To state the obvious, Marty will be very much missed. Frankly, I'm surprised he's waited this long as the club has long been in a moribund condition. He's been around long enough to recognize a penny-pinching owner who pays lip service to fielding a competitive team but who views baseball as little more than a mathematics palace delivering a certain margin each year. Word of mouth has convinced much of the fan base/listenership that the prospect of paying handsomely to sit in a MLB ballpark to watch no-hopers simply isn't worth it hence empty seats that aren't buying $10 beers and $8 coneys to say nothing of paying $50 to park (!) and whatever the eye-watering price of tickets might be, especially season tickets.
The flagship station and its on-air hosts slated the club regularly and although Brennaman was clever enough to avoid joining in he was also clever enough to offer some wink-wink encouragement to their criticisms. His later-in-life remarriage seemed to shift his perspective - as he stated in his retirement announcement - and he began to view it as merely a job. Clock in, clock out and worry about more important things in life.
But that didn't mean he lost all his strongly-held opinions. For more than decade Brennaman has railed against the 'drop-in ads' that now litter most play-by-play broadcasts. Gametime temperature sponsored by this HVAC firm, call to the bullpen sponsored by that mobile phone provider. More than a decade ago Brennman said 'there is no way in hell' he could squeeze more of them in but hell found a way...as the ads have only increased since he expressed his frustration.
It's the usual combination of greed and short-sightedness by the powers that be. Unremarkable at-bats or innings that might become historic through unusual circumstances or outcomes are ruined by hucksterism and historic moments (such as Ken Griffey Jr's landmark home runs) are ruined by the same hucksterism. Frankly, I'm surprised that usable play-by-play highlights can be snipped out due to all the on-air plugs.
The club has signed a number of players and may appear to have a pulse at least for the first part of the season...is this a form of tribute to the long-suffering Brennaman or mere coincidence? We shall see.
In the meantime, there will be the usual tributes from home and away fans accepted with the usual humility. When he's gone, the oldest team in MLB will be in the same boat as most of the rest of MLB: interchangeable announcers hired and fired like minor league prospects lest any of them develop a loyal following that would increase their asking price.
