Legendary Reds broadcaster instrumental in Terry Francona's return to baseball

After Terry Francona's introductory press conference on Monday, almost every Reds fan with a pulse was ready to run through a brick wall. After six years of David Bell's humdrum approach to managing, the Cincinnati Reds have an old-school skipper back at the helm.

Now Reds fans shouldn't expect Francona to blow a gasket and throw a base into the outfield grass or kick dirt onto home plate like Lou Piniella. But unlike Bell, the Francona brings a great deal of experience to the Reds dugout; something Cincinnati hasn't had in their past two managerial hires.

And if you're one of the many throughout Reds Country who's doing backflips following the Francona hire, you may want to tip your cap to legendary Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman. Though retired, Brennaman still appears to have the ears of the Reds front office.

Legendary broadcaster Marty Brennaman instrumental in Terry Francona joining the Reds

Brennaman was present at the introductory press conference, and Francona even remarked upon standing in front of the microphone, saying, "Marty, can you believe I'm standing here?" Francona later spoke about a golf outing he and Brennaman had in Arizona last spring.

During the press conference, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic asked Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall how the entire hiring process came together. In his response, Krall surprisingly cited a conversation with Brennaman that opened the door for the Reds to begin negotiations with Francona.

"We let David go on a Sunday night. We got together on Monday and then on the road, and met with all the players and staff while we were on the road," Krall said. "And then I actually talked to Marty, and Marty reached out and connected Terry and I."

So there you have it, Reds fans. While there were certainly other means for the Reds front office to connect with Francona besides Brennaman being the intermediary, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a Hall of Famer speak on your behalf.

Whether he believes it or not, Francona is now the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Francona sounds excited to get to Goodyear, and Cincinnati faithful cannot wait until March 27th next year.

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