By Andy Furman

( Some idle thoughts while watching Marty Brennaman get his hair cut)

I’d have to say Marty Brennaman – the Hall of Fame voice of the Cincinnati Reds – not only looks better sans hair on his dome, but looks younger as well.

I know, this getting the hair cut shtick has been going on since the dawn if time, but Marty and the Reds put a new twist to it. A tie-in with charity, and the Reds Community Fund came out smelling like a rose—some $50,000 more in their coffers.

What I couldn’t fathom; the sellout crowd. It had to be for the start of the three-game weekend series with the Pirates. Wasn’t it?

I mean the Pirates and Reds are somewhat battling it out for first in the NL Central. All those folk couldn’t have come to see Brennaman get his scalping. Could they?

  Paul Daugherty, the award-winning columnist who writes for the Cincinnati Enquirer and I have playfully”butted heads” time-to-time over the years. It’s always been a good, healthy discourse, and always ends up peacefully.

For many years, we both appeared on John Popovich’s Sunday night, Sports of All Sorts show which airs 11:30 pm on Channel 9.

It’s just that Paul and I look at sports through a different window. We love the games; respect the athletes – but come at it differently.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Is there?

So when Brennaman announced he was cutting ties with his hair, it was Daugherty who mentioned that I did something  similar deal years ago. I said the Reds would never beat the Oakland A’s in the 1990 World Series.

What a schmuck I was. The Reds swept in four and I lost my hair. It was a staged event at Willie’s Sports Café in Kenwood; aired live on WLW Radio, the crowds, the ballplayers, in short the works.

Daugherty mentioned the difference with the Marty cut and mine was that I am a huckster. And when I got the scalp cut it was shtick.

Yes it was. But I maintain any public figure that gets his hair cut does it for the PR, the exposure and to, I guess cough up on some sort of stupid bet.

Mine with the Reds – Brennaman claiming the Reds couldn’t and wouldn’t win 10 consecutive ballgames this season.

We both lost.

Brennaman tied his deal into a charity event thanks to the Reds Community Fund. It was wonderful.

But Paul, it was shtick.
And it’ll be shtick when the next person gets the shears as well.