The Cincinnati Reds are preparing to honor the team's legendary broadcaster Marty Brennaman in a series of September eventsas he wraps up 46 years on the Cincinnati radio airwaves.
The play-by-play announcer started to get emotional at a news conference Friday after the team also announced Brennaman would be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in April, 2020. "This is going to be hard getting through this. I never dreamed that when I started at a 1,000 watt radio station in 1965 that this would happen."
Activities for the "Month of Marty" begin September 3rd when the broadcaster will visit with fans on the concourses at Great American Ball Park before the game. Similar events are planned for September 4th and 7th.
For three games Marty will appear at a temporary radio booth at Gapper's Alley right behind section 119, including a full-game September 20. On September 24 and 25 Brennaman will do a pre-game broadcast there.
On September 26, the first 20,000 fans will get a Reds transistor radio so they can hear Marty's play-by-play while in the park. Then at the conclusion of that game there will be a post-game "Marty-Party." All fans can come onto the field to take part in a special program.
At the news conference, Brennaman told reporters he has had the greatest job in the world. "There's no one on earth who derived more enjoyment and more pleasure out of what they do as a livelihood than I do and I would challenge anybody till the end of time."
