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Marty's way Hall of Famer has made a career out of straight talk
By John Donovan, CNNSI.com Sometime in the summer of 1975, Jack Billingham, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds during that heyday of the Big Red Machine, found himself face-to-face with the likeable young play-by-play man for the team. "We really played a good game last night," the pup announcer said to the righty. That was the last time Marty Brennaman made that mistake. In the quarter century since a well-placed rebuke from Billingham put Brennaman in his place -- the pitcher's remark went something like "How many guys did you strike out, Marty?" -- Brennaman has forged a remarkable career by keeping a healthy distance from the team he covers. He has told it like it is in plain-speaking Cincinnati, for 27 seasons, using a medium in which everyone purports to do so but few really do. He has clashed with players and, at times, his front office. And this summer, Brennaman has taken on two of the game's biggest institutions only to come out standing proudly. Who can wage a public battle with fan favorite Ken Griffey Jr., on his home turf no less, and win resoundingly? Maybe only Marty Brennaman. "If I felt like I needed an acid test to prove to myself that I have the backing of this organization," Brennaman says now, "then that was it." The fact is, Brennaman, 58, is more an institution in Cincinnati than Griffey ever will be. He is instantly recognizable to millions of radio listeners in seven Midwestern states. People have spent major portions of their lives listening to Brennaman and his partner, former Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall. In the Queen City, if you say Marty and Joe, everyone knows whom you're talking about Which is why, when The Cincinnati Enquirer conducted an online poll asking users who they sided with in the Griffey-Brennaman spat, 63 percent backed the announcer. Brennaman declines to talk about the Griffey rhubarb now -- he doesn't want to perpetuate the feud -- but it happened in mid-August when Brennaman reportedly criticized Griffey for not running out a hit that Brennaman thought could have been stretched into a double. A couple days later, Griffey confronted him in the team's clubhouse, profanities were exchanged and, on a somewhat parting note, Brennaman reportedly said, "I was here before you and I'll be here after you." It was vintage Brennaman. "My basic philosophy as a play-by-play guy is, if I'm going to praise you when you play well, then I reserve the right to be critical when you don't," says Brennaman. "Some players -- a precious few, I might add -- understand that." Brennaman's honesty almost cost him his job in the early '80s, when he clashed with former Reds general manager Dick Wagner, who didn't care for the style. But Wagner was fired in '83, Brennaman stayed on and has continued to call the games as he sees fit. "My style is one that most guys would find unacceptable," Brennaman says. "Most play-by-play guys view themselves as being friends of the players. "I think everyone desires to be liked. And I know there are a lot of players on that Reds team that don't like me at all. That's something I have to live with." All of this is not to say that Brennaman is at war with the players or that his style is constantly to pick at the weaknesses of the Reds. Though he's not buddies with them, he gets along fine with most players, he points out. He is as quick with the on-air praise as the criticism. And his down-home repartee with Nuxhall -- they have rambled on about tomato gardens, golf games and Elvis -- seems a perfect fit for a warm summer night listening to the radio in Cincinnati. His signature line after a Cincinnati win ("And this one belongs to the Reds") is known by every baseball-loving fan in the middle of the country. Still, Brennaman's uncompromising honesty is what separates him from a pack of younger, golden-throated announcers. That was never more evident than in July, when Brennaman was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the Hall of Fame. Brennaman has been a longtime believer that hometown hero Pete Rose, banished from baseball for illegal betting, belongs in the Hall of Fame. Brennaman's stance plays well in Cincinnati, but not so well elsewhere. Some Hall of Famers, including former Reds catcher Johnny Bench, reportedly pressured Brennaman to keep Rose's name out of his induction speech. But when Brennaman began to mention several members of the Big Red Machine that were not yet inducted into the Hall but should be -- listing them by name -- he stayed true to form. "And yes, by God," he said at the podium, "Peter Edward Rose." The decision to mention Rose has caused a rift between Brennaman and Bench, who the announcer calls a dear friend. But Brennaman, not surprisingly, said he'd do it again. "I have no regrets about what I said. I think you need to separate Pete Rose as a player and Pete Rose as a manager," Brennaman says. "If they were to prove to me today that he bet on baseball as a player, then I would take a complete turn." Brennaman says his refusal to be intimidated by players or would-be censors is what has made his Hall of Fame career so successful. In the end, he says, it all comes down to credibility. "I've told players, and I've told players' wives, 'I don't broadcast for you or your husband or your mom or dad or anybody in your family,'" he says. "I broadcast to the fans."
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