Robert Earl Brenly is an American former professional baseball player,
coachIn baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and
managerIn baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He played the majority of his career as a
catcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
with the
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and played half a season for the
Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. Brenly is currently a
color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
alongside
Len KasperLen Kasper is a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs , teaming with Bob Brenly on WGN-TV, WCIU-TV, and Comcast SportsNet.- Personal life :Kasper grew up in Michigan...
on
WGNWGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
,
Comcast SportsNetComcast SportsNet Chicago is a member of the Comcast SportsNet network of regional sports networks that covers local sports teams in the Chicago area.-Background:CSN Chicago is jointly owned by NBCUniversal , the family of J...
, and WCIU.
Early life
Brenly attended
Ohio UniversityOhio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
in
Athens, OhioAthens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
and was a member of the Bobcat baseball team. By the time Brenly graduated in 1976, he had earned
All-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors and matched Hall of Famer
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
's school-record 10
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s 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.
Major League baseball career
Brenly was drafted as an amateur
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the San Francisco Giants in
1976The San Francisco Giants season was the franchise's 94th season overall and its 19th season in San Francisco.- Team movement discussion:During the first half of the 1970s, attendance at cold and windy Candlestick Park plummeted, and Giants owner Horace Stoneham had faced financial hardship....
. He made his major league debut in
1981The 1981 season was the 99th season in Giants history. Giants manager Frank Robinson became the first black manager in the history of the National League...
at the age of 27. He replaced
Milt MayMilton Scott May is a former professional baseball player and coach who played in the Major Leagues from to for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and San Francisco Giants. May was a catcher who hit for a fairly high batting average during the era in which...
as the Giants starting catcher in
1983The San Francisco Giants season was a season in Major League Baseball. The Giants finished fifth in the National League West with a record of 79 wins and 83 losses.- Offseason :* October 15, 1982: Bill Bordley was released by the Giants....
and posted a .224
batting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
along with 7 home runs and 34 runs batted in. Brenly had his best season offensively in
1984- Offseason :* December 5, 1983: Fran Mullins was drafted by the Giants from the Cincinnati Reds in the 1983 rule 5 draft.* December 6, 1983: Champ Summers was traded by the Giants to the San Diego Padres for Joe Pittman and a player to be named later...
when, he was hitting for a .318 batting average at mid-season to earn a spot as a reserve player on the
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
All-Star TeamThe 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 55th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 10, 1984 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, home of the...
. He finished the season with a career-high .291 batting average with 20 home runs and 80 runs batted in. Brenly won the 1984
Willie Mac AwardThe Willie Mac Award is named in honor of Willie McCovey. It has been presented annually since 1980. It is awarded to the player on the San Francisco Giants who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by McCovey throughout his long career, voted upon by the players and...
for his spirit and leadership.
In
1986-Offseason:* October 24, 1985: George Riley and Alonzo Powell were traded by the Giants to the Montreal Expos for Bill Laskey.* December 11, 1985: Manny Trillo was traded by the Giants to the Chicago Cubs for Dave Owen....
, Brenly led National League catchers with a .995
fielding percentageIn baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
, committing only 3
errorsIn baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
as a catcher in 101 games as, the Giants improved from last place the previous season to finish third in the
National League Western DivisionThe National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
. Also in 1986, Brenly broke up a
perfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
attempt by pitcher
Don CarmanDonald Wayne Carman was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.-Career:Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1978, Carman would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on October 1, 1983, and appear in his final game on July 18,...
on August 20 by leading off the ninth
inningInning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....
with a
doubleIn baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
.
Although Brenly was a good defensive catcher, he also has the dubious distinction of committing 4 errors in one inning while playing as a
third basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
during a game on September 14, 1986, against the
Atlanta BravesThe 1986 season was the 116th in franchise history and their 21st in Atlanta.-Offseason:* November 13, 1985: Randy Johnson was released by the Braves.* December 6, 1985: Miguel Sosa was traded by the Braves to the New York Yankees for Billy Sample....
. Three of the errors were on ground balls and one on a throw, with the throwing error coming on the same play as one of the ground ball errors. Brenly atoned for his mistakes by hitting a fifth inning home run. He then hit a two-
outIn baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
, two-
runIn baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
singleIn baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
in the seventh inning to tie the game and finally hit a
walk-off home runIn baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game.
Brenly led National League catchers in
1987The 1987 San Francisco Giants season saw the Giants finish in first place in the National League West with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. They lost the National League Championship Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.-Offseason:...
with 83
assistsIn baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
and posted a .267 batting average with 18 home runs and 51 runs batted in as, the Giants won the National League Western Division title. In the only post-season appearance of his career in the
1987 National League Championship Series- Game 1 :Tuesday, October 6, 1987 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe Giants struck first on an RBI groundout by Candy Maldonado, but the Cardinals tied it in the third on Vince Coleman's RBI single...
