Thanks to Bad Kermit at Hire Jim Essian for bringing this story. to my attention. Apparently, during the Reds broadcast on the 5th, Thom Brenneman and partner Chris Walsh implied that Geovany Soto may be using performance enhancing drugs. Here is my e-mail response I sent to the Reds, including comments on Marty Brenneman's anti-Cub fan rant back in April. I was going to take the high road and not complain about that, but when you have two members of the same family who broadcast games for the same organization insult my team and its fans in the span of under a month, I've gotta say something. Considering how pissed I am, especially about the Soto comments, I thought I was pretty civil.
To Whom It May Concern:
It has come to my attention that during the Reds broadcast on May 5th, Announcers Thom Brenneman and Chris Walsh implied that Cubs catcher Geovany Soto may have used performance enhancing drugs and that this was the reason for his increased output last season and in the opening months of this year. Making that accusation without any evidence is completely irresponsible. The minor league testing program appears to be working quite well, so I doubt Soto would have been able to slip through the cracks. In addition, Soto’s offensive surge came after an extensive off season regimen of diet and exercise, during which he dropped thirty pounds. This is one of the reasons he’s been so much better, both at the plate and behind it. I think Mr. Brenneman and Mr. Walsh owe Geovany Soto and the Cubs organization an apology. These unfounded statements are the kind of asinine thing that can cause a stigma to be attached to a player, despite their being no evidence of wrong doing.
In addition, I would like to add that the Reds owe a second apology, that to the fans of the Chicago Cubs for the comments made by Marty Brenneman on April 17th. Debasing an entire fan base over the actions of a few fans isn’t good broadcasting in my opinion. If Mr. Brenneman loathes the Cubs organization and its fans that much, perhaps he should seek a different vocation. My family is made up of Cub fans who have never acted in an obnoxious fashion at ball games. The words of Mr. Brenneman were insulting to me as a fan of the Cubs and of baseball and were completely unprofessional and inappropriate. They were in fact petulant and childish.
Perhaps the Reds as an organization need to look at the professional standards to which their broadcasters are held. I’ve been watching baseball for most of my thirty-one years and never have seen two lapses in judgment made by the same organization’s broadcasters within the span of a month as has happened here. Perhaps these gentlemen are not the people you want out there as the voice of the Reds, as it serves to give a poor impression of your storied franchise.
I sure as hell hope that's an automated reply. This ain't over.
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