I know we'll still have to tolerate Grande this year for a majority of the games that are on TV, but I love this Brantley/Thom B combination. And I knew I would. Brantley is so knowledgeable, was a very good closer for the Reds as we all know for a few years, and grew up rooting for the Reds (in Alabama I believe... I remember him saying when he was a player for the Reds that he was a diehard Reds fan as a kid during the BRM era and I heard him re-tell the story last week on the radio). Brantley brings solid info, and I always think it helps having a "homer" in the booth if they are professional. Brantley wants us to win, but is a pro's pro.
And I really like Thommy B as well. He is a class act and a very good PBP man. Not a HOFer like his father, but solid and then some. I couldn't believe it when it was announced that Brantley and Brenneman were joining FSN (and we were getting 145 games on TV) and I still can't. Just another reason I love Castalini and believe he's committed to getting us back to the World Series. We didn't get a lot of outside free agents during the offseason, other than Alex Gonzalez, but Castalini proved he is willing to spend money by re-signing Harang and Arroyo, and going above and beyond and getting us a real announcing team. (disclaimer: I do like Chris Welsh to an extent, but not nearly as much as either of these guys)