Thom Brennaman, radio and television broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds, graduated from Ohio University in 1986. He's also called play-by-play for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network. Brennaman is the son of long-time Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman.
He returned to Athens as part of the Reds' winter caravan on Friday. He spoke with The Post's Michael Lewis.
The Post: What's it like coming back to OU?
Thom Brennaman: I get so excited. I was talking it up the whole way driving [Thursday], knowing that we were going to have a chance to spend the night here. We went out on Court Street and hit a few of the places. I absolutely love the place. Every time I come back here, I get so excited because I spent four great years of my life here.
Post: Any particular memory stand out about your time here?
Brennaman: Living at the Beta Theta Pi house was such an intricate part of growing up for me. Those three years living in that house, I was exposed to being around guys who were from different parts of the country, not just different parts of the state. They lived a little faster than maybe we did in northern Ohio. Everything was great about it.
Post: Any moment that has stuck out in your mind while broadcasting?
Brennaman: I think the World Series experience of '01. It's hard for me to imagine that there will be anything like those 10 days over that seven-game World Series, because of what was going on in our country. We won the first two games in Arizona and flew all night and went to New York City.
It was the first time that many of us had been back there since 9/11, and we went to Ground Zero. To be part of three unbelievable games in New York and come back to Arizona and to win the thing, it was just an incredible 10 days.
Post: What advice do you have for students trying to get into broadcasting?
Brennaman: You got to be able to make a tape. The only way to make a tape if you want to be a play-by-play person, if you're a college student or a high school student, is to go to an Ohio University baseball game.
You sit down the line and pretend one team is the Reds and the other is the Diamondbacks and announce the game like those are the two teams playing. Just get repetition and get better and better and better because the only way you are going to get hired is to have a tape.
Post: What's it like hearing what Reds fans have to say while you're on these winter caravans?
Brennaman: I'm always amazed to be honest with you. My dad and I always talk about this, even when we do the Hot Stove Show every Tuesday night in Cincinnati, that we're amazed by how many people in this part of the country just love baseball.
He and I were talking off-air the other night that we could do that show from 7 p.m. to midnight, five days a week, just talking about baseball and those fans could fill the entire time.
Post: How do you think the Reds are going to do this year?
Brennaman: I like their team a lot. I really do. I think the pitching has a chance to be exceptional, not good. They have got to stay healthy. You win championships with pitching. I think this pitching - starting rotation, bullpen - has a chance to be really good.
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