Marty Brennaman: 2019 is my final year

[Todd Gack]

I used to love baseball. After the 1981 strike, I used to say that bad baseball was better than no baseball. I loved listening to Marty and Joe growing up. But Joe passed away and the Brennemans sucked out all the joy I used to get from the game. So now I say no baseball is better than Brenneman baseball.

And of course, I live in Indians territory, so I can't listen to Tom Hamilton either because I don't like being yelled at for 3 hours.

I can't imagine not watching baseball because you don't like some guy talking about the game on the radio.

[WVRedsFan]

I also expect Marty will assume "announcer emeritus" status by showing up a few times a year for home games and calling an inning or two.

He said he would never call another game in "this area."

[WVRedsFan]

I'm old enough to remember Waite Hoyt, Claude Sullivan, Al Michaels and others. I am aware enough (because of At Bat and SiriusXM) to listen to other PBP guys. Marty, despite his tendency to go off-topic, was the best. I remember the whole wrestling era and the Elvis statue and all that. Everybody thought it was cute, but nowadays it would be horrible. Time changes everything.


I teared up because he is Reds baseball to me. Al Michaels was good, but Hoyt, Sullivan, and Gene somebody just didn't keep me going back every night. Marty did. He had personality and I could ignore the ad libs and all that. It was quite entertaining on a long drive home. I listened to his first game and will listen on his last game. I know that's not popular around here, but Marty and I had a history. A long history. I often listened on radio and watched the game. Yeah, I'm old. The new guy (Marty already thinks a third guy they've hired will be his replacement). I met Marty once and he was cordial and friendly. It's just baseball many say, but Marty was the Reds and I'll miss him.

[UPRedsFan]

He whines and harps to no end. It's like he's taking everything personal instead of just doing his job.

Thom finally lost me the day he decided to harp on a kid in the stands about not taking a bite of something. Once or twice was a weak attempt at being humorous or cute, but when he wouldn't stop and wouldn't move on it just became weird and annoying.

[Marsh15]

Thom finally lost me the day he decided to harp on a kid in the stands about not taking a bite of something. Once or twice was a weak attempt at being humorous or cute, but when he wouldn't stop and wouldn't move on it just became weird and annoying.

Lol. This is hilarious.

What a terrible day for you.

[Yachtzee]

I can't imagine not watching baseball because you don't like some guy talking about the game on the radio.

I don't live in the Reds' local TV market, and with three kids and all the activities they have, I don't really have time to watch baseball anyway. Radio is my primary means of consuming baseball. I used to listen to Reds baseball so much that I would sit in my car between classes in law school whenever they had afternoon Spring Training games on XM radio.

Rather than purchase Extra Innings or whatever the streaming service is called, I'd rather spend my limited baseball funds taking my kids to Akron Rubber Ducks games.

[WrongVerb]

Thom finally lost me the day he decided to harp on a kid in the stands about not taking a bite of something. Once or twice was a weak attempt at being humorous or cute, but when he wouldn't stop and wouldn't move on it just became weird and annoying.

For me it was him interviewing the bird. That was just awful.

[Senzling Hot]

No one better than Marty especially with Nuxhall. Great announcer, but it seems to be time. Let's hope his last year is made memorable by the product on the field.

[Rantly]

Nm

[cincinnati chili]

Some of the criticisms of his later work are fair. But when he’s on, he’s on. He might be more responsible for me being a Reds/baseball than any other human, living or dead.

[BluegrassRedleg]

This reminds me of when Cawood Ledford announced he was going to retire as the voice of the Kentucky Wildcats. I really can’t imagine replacing him. Someone will have to — and someone may do a very nice job over time — but it will never be the same.

So many memories come flooding back. I can put myself in very specific times and places remembering Marty calls.

I’m going to have to sync radio and TV more than ever this year. Hopefully the Reds can give him a fun season to ride off into the sunset.


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[WildcatFan]

This reminds me of when Cawood Ledford announced he was going to retire as the voice of the Kentucky Wildcats. I really can’t imagine replacing him. Someone will have to — and someone may do a very nice job over time — but it will never be the same.

So many memories come flooding back. I can put myself in very specific times and places remembering Marty calls.

I’m going to have to sync radio and TV more than ever this year. Hopefully the Reds can give him a fun season to ride off into the sunset.


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My man.

I grew up with Cawood too and then grinned and beared it during the Ralph Hacker years. But Tom Leach is ridiculously good, and I have hope the same thing will happen in Cincinnati.

[Norm Chortleton]

I wish you wouldn't mention Ralph Hacker. If it weren't for him, we would have had Marty doing Reds and Cats games all these years.




EDIT: For those of you who don't know ancient history, UK hired Marty to do the limited schedule of games on their basketball tv network for a year after Ledford retired from radio.

Marty did quite a bit of basketball on the radio then, and he was excellent. IMO, better than he was doing baseball.

I don't know if he would have been content doing just the tv basketball games, or if he had ideas of taking over on radio as well. Regardless, Hacker had enough political pull to make sure Marty didn't get either job going forward.

What resulted was my favorite Marty quote and one of my favorite quotes of all-time: "Ralph Hacker my (butt). On his best day and my worst day, I'm a better announcer than he is. And he knows it."






Derrp. Derrp. Derrp

[cumberlandreds]

Marty did the UK Network TV games for two seasons, the 1987-88 and the 1988-89 season. Larry Conley was his analyst one season and Jack Givens the other. I had always heard that Marty, being his abrasive self, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with UK athletics and they decided to step away from him. I'm sure he and Hacker probably never got along with each other. Hacker had a big ego too. I really couldn't see Marty ever doing UK games exclusively after Cawoods retirement. That would have meant walking away from baseball and most of these announcers once they get a full time PBP job never leave it.

Another side note was the season before Marty on UKTV was Milo Hamilton. Another baseball HOF announcer. He only did games for one season 1986-87 season.

[UPRedsFan]

For me it was him interviewing the bird. That was just awful.

Oh yea forgot about that one. That was bad too