McCoy reports that George Grande will miss this weekend’s series against the Marlins due to personal reasons.
He will be replaced by FSN Ohio’s Mike Reghi from Cleveland, who worked Baltimore Orioles games for eight years and has done the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers.
First, we wish the best to George Grande (by all accounts a very gracious and nice person), with whatever he’s got going on.
But I really cannot fathom why FSN needs to go find some dude from Cleveland to fill in.
By my count there are at least six broadcasters in the Reds’ employ (Grande, Welsh, Brennaman, Brennaman, Nuxhall, and Brantley). And isn’t Steve Stewart still hanging around on the payroll somewhere? I’m sure there are reasons why most of those guys are unavailable, I’m equally sure they could’ve cobbled together some sort of crew – remember when they had three guys to do both broadcasts (’86-87), with Marty switching back and forth between booths?
In any event, I’m looking forward to an outsider’s perspective on the Reds. And unlike the opposing team’s crews you get on Extra Innings or MLB.tv, I suspect Reghi will have actually prepared to cover the Reds, and will know his Roger Freels from his Adam Harangs.
NOTE: Special prize to the first one to get that headline.