Jeff Brantley on borrowed time?

[Rotater Cuff]

Everybody's been raving about Jeff Brantley. He's informative, has solid insights into what the pitcher and catcher are trying to accomplish. Better than that, he's opinionated, and not fearful of biting the hand that feeds him. Accolades have been coming his way from all sides. Lonnie Wheeler recently wrote that he initially thought his accent would interfere, but he's come around, especially in Brantley's fearless but accurate criticism of players not performing as advertised.
So where's the problem?
Anybody listening to Marty and him broadcasting together might notice that Brantley is also fearless about piping up whenever something strikes his fancy while Marty is doing his segment. You know the routine. Marty does a few innings, and in the past Steve or Joe do a few innings, and they usually do them pretty much alone, or with a minimum of feedback from the other announcer. Not so with Jeff. He's noticing stuff every inning. He's noticing and talking about it.
Anyone else notice Marty's one word, kind of clipped rejoinders while Brantley was making one observation after another last night during the Twins game?
Marty is known for many things, and paramount among those things is his massive ego. He has always run the show, and it's run his way. Despite all the hoopla and lovefest about Tom Brennaman joining Marty in the booth, I predict the Jeff Brantley addition will foul the nest. Maybe they'll be tension, maybe there won't be obvious signs of a clash, but I see Brantley moving on sooner, rather than later. You can't have too many cooks in a kitchen, and it's always been Marty's kitchen.

[Ltlabner]

Oh joy, another Marty is the devil thread.

But serriously, Brantley has some interesting insights but he does talk a lot. That is probably nerves or just not having developed a flow between himself and Marty. Marty has had some short responces but I didn't take that as irritation. I took that as "Jeff just said everything there is to say".

Even between Marty and Thom it will take some time for them to develop a natural rythem and get used to working with each other. It's only natural that there will be some awkard pauses and stepping on each other until they get used to working with each other.

[coachw513]

As someone mentioned on a game thread (I believe last night), I'm looking forward to seeing things with my own eyes (perfect vision, I might add, as my insights will demonstrate ;) ) to determine how I feel Brantley is doing...but I love the verbal sparring that will inevitably come between these 3 guys :duel: ...it will make for more entertaining broadcasts...if anything, I think the addition of Thom and Jeff will invigorate Marty and make him even more special as a broadcaster...

[knuckler]

I'm just happy to hear most of the chatter during the game about baseball, instead of what color shirt someone is wearing or what golf course they played the night before!

[Unassisted]

Brantley brings too much to the table to be shown the door that quickly.

Marty's been used to having the floor pretty much to himself during his portion of the game broadcasts for over 3 decades. It's reasonable to expect awkward moments as he adjusts to working with an assertive booth-mate.

[jmac]

I'm just happy to hear most of the chatter during the game about baseball, instead of what color shirt someone is wearing or what golf course they played the night before!

Ditto..
Those stories from a "national newspaper" are a segment I wish they would drop also.

[creek14]

I enjoy Jeff's insights.

His voice drives me crazy.

[TheWalls]

Honestly, I think the broadcast is better with more intelligent banter and somebody that can stand up to Marty will bring out the best in Marty too. The bad boy was really just Marty's whipping boy. Where's the entertainment in that? For what it's worth, I like that Thom will disagree with dad too.

[Redsland]

I'm just happy to hear most of the chatter during the game about baseball, instead of what color shirt someone is wearing or what golf course they played the night before!
Amen.

[Always Red]

I enjoy Jeff's insights.

His voice drives me crazy.

I like Brantley, too. He talks about pitching, a lot, which I very much enjoy.

When I close my eyes, and listen to Brantley, especially if he is speaking very slowly, he sounds just like...Hank Hill, the cartoon character. :D

I think he and Marty are going to be just fine together. He would not be there in the first place if Marty did not want him there.

[rotnoid]

I enjoy Jeff's insights.

His voice drives me crazy.

Oh good, I thought I was the only one. His insights seem to be pretty reasonable so far, but it's hard to say when there's not much video evidence to go along with it. Fortunately, the way the contracts are going to play out Marty, JB and Thom will have time off form one another due to TV games and the like. It'll be nice for the adjustment phase and could help cut down on the alleged "frustration."

