Marty Brennaman is about to join two more exclusive clubs. The retired broadcaster will have a statue outside Great American Ball Park, alongside Reds legends like Johnny Bench, Ted Kluszewski, and his old broadcast partner Joe Nuxhall.
The bronze statue is of Marty behind the microphone, and will sit outside the front office. Brennaman says they didn't have to talk him into it.
“To be the only non-athlete among all the guys who’ve been immortalized with bronzes, it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me," he says. "It’s bigger than the Baseball Hall of Fame.” Of which he's also a member, having been inducted in 2000.
Brennaman says there are only a few other MLB broadcasters honored with a statue at the ball park they’re associated with.
“(Bob) Uecker and Harry Carey; Jack Buck has one outside Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Jerry Coleman, the longtime voice of the San Diego Padres, has one,” he says. “There’s about eight or nine total. The most amazing one without one to me, is the greatest baseball broadcaster ever, and that’s Vin Scully.”
Brennaman retired in 2019, after 46 years in the broadcast booth.
The statue was created by Tom Tsuchiya, who sculpted eight other Reds outside Great American Ball Park.
Brennaman says over the course of several hours spread across several visits, Tsuchiya took his measurements so the bronze sculpture would be accurate.
“He did everything from measuring one eye from the other, and measured the space between the bottom of your nose to your upper lip.”
Brennaman says he's eager to see the statue, because he hasn't, and people are asking him about it.
“First question they obviously ask was, ‘With hair or without hair?' ” he laughs.
Brennaman says the honor belongs to the fans.
“It would not have happened had it not been for my being accepted by baseball fans when Al Michaels left to go to the Giants in 1974.”
The statue will be dedicated Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., and Marty will be honored on the field at 6 p.m. before the Reds-Mets game at 6:40 p.m.
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