UPDATE: I spoke with Brennaman this morning about his comment accidentally going out across the airwaves. Brennaman said the comment was not aimed at a specific player on the Reds or Pirates but was about someone unrelated to the game broadcast who he and announcing partner Chris Welsh were talking about off the air earlier in the day. Brennaman also added, "I'm sorry that I used that kind of language on the air or off. It's not a good example to set for those watching, especially kids."
Reds announcer and Fox play by play man Thom Brennaman got caught with a hot mic Sunday afternoon with Cincy hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates. After Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke walked Reds SS Zack Cozart, you can hear Brennaman whisper "this guy sucks" into the microphone.
One would have to presume Brennaman is not talking about Cozart, but Locke. Perhaps that's a little harsh considering Locke was 8-2 this year with a 2.15 ERA entering the game and was selected as an All-Star. Aaaand he picked up the win today in a 3-2 Pirates victory…. so there's that. (As a few commenters and tweeters have pointed out, it's possible Brennaman could have been talking about Reds catcher Corky Miller, a recently promoted journeyman .185 career hitter who was batting after Cozart. So it definitely puts it up in the air who exactly Brennaman is talking about on the hot mic.)
Regardless, I'm all for taking the chains off broadcasters and hearing their true feelings on players instead of faux niceties all the time. Just imagine how much more entertainment we would all get in a world where baseball broadcasts could be turned into the EPL FanZone.
H/T BearcatsBlog, CardChronicle