[Sea Ray]

This is a much better situation than recent years with yes man Steve Stewart or an aging Joe Nuxhall where it largely was a one man broadcast for nine innings. I like seeing Marty challenged and there will be an adjustment period for all concerned, but I think the beneficiary of all this will be us fans. If it raises Marty's blood pressure a little, so be it.

[Chip R]

This is a much better situation than recent years with yes man Steve Stewart or an aging Joe Nuxhall where it largely was a one man broadcast for nine innings. I like seeing Marty challenged and there will be an adjustment period for all concerned, but I think the beneficiary of all this will be us fans. If it raises Marty's blood pressure a little, so be it.


I haven't heard them too much this spring but it seems like while Jeff has strong opinions, those opinions seem to jibe with Marty's. Now Marty may not like a strong personality in the booth with him but he should have known what he was getting when he gave the Reds his blessing to hire him. And as long as Marty and Jeff agree on these topics, I don't see a problem.

[macro]

This is a much better situation than recent years with yes man Steve Stewart or an aging Joe Nuxhall where it largely was a one man broadcast for nine innings.

My thoughts exactly! The one major complaint I have had about Reds radio broadcasts for the past 30-some years is that they were a monologue. It's much better with one doing play-by-play and the other doing commentary. Joe was not-so-great with pbp, but could have been excellent doing commentary. Instead, he did what he wasn't good at and never did what he could have been good at.

If Brantley is commenting while Marty is doing pbp, then :clap: .

[Ltlabner]

I haven't heard them too much this spring but it seems like while Jeff has strong opinions, those opinions seem to jibe with Marty's. Now Marty may not like a strong personality in the booth with him but he should have known what he was getting when he gave the Reds his blessing to hire him. And as long as Marty and Jeff agree on these topics, I don't see a problem.

If anything it seems like Thom is disagreeing with Marty more than Brantley is.

[Matt700wlw]

Everybody's been raving about Jeff Brantley. He's informative, has solid insights into what the pitcher and catcher are trying to accomplish. Better than that, he's opinionated, and not fearful of biting the hand that feeds him. Accolades have been coming his way from all sides. Lonnie Wheeler recently wrote that he initially thought his accent would interfere, but he's come around, especially in Brantley's fearless but accurate criticism of players not performing as advertised.
So where's the problem?
Anybody listening to Marty and him broadcasting together might notice that Brantley is also fearless about piping up whenever something strikes his fancy while Marty is doing his segment. You know the routine. Marty does a few innings, and in the past Steve or Joe do a few innings, and they usually do them pretty much alone, or with a minimum of feedback from the other announcer. Not so with Jeff. He's noticing stuff every inning. He's noticing and talking about it.
Anyone else notice Marty's one word, kind of clipped rejoinders while Brantley was making one observation after another last night during the Twins game?
Marty is known for many things, and paramount among those things is his massive ego. He has always run the show, and it's run his way. Despite all the hoopla and lovefest about Tom Brennaman joining Marty in the booth, I predict the Jeff Brantley addition will foul the nest. Maybe they'll be tension, maybe there won't be obvious signs of a clash, but I see Brantley moving on sooner, rather than later. You can't have too many cooks in a kitchen, and it's always been Marty's kitchen.


Marty has no problem with it...trust me. Guess what? Thom has opinions too!! All 3 will challenge each other and keep each other in check. It will be a very good team....maybe the best in baseball (maybe I'm biased :D)

[jmac]

If anything it seems like Thom is disagreeing with Marty more than Brantley is.

I heard them together for first time on this week's night game and thought the same thing.
If I hadnt known they were father-son, I would have figured some head-butting was gonna take place.

[Chip R]

If anything it seems like Thom is disagreeing with Marty more than Brantley is.


I haven't hardly heard Marty and Thom at all. Maybe Marty's going to pull a Vito Corleone on him and tell him to never take sides against the Family in public. ;)

[Ltlabner]

I haven't hardly heard Marty and Thom at all. Maybe Marty going to pull a Vito Corleone on him and tell him to never take sides against the Family in public. ;)

I don't see Thom as Sonny. Not Michael either. Fredo perhaps?

[Sea Ray]

Joe was not-so-great with pbp, but could have been excellent doing commentary. Instead, he did what he wasn't good at and never did what he could have been good at.



In the mid 70s this is exactly the way it was. Marty was a young, enthusiastic broadcaster and Joe was the wise color commentator. Joe would do only the 4th and 7th innings. Marty was not very negative at all. In those days innings 4 and 7 were pretty much solo but the rest of them was truly a two man team

[Heath]

I think Jeff Brantley is doing the stuff he learned at Baseball Tonight and using the format in the radio booth.

It's actually like watching a game on TV and getting the info from the Radio.

I think it's been good so far.

Plus, in a couple of years, it's gonna be Thom Brennaman and Jeff Brantley on the radio anyway.

[TeamBoone]

If anything it seems like Thom is disagreeing with Marty more than Brantley is.

And you can bet your you-know-what that Thom's the only one who will ever get away with it on a continuing basis. Personally, I like it. Marty is not the know-all end-all. Others have opinions too.

If Jeff were to get in "trouble" for piping up during Marty's segments, I would hope Marty would talk to him about before just pushing him out the door (does he have the clout to fire him?).

I like Jeff's insight and to be honest, I didn't think I would. Seems whenever I've heard veteran players in the booth (or on TV) in the past, all they ever talked about is how it was when they were playing and most of the commentary revolved around that, which I absolutely HATED. Surprisingly, Jeff hasn't done that, except in micro doses on very few occasions (maybe twice). I hope it continues that way.

[Ltlabner]

Maybe Matt could chime in with some insider knowldge here. But if I had to guess, I'd be willing to bet Marty is the kind of guy while he may question you if your opinion differs from his, he will respect you far more than if you are a "yes man".

[markymark69]

I think Brantley as an analyst is great, his play-by-play could a little work and that will come with time, but I'm enjoying his insight to the game.

[bucksfan2]

I think this booth will be good. Brantly is very good at describing things he sees. He just hasn't gotten the feel for play by play yet. I dont think he will shy away from things with Marty because remember he delt with legonds like Gammons and idiots like Steve Phillips on ESPN. I also think that Thom will offer a good opposing view to Marty. Hopefully they all call it like they see it and someone ballances out Marty's occasional pesimistic view with some optimism.

[dabvu2498]

I think Brantley as an analyst is great, his play-by-play could a little work and that will come with time, but I'm enjoying his insight to the game.

Agreed. I guess he has to do pbp to get any better. But it's pretty bad right now.

[Rotater Cuff]

Marty has no problem with it...trust me. Guess what? Thom has opinions too!! All 3 will challenge each other and keep each other in check. It will be a very good team....maybe the best in baseball (maybe I'm biased :D)

Don't think Marty will get upset with his pride & joy. Fathers tend to dote on their offspring.
I hope it works, I really do, because I'm enjoying it. I just wouldn't be surprised if Brantley ended up somewhere else next year.

[JLB5]

Correct me if I'm wrong, I was under the impression that the original move to that format had more to do with Joe than Marty. They were trying to push Joe's credentials for the HOF by showing that he was primarily a play-by-play announcer and not just a "color guy." It seemed like Joe made more comments during Marty's segments than vice-versa. The format just kind of stuck once Steve got here. I much more enjoy listening to the broadcast when they are working as a team rather than both guys taking their turn. The only guy I've ever heard that was truly capable of covering a broadcast on his own was Vin Sculley. Plus, Marty just seems much happier when riffing with the other guys.

[redsmetz]

But Marty's made clear he wants to be full-time just a couple few more years, then do the periodic series or games. Am I remembering that correctly?

[Jr's Boy]

I enjoy Jeff's insights.

His voice drives me crazy.

Hey, us Alabama boys don't sound that bad.

[Chip R]

[/b]

Hey, us Alabama boys don't sound that bad.


Yeah. It's the ones from Mississippi that you really can't understand. ;)

[SunDeck]

I haven't heard them, but I imagine it probably takes time for broadcasters to get used to each other.

[MaineRed]

My thoughts exactly! The one major complaint I have had about Reds radio broadcasts for the past 30-some years is that they were a monologue. It's much better with one doing play-by-play and the other doing commentary. Joe was not-so-great with pbp, but could have been excellent doing commentary. Instead, he did what he wasn't good at and never did what he could have been good at.

If Brantley is commenting while Marty is doing pbp, then :clap: .

I agree and I think Brantley doing PBP while we have a HOF announcer in the booth along with an another guy who has already done PBP of postseason games on national television is a poor use of resources.

[creek14]

[/B]

Hey, us Alabama boys don't sound that bad.
It's not his twang, it's the sound or tone or something. It's not his fault. It just grates on me.

[Wheelhouse]

Marty has had the most vocal praise for Brantley.

[Marge'sMullet]

I've listened to every broadcast this spring and I have to say that I really like the trio. JB can tell us more than Joe about how the modern player thinks. Marty I think is the one who is staying in check with JB's personality. I think Marty respects JB's opinion. Now if only we can get someone to replace George Grande on TV, then I'll be very happy.

[MartyFan]

I actually like what Brantley has done so far and I hope he continues to throughout the season. I mean they need to adjust to one another for sure...every team does but I think the chatters is welcome.

When it was Marty by himself it was obvious that Joe was napping during those innings...you could almost hear the snore in the background...and when Joe was in the booth by himself it was almost like he was napping too!

I have no rub with Joe being in the booth but I am not one who longs for the GOOD OLE DAYS...I look forward to hearing Joe in the mix with these guys when he is in the booth.

I am not BASHING JOE, I am simply saying when he left, it was time for him to go and I think Marty will be better as a result of having Brantley and Thom to spar with...I also think he will be able to recognize that too.

[marcshoe]

I like Brantley a whole lot more than I thought he would. I don't care that I don't always agree with his (like on his suggestions for who to keep with the club and who to send to Louisville today), he's interesting, and he doesn't just react. He's a legitimate presence in the booth, and I think he fits well with Marty.

[AtomicDumpling]

It will be interesting to see how Brantley (and Thom) does during exciting plays during the regular season. Will he be able to impart real enthusiasm and generate thrills among the listeners? Since we can't see the action or feel the crowd over the radio, we rely on them to instill the emotion of the moment. Will Brantley be able to pull this off believably or will it sound forced because he is not yet a true Reds fan? It comes naturally to Marty and Joe because they have been Reds people for decades. Steve Stewart never sounded real to me. He was always reserved and forced and hence could not generate "goosebumps" with his calls of dramatic plays.

[creek14]

Marty has had the most vocal praise for Brantley.
He also voiced support for Steve Stewart last season.

[Rocket_Fuel]

Brantley reminds me a lot of a younger Joe in the way he details games, notices things, and is outspoken about certain things. He also, like Joe, doesn't take a backseat to Marty and keeps Marty on his heels. I love it!

[Rocket_Fuel]

I think Brantley as an analyst is great, his play-by-play could a little work and that will come with time, but I'm enjoying his insight to the game.

Agreed. Sometimes Brantley misses a few key things like announcing the score after an inning has ended. It's kind of awkward because sometimes it's like they cut him off to go to a commercial because he's slow to react and close out an inning. But that comes with time.

[George Anderson]

I like Brantley a whole lot more than I thought he would. I don't care that I don't always agree with his (like on his suggestions for who to keep with the club and who to send to Louisville today), he's interesting, and he doesn't just react. He's a legitimate presence in the booth, and I think he fits well with Marty.

I agree!! What I like about Brantley is he is alot more critical of the players than Joe seemed to be. Joe didnt give players a free pass but Brantley just really seems to give it to then if they dont do it right. I dont know how long this will go on once Brantley starts getting snubbed by the players in the locker room. Then again from what I know about Brantley I am guessing and hoping he doesnt care what the players think of him. But for now I am loving the radio broadcasts alot!!!