of the Marquee announcers bring a good sense of humor and a fun side to the production and commentary. That’s particularly refreshing in a sport featuring a 162-game season, and when things can drag at times.

Deshaies, in particular, is a master of top-notch quips and one-liners (and frequent Seinfeld references). He regularly leaves Sciambi and Cohen laughing. And when there’s extended silence, we can assume they’re laughing after pressing the cough button.

A lot goes into the Cubs having one of the top TV booths, and there’s no reason to think that will slow down anytime soon.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor/writer at Awful Announcing and The Comeback.

He can be reached by email at mclapp@awfulannouncing.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp