| Bob Brenly | |
|---|---|
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| Catcher | |
| Born: February 25, 1954 Coshocton, Ohio |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 14, 1981 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1989 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .247 |
| Home Runs | 91 |
| RBI | 333 |
| Teams | |
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As Player
As Manager
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Robert Earl Brenly (born February 25, 1954 in Coshocton, Ohio) is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball and a current broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs alongside Len Kasper. Brenly is the color commentator for Cubs baseball on WGN and Comcast SportsNet.
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Bob Brenly attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and was a member of the Bobcat baseball team. By the time Brenly graduated in 1976, he had earned All-America honors and matched Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt's school-record 10 home runs in a single season.
Bob Brenly's only curtain call in baseball occurred during a minor league game (teams and date unknown). Brenly's team was on the road, and the home team's fans designated him as the game's "Beer Batter," where if the player struck out, beer in the stadium would be sold at half price for the rest of the inning. Brenly struck out three times that game, and the fans stood on their feet and cheered for him after the third time as he came back out from the dugout and acknowledged the crowd.
MLB career
Brenly had a major league career spent almost entirely with the San Francisco Giants from 1981 to 1989. He won the 1984 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership, and was named to the National League All-Star Team. On August 20, 1986, pitcher Don Carman took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Giants at Candlestick Park. Brenly led off the ninth with a double to break-up the perfect game. [1]
Brenly served as a coach under manager Dusty Baker with the Giants. He replaced Buck Showalter as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2000 season, and led the Diamondbacks to the 2001 World Series title in his first season as a manager. Although the team repeated as Western Division champions in 2002, a slide which left the team in last place in mid-2004 led to Brenly's dismissal.
Broadcasting career
He later returned to being a baseball analyst for Fox (where Brenly had worked from 1996-2000). He was then hired in November 2004 to replace Steve Stone as a color analyst for televised Chicago Cubs games, and in 2008 completed his fourth tour of duty as a Cubs broadcaster. Brenly teams with play-by-play announcer Len Kasper. He had previously teamed with Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman, and Ron Santo during the 1990 and 1991 seasons on radio. He often jokes about his mediocre playing career. Brenly is often referred to by his nickname, "BB" and was rumored to be in the running for several managerial positions for the 2008 season, though nothing materialized. Brenly was in the running for the 2009 Milwaukee Brewers managerial position and was said to be the favorite, but the job went to Ken Macha instead.[2][3]
In 2007, Brenly served as a game analyst during postseason broadcasts on the TBS cable television network. He covered the Yankees–Indians series in the ALDS and the Rockies–Diamondbacks series in the NLCS. On September 13, 2008, Brenly signed a four-year extension worth 3.5 million dollars to continue his role as color analyst for Cubs games.[4]
Personal life
Bob Brenly is married to Joan Brenly. Their son Michael Brenly was drafted by the Cubs in 2004 (out of high school) and 2008 (out of UNLV) as a catcher, and is currently on the Peoria Chiefs, a Single A affiliate of the Cubs.[5]
Managerial records
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| ARI | 2001 | 92 | 70 | .586 | 1st in NL West | 11 | 6 | .647 | Won World Series over NYY |
| ARI | 2002 | 98 | 64 | .605 | 1st in NL West | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost NLDS to STL |
| ARI | 2003 | 84 | 78 | .519 | 3rd in NL West | - | - | - | - |
| ARI | 2004 | 22 | 59 | .367 | 5th in NL West | - | - | - | (fired) |
| Total | 303 | 262 | .536 | ||||||
Quotes
- "Give it to a kid!" (His advice for fans who catch a foul ball.)
- "Yes dear. You're right. I'm sorry." (His advice for men that are wed or soon to be wed.)
- "Every summer is the summer of love."
- "You know, I've had a couple of called shots here in my career. Of course, they have all been across the street at Bernie's [a Wrigleyville bar]."
- "There's a riot at the bat rack."
References
- ^ Robbins, Michael (2004). Ninety Feet from Fame: Close Calls with Baseball Immortality. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. p. 244.
- ^ "Brenly to be interviewed by Brewers". MLB.com. 2008-10-22. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081022&content_id=3636897&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ "Brenly staying with Cubs". Chicago Tribune. 2008-10-30. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-31-cubs-chicagooct31,0,3590733.story. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ Rozner, Barry (2008-09-14). "Brenly gets deal to stay with Cubs". Daily Herald. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=234855. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ^ "Cubs draft Brenly's kid in 36th round". Chicago Sun-Times. 2008-06-07.
External links
- Chicago Cubs Broadcasters at Comcastsportsnet.com
- Ask Len and Bob at Comcastsportsnet.com
- Chicago Cubs Broadcasters at Cubs.com
- Len & Bob's baseball blog at WGN Sports.com
| Preceded by Buck Showalter |
Arizona Diamondbacks managers 2001–2004 |
Succeeded by Al Pedrique |
| Preceded by Steve Stone |
Chicago Cubs Television Color Commentator 2005–present |
Succeeded by current |
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