Former I-Cubs Broadcaster Alex Cohen Named Full-Time Backup to Boog Sciambi on Marquee

As we wait to see which Cubs prospects make their way from Iowa to Chicago, we’ve got news of one big promotion that will impact the way we watch those young players. As first reported publicly by Jeff Agrest of the Sun-Times, former I-Cubs TV and radio broadcaster Alex Cohen will serve as the full-time backup to Jon “Boog” Sciambi on Marquee Sports Network’s Cubs coverage. Cohen will stand in when Sciambi has a conflict, as is often the case when he is on the radio call for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

That role had previously been occupied by a number of fill-ins, with Pat Hughes notably stepping over from 670 The Score’s booth on Sundays. Cohen has done an excellent job in Iowa for the last seven years and earned Ballpark Digest’s Broadcaster of the Year for his work during the 2023 season. You might also recognize him from an episode of House Hunters during which he struggled to cut lemons for a beverage.

Cohen made his regular season MLB broadcasting debut last July and called a pair of games for the Cubs, one in St. Louis and another back at Wrigley. The Philly native attended Indiana University, proving that you don’t have to boast a Syracuse degree to get into sports broadcasting. Someone remind me to ask him if he prefers his cheesesteaks wit’ or wit’out next time I see him. To that end, I should say this is really cool because I consider Alex a friend. I’ve joined him in the booth a couple different times and we recently caught up at Cubs Convention, where he moderated a few different panels.

This is great news for Cubs fans and I hope it opens the door for Cohen to take on an even bigger role down the road in either TV or radio.