Marty Brennaman’s presence around Greater Cincinnati and the Reds still looms large six seasons after he retired from his hall-of-fame broadcasting career. And it will loom even larger at Great American Ball Park after his bronze statue is unveiled on Crosley Terrace before the Sept. 6 Reds-Mets game.
He’s never one to hold back when asked questions – except when it comes to revealing details about his statue, which he calls a greater honor than the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award because this is all about Cincinnati.
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But Brennaman had plenty of other things to say in an hourlong, wide-ranging conversation this week – about learning moments in his 46 seasons calling Reds games, running around with Pete Rose and Joe Morgan in the 1970s, the current state of the club, his long-time friend and Reds manager Terry Francona and which former Reds great should get the next statue in front of the ballpark.
Question: You were known for so many years for having poofy hair. So I gotta ask: Will the statue have poofy hair?
Marty: That was the first question from the sculptor. With or without? And I told him. It’s a secret until Saturday.
Q: You came up with the Big Red Machine as a baseball broadcaster. What did that team do for your career?
Marty: When I went into the broadcaster’s wing in Cooperstown 25 years ago, I was the second-youngest broadcaster to go in. In 2025, I’m still the second-youngest. My association with the Big Red Machine team had as much to do with that as my talent. It spoiled me.
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In 1977, we were in Philadelphia to play the Phillies. They had an announcer named Byrum Saam. He was iconic in Philadelphia. He came up to me and said, “Do you realize how lucky you are?” I said, rather flippantly, “Yeah, I’m 35 years old broadcasting in the big leagues.” He said, “I’m not talking about that. You have two world championship rings.” I jokingly said, “I thought you were supposed to do it every year.”
Marty Brennaman smiles while speaking during a ceremony honoring the “Big Red Machine” team before the game between Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, June 28, 2025.
No more running with Pete Rose, Joe Morgan
Q: You were close in age with the Big Red Machine guys. Did you consider them friends?
Marty: The cool thing about where they’re putting this statue is on my left is Pete (Rose’s statue) and on my right is Morgan. I ran with those guys in the early days. The club eventually told me, “You gotta stop doing that. One, you can’t afford to run with them. Secondly, you as a broadcaster have no business doing that.” I didn’t listen to them. In retrospect, they were probably right. I would tell a young broadcaster today not to hang out with the players.
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Here’s where it changed for me. In 1978, Sparky’s last year, I made a comment on the air that Joe (Morgan) was “acting like a child” after he was called out trying to steal second. He felt like he was safe and was ranting at the umpire. He really lost it out there.
He found out I said that and didn’t like it. It created bad blood between us. We didn’t talk for a year until Joe called and apologized. He was a better man than me. He said our friendship is too good to have this come between us. I stopped hanging out with the players after that.
Personalities gone from broadcasting, like ‘PGA Tour’
Q: With your call ‘em like you see ‘em style, would any team hire you today?
Marty: No, I could not get a job today. If I were coming out of the minor leagues and applying for a big-league job today, they would listen to a 2- or 3-inning audition tape and that would take care of that. It’s a different world today.
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Every announcer today has to consider every word that comes out of his mouth for fear of what reprisal will come to make ownership or management mad. I disagree with it. A lot of people felt like I had the free rein to say what I want, and they appreciated it. You could never go down that path today and be successful.
You don’t have a lot of personalities in my business anymore. It’s like the PGA Tour. You don’t have Chi Chi Rodriguez and Arnold Palmer anymore. You have greatest players to ever play the game and no personalities. Scottie Scheffler is an incredible player, but has no personality. It’s a shame. I think it adds to the sport when you have great personalities.
Sounds like Cincinnati Reds need Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber
Q: What’s it going to take to fix the Reds?
Marty: The biggest single thing they have to do is go out and get a veteran power hitter with a track record. Not some kid who’s done it for two years in a row. You gotta get a guy who has a track record of having done it, year in and year out. I think people overlook the fact that this is still a young team. They need someone to take the pressure off of expecting so much from a young lineup. They knew that at the end of last year, and they didn’t really do anything about it.
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After all these years of this organization not having pitching, all of a sudden, they have a lot of good, young starting pitching. Their starting pitching has been consistent. They’re a terrible defensive team, but that can be fixed. They need a little help in the bullpen. Aside from that, I’m optimistic about what they can do.
New manager Terry Francona talks with team owner Bob Castellini after an event to introduce the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
Q: Terry Francona is a great friend of yours. How often do you talk to him and do you give him your thoughts on the club?
Marty: Had anybody else been managing the team this year, this team would’ve probably been out of playoff position a month-and-a-half ago. Hiring Terry Francona is the single biggest acquisition this ownership has made. Now they have to go out and get him some players to let his talent come into play. I’d like to think that he won’t get discouraged. He doesn’t need to work. He came back because he loves the game so much.
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I don’t talk to him that much. When the club hired him, I told him, “I’m not going to be down here a whole lot. I’m not going to take advantage of our friendship and call you two or three times a week.” He doesn’t need to hear my thoughts on the club. He has a lot of say in what goes on. That’s something the previous managers have not had. I think he has the kind of reputation that he should be allowed to have a major say in the road this club travels.
Q: Who should get the next statue in front of Great American Ball Park?
Marty: Barry Larkin. Hands down. Without any question. I’m stunned that I got one before him. I’m stunned that I got one period. He should get it for every reason imaginable. He was born and raised here. He’s in the Hall of Fame. He’s a handsome guy. He has such a great family, and he presents such a great image for the ballclub. No one’s asked me this question before, and I’m glad you did.
Contact columnist Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Marty Brennaman talks statue, Terry Francona, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan