Come to Think of It... Marty Brennaman Is a Red Ass

Long time Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman, the father of former Cubs broadcaster Thom Brennaman, blew a gasket recently.

In a tirade just short of Lee Elia proportions, Brennaman was highly critical of Cubs fans as they poured baseballs on the field during a recent Cubs game. Instead of the home run ball being thrown back on the field, as is Cubs tradition, fans threw a bunch of baseballs  onto the field.

This prompted Brennaman to remark that Cubs fans are the most obnoxious fans in Major League Baseball. They deserve to be rooted against. The actions of a few fans are in fact "typical" of the entire fan base, and, the clincher: The Cubs won't win the division this year because they're the Cubs, and they'll find a way to screw things up.

Turns out that not only is Brennaman a blowhard, but his words are the height of hypocrisy as well. For in 1988 there was an incident at old Riverfront Stadium where Umpire Dave Pallone and Pete Rose had an angry finger-in-your-face altercation. As Rose was being ejected, garbage poured down on the field. Brennaman and partner Joe Nuxhall not only approved of it, but when toilet paper fell near Pallone, the broadcasters remarked upon the aptness of the symbol.

So I guess the lesson here is that if it’s your fans, everything is OK. But if it’s behavior involving Cubs fans, then all bets are off. And what does all this have to do with the Cubs performance? Just an opportunity for him to seize an unprofessional moment to air out his dislike for the team. Rooting for a team is one thing; rooting against a team, especially by a professional broadcaster, is petty and unprofessional. It makes you think all Reds fans are just as stupid as their broadcaster. 

But just to show the world what a bunch of good people Chicago Cubs fans actually are, I’d like to invite Mr. Brennaman to the Cubs broadcast booth to sing a rendition of the next “Take me out to the ballgame.”