, Brenly hit .235 with 1 home run and 2 runs batted in as the Giants were defeated by the
St. Louis CardinalsThe 1987 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 106th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 96th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 95-67 during the season and finished first in the National League East Division for the third and last time before moving to the NL Central in 1994....
in a seven-game series.
During the
1988-Offseason:* December 1, 1987: Brett Butler was signed as a free agent with the Giants.* December 1, 1987: Joel Youngblood was signed as a free agent by the Giants.* December 21, 1987: Phil Ouellette was released by the Giants....
season, Brenly caught only 69 games and would be released at the end of the season. In
1989The Toronto Blue Jays season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Blue Jays finishing first in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses...
, Brenly became a free agent and signed a contract to play for the Toronto Blue Jays. After half a season with the Blue Jays, he was released on July 18 and, re-signed to play for the Giants. After 12 games with the Giants, he retired at the end of the 1989 season at the age of 35.
Career statistics
In a 9 year career, Brenly played in 871
gamesGames played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, accumulating 647
hitsIn baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 2615 at bats for a .247 career batting average along with 91
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 333 runs batted in. He ended his career with a .984 fielding percentage as a catcher.
Managing and coaching career
Brenly served as a coach for the Giants under manager
Roger CraigRoger Craig may refer to:*Roger Craig , former NFL running back*Roger Craig , former pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball...
then, stayed on when
Dusty BakerJohnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
replaced Craig as manager. He replaced
Buck ShowalterWilliam Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American Major League Baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles. He has previously served in a similar capacity with the New York Yankees , Arizona Diamondbacks , and Texas Rangers...
as manager of the
Arizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
after the 2000 season, and led the Diamondbacks to the
2001 World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...
title in his first season as a manager. Although the team repeated as
Western DivisionThe National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
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
analystIn sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for
FoxFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
(where Brenly had worked from 1996 to 2000). He was then hired in November 2004 to replace Steve Stone as a color analyst for televised
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
games, and in 2009 completed his fifth year as the Cubs' television
color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
. Brenly teams with play-by-play announcer
Len KasperLen Kasper is a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs , teaming with Bob Brenly on WGN-TV, WCIU-TV, and Comcast SportsNet.- Personal life :Kasper grew up in Michigan...
. He had previously teamed with
Harry CarayHarry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
,
Thom BrennamanThomas Wade "Thom" Brennaman is an American sportscaster, and the son of current Cincinnati Reds radio sportscaster Marty Brennaman.-Broadcasting career:...
, and
Ron SantoRonald Edward Santo was an American professional baseball player and long-time radio sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974, most notably as the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. A nine-time All-Star, he was a powerful hitter who was also a good defensive...
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 BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
managerial position and was said to be the favorite, but the job went to
Ken MachaKenneth Edward Macha is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. During an 8-year managing career, he managed the Oakland Athletics , whom he guided to the American League's Western Division championship in both his first and final seasons with the team, and the Milwaukee Brewers...
instead.
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-Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 3:Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsIn Game 1, Boston starter Josh Beckett threw a complete-game shut out, allowing the Red Sox to win the opener...
and the Rockies–Diamondbacks series in the
NLCS-Game 1:Thursday, October 11, 2007 at Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaThe Rockies took a 1–0 series lead behind a strong innings from starter Jeff Francis. Arizona scored first on a first-inning RBI double by Eric Byrnes, but lost the lead two innings later when Colorado right fielder Brad Hawpe...
. 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.
Brenly again worked Division Series post-season coverage for TBS in 2009, 2010, and 2011 with
Dick StocktonDick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
as his play-by-play partner each year.
Personal life
Bob Brenly is married to Joan Brenly. Their son
Michael BrenlyMichael Robert Brenly , is a catcher for the Chicago Cubs organization. He is the son of current Cubs TV analyst and former MLB manager and player Bob Brenly.-College:...
was drafted by the Cubs in 2004 (out of high school) and 2008 (out of UNLV) as a catcher, and is currently on the Daytona Cubs, a Single A affiliate of the Cubs.
Managerial records
| Team | |Regular Season |
"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 shot Babe Ruth's called shot was the home run hit by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, held on October 1, 1932 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. During the at-bat, Ruth made a pointing gesture, which existing film confirms, but the exact nature of his...
s here in my career. Of course, they have all been across the street at Bernie's [a Wrigleyville bar]."
"There's a riotRyan Stewart Theriot is a Major League Baseball infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals.Theriot is the son of Randy and Mary Theriot, and has an older brother Wes and younger brother Austin. Both his father and older brother played baseball at Broadmoor High School.Theriot graduated from Broadmoor...
at the bat rack."
"Dude, this Cubs lineup is gnarly!" (May 23, 2010 @ Rangers – Top 1st inning – In reference to CJ Wilson being from Southern California and giving up 4 early runs)
External links
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