16-05-2025
'Thanks but no thanks.' Marty Brennaman says lifting of Pete Rose MLB ban came too late
With all the accolades Marty Brennaman has received over the years – including the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and induction into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame – you might think the legendary broadcaster would have treated the announcement that the Reds are installing a statue in his honor as just the latest entry on a long list of tributes.
You'd be wrong.
'It's the biggest thing that's ever happened to me,' Brenneman said on this week's episode of the That's So Cincinnati podcast. 'It's bigger than the Hall of Fame, and people are shocked when I say that.'
Brennaman, who took part in the May 14 ceremony at Great American Ball Park honoring Pete Rose, did not hold back when asked about Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred's decision to lift Rose's lifetime ban seven months after his death. Rose, baseball's all-time hits leader, is now eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame.
'I just feel like they could have done it sooner than they did, and they could have done it while he was alive,' Brennaman said. 'It doesn't do him a damn bit of good because he's gone. Maybe it does for the family, and as I said before, and I'll reiterate a time and again, I have nothing to do with (the family's) decision, and I respect whatever they decide to do.
'But if I were that family, I'd let this whole thing play out, and if he was elected by the 16 members of the committee into the Hall of Fame, and they were officially notified, at that point, I would say, thanks but no thanks. I'm not interested.'
During the podcast, Brennaman relived moments in the booth, including his call of Rose's hit to break Ty Cobb's record and infamous conversations on the banana phone. He also revealed whether the statue will depict Brennaman during his 'Poofy Haired Fancy Boy' era or with the close-cropped hairstyle he currently sports – much to the relief of his wife, Amanda Brennaman.
That's So Cincinnati, The Enquirer's weekly podcast on what's making news in our community, features a who's who of special guests. Listen to it at Audioboom, Apple or your favorite podcast platform.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Marty Brennaman says Pete Rose MLB reinstatement came too late
