CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- With his retirement on the horizon after the 2019 season, 76-year-old Reds radio broadcaster Marty Brennaman is more into detente than anything else.
That includes his relationship with Cubs fans, whom he infamously called "far and away the most obnoxious fans in baseball" in 2008 after Wrigley Field spectators threw more than a dozen baseballs onto the field following a homer by then-Reds slugger Adam Dunn. His tune has changed over the years.
"I have nothing but great memories coming to Chicago," Brennaman said on Inside the Clubhouse on Saturday morning. "We had this bump in the road in (2008). As far as I am concerned, that was an isolated incident that came and went. I don't think about that anymore. I look forward to coming to Chicago for a lot of reasons. The great years of broadcasting from Wrigley Field and my second daughter, Dawn, lives in River Forest and I have grandkids out there. I just enjoy coming through this city. I have been here since the worst of times in the '70s with this Cubs team. I see them in the best times right now. I think its good for baseball with the success they have had because they were essentially a doormat in this league for so many years."
Brennaman's unabashed style of saying anything he believes makes him the last of a dying breed among old-time announcers. At age 31 in 1974, he took over the Reds radio job from Al Michaels. Brennaman called Hank Aaron's record-tying 714th homer in the first week of his new job.
Brennaman is reminded of his longevity every time he calls a Reds game. Cincinnati is now managed by David Bell, whom Brennaman saw roaming around often when his father, Buddy, played for the Reds in the 1980s.
Through the years, much has changed in the game -- a good deal of it not to Brennaman's liking. He believes too much emphasis is placed on analytics in the front office of many MLB teams.
"I will never grasp the way they play the game now as opposed to the way they used to play it," Brennaman said. "I am not saying analytics don't have a place in the game. I just think there has to be a proper balance. In some cases, you do see teams that have a proper balance. There are also teams that go head over heels and go analytics only. I was told the Phillies and manager Gabe Kapler have changed their approach dramatically after losing the last eight games last season. A lot of people thought the players quit on him. So this year, he has been a different guy. He has not been so imbued with analytics and analytics only. He has sought out a proper balance for the team and the players. I think that is the only way to look at it. I have a problem with guys that don't know how to put on a jock strap. All of a sudden, they have a big position in baseball operations. I have a big problem with that."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
