C. Trent Rosecrans

crosecrans@enquirer.com

MILWAUKEE — While Marty Brennaman hasn’t been able to use his signature six-word phrase — “this one belongs to the Reds” — much this season, Friday he uttered six words that may be even more important to Reds fans: “I will be back next year.”

Brennaman told The Enquirer on Friday that he has informed Reds Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini that he would return for the 2017 season.

“I know I’ll be back next year,” Brennaman said Friday before the Reds’ game in Milwaukee. “After that, then I’ll take stock on a year-by-year basis, essentially.”

Brennaman, who will be 74 in July, has been with the Reds since 1974. He was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2000, the Hall of Fame’s annual award to broadcasters “for major contributions to the game of baseball.”

This past week, Brennaman had a 30-minute sit-down with retiring Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, the man Brennaman considers to be the greatest baseball broadcaster of all time.

The two talked not only about Scully’s future beyond broadcasting, but also Brennaman’s.

“We sat down, we talked in the radio booth, we talked about him retiring, how he’s going to stay busy. It was really cool,” Brennaman said of Scully, who is in his 67th season as the Dodgers’ broadcaster. “He’s helped me, at times I’ve gone to him to ask him advice on things. He’s offered advice. Any time I’ve ever asked for it, he’s given it to me and his advice has always been good. He’s the best that’s ever been. It’s like having a private audience with the pope. You want to kiss his ring when you walk in. And he’s such a nice person. That’s the biggest thing. People say he’s a broadcaster, I say, I’ve got news for you, he’s a better person, if that’s possible.”

Just as people across the country can’t imagine listening to the Dodgers without Scully, it’s difficult for those in Cincinnati and beyond to imagine the Reds without Brennaman.

That time will come, eventually, Brennaman said.

“I’ve been blessed, because I’ve pretty much been told by ownership that I can work as long as I want to in whatever capacity I want to work in,” Brennaman said. “When you get to be my age and you’ve been around as long as I have, it’s a natural thought. It’s not something that’s ‘why would you think about that?’

“I’ve got my health, I’m married to a woman who, God bless her, will allow me to do whatever I want to do. I still enjoy it. I feel like I still do a decent job. If I didn’t, I’d say I’m done.“

Both publicly and privately, Brennaman has said he would prefer to announce his retirement after a season had been completed, instead of having a farewell season, like Scully is having this season. However, that could change.

“If I did that, it would be more for the benefit of the club and the fans,” he said.

One thing that won’t influence his decision, Brennaman said, is the team’s record. Entering Friday’s game, the Reds are 15-32.

“A season like this doesn’t even enter into my decision,” Brennaman said. “People will say, if you’re going to retire, why would you not do it when things are going (like they are)? It doesn’t affect me. It’s part of the job. I’ve been through a 101-loss season back in 1982. That’s not to say this team will lose that many, but at the same time, it’s been a rough year."

Brennaman’s son and fellow Reds broadcaster, Thom Brennaman, said he expects his dad to be calling games well past 2017.

“Taking a few more days off from time-to-time would be a wonderful thing for him, but he loves his job, he’s still so good at it,” Thom Brennaman said. “I’m not saying he’s the best of all time, but the guys who are working today, if you’re picking from the guys working today to do Game 7 of the World Series on the radio, he’s the best there is. I’m just happy he’s healthy, thank God he’s happier than he’s ever been in his life, in his marriage and I have a sneaking suspicion that by the grace of God that he’ll be working a lot longer than just next year."