Most people know I am a diehard Cincinnati Reds fan. I bleed true American red for lots of reasons, one of which is my beloved professional baseball team. Like many of my ancestors, I truly enjoy listening to the Reds on the radio (for you young folks, do a Google search on radio... it's kind of like a really old iPod). Anyway, since 1974 Marty Brennaman has been the radio announcer for the Reds. Recently Marty declared he would shave his head if the Reds won 10 games in a row (a very difficult feat in baseball). This may not seem like a big deal, but by his own admission Marty stated, "Nobody has carried on a more passionate love affair with his hair than me". He has often teasingly been called a poofy haired fancy boy. Well, you can probably figure out what happened. The Reds got on a hot streak and won 10 in a row. True to his word, Marty said he would shave his head bald. In an added twist, he said if the fans would donate $20,000 to the Reds Community Fund by Friday, he would do the deed on the field at Great American Ballpark. With all the Reds fans in Cincy, that was no problem.
We watched the game last night, followed by Marty's shave job. It was all fun and games until the end when Marty peeled off his Reds jersey to reveal a t-shirt that said, "I'm still me". It was from a local group that helps children with cancer and blood diseases resulting in hair loss due to chemotherapy. Three of these children were on the field with Marty and he thanked them for letting him be a member of their club. He then went and kissed each of them on their bald heads. It brought Tami and me to tears. Tami didn't know much about Marty until last night. She is now a big fan. I always have been.
To quote Marty's most famous line, "And this one belongs to the Reds!"
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