Wednesday was a day off for the Cincinnati Reds, but not for Reds Radio Network announcer Tommy Thrall. He was the guest speaker at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters meeting hosted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Ohio Association of Broadcasters, in Columbus.
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Thrall is in his first full season on the Reds Radio Network, working alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Jeff Brantley and some time fill-in Jim Day. The 2019 season is a full-season "tryout" for the lead announcing position that will be vacated after this year, when Brennaman retires after 46 years in the booth.
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Thrall had been working as announcer for the Reds minor league franchise in Pensacola, Florida the last several years, before being called up in 2018 to fill-in on a few broadcasts. The Reds front office liked what they heard and hired him for this season, to see how he would do.
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Tommy Thrall says reaction has been very "positive" thus far and is hoping it will lead to getting the nod for next season as Brennaman's replacement. In the meantime, he said this season has been a memorable experience working with the hall of fame announcer.
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If you think Tommy hasn't paid his dues coming up the ranks, think again. One of his funniest stories was telling how he was the play-by-play announcer for "gerbil races" at his county fair in Missouri, when he first started in radio. Hopefully, the Reds announcing job will be much more rewarding than that. LOL