Cincinnati Reds have the best father-son announcing duo in MLB history

The Cincinnati Reds have a long history of elite radio announcers and that extends to the Brennamans.

Marty and Thom Brennaman are two of the Cincinnati Reds’ current set of announcers and they are the best father-son duo in the business.  With all due respect to John and Jack Buck, the Brennamans are in a class all to themselves.  The Brennamans have been baseball announcers through and through.

It can be easy for Reds’ fans to forget how great they have had it.  Prior to Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman being the play by play announcer for Cincinnati, current Sunday Night Football lead man, Al Michaels, was the lead man on the Reds’ broadcast.  Michaels was there for three years, 1971-73.

Prior to Michaels, the Cincinnati Reds’ lead man was Waite Hoyt.  It took six seasons to get from Hoyt to Michaels, but it was Michaels who extended Hoyt’s legacy.  Hoyt was with the team for 24 seasons, including several where he was the only announcer in the booth.

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Red Barber preceded Hoyt and hired Hoyt to his first radio job. Barber spent five years announcing Reds games at Crosley Field.  After leaving Cincinnati, he announced for the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees.  During his time with the Dodgers, Barber he hired Hoyt and later recommended him to the Reds.

Thom Brennaman started in Cincinnati and has come back full circle with the acumen of one of the best in the country.

Thom started his professional career at the local NBC station as a sports announcer.  He is a hometown hero, if not a professional ballplayer having gone to Anderson High School on the eastside of Cincinnati.

That gave him his first chance to do Reds play-by-play as local broadcasts were really local back then.

Thom went on to re-establish Chicago Cubs’ announcing pre-eminence with Bob Brenly on WGN before both left for Arizona.  During this time, Thom was also building his national recognition as the partner of Brian Billick and Charles Davis on Fox Sports football telecasts.  Thom was a national figure to be sure.

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Then the best thing that has happened to Reds’ radio broadcasts since Marty and Joe (Nuxhall) came along.  Thom returned to the Queen City in 2006 when new Reds’ owner Bob Castellini hired him to be part of the announce team.  Thom may not be perfect, but he is wih his father, Marty. As long as that is the case, the Reds have the best father-son announce team of all time.