A new voice was in the radio booth for the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday night. It was just one game, three innings to be exact, but for Tom Nichols it was a dream come true.
After 31 years in the minor leagues and broadcasting his 4,000th game earlier in August, the radio voice of Cincinnati’s Class A affiliate, the Dayton Dragons, got the call to the big leagues.
“Once you enter the business, you’re just looking for that opportunity to work in the big leagues,” Nichols told Ryan O’Gara of the Muncie Star Press. “That ship has sailed. I’m 54 years old now, so it’s unlikely I’ll get a full-time MLB job at this point based on that they are looking for younger guys now.
“The fact that it’s happening now might mean even more, because it’s happening at a time where it’s pretty clear the minor leagues are pretty much as far as I’ll go.”
Nichols joined Marty Brennaman and analyst Jeff Brantley on the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings on Tuesday. For Nichols, who grew up listening to Brennaman, the voice of the Reds since 1974, it was important to finally get the opportunity to be heard in the Majors.
“It’s important to me because I’ve put so much of my life into this career,” Nichols said. “I think it’s similar to Moonlight Graham, the character in (the movie) ‘Field of Dreams’ who played one inning but never got to bat.
“It’s only one game, but it will mean a lot to me. I’ve ridden the buses and called the games. Now I get to sit in an MLB broadcast booth.”
Unbeknownst to Nichols, after he called his 4,000th career minor league game, the Dragons and Reds were working on a plan for the broadcaster to get his big league opportunity. Nichols fittingly joined the Reds Radio Network on an off-day for the Dragons. Prior to missing 15 games with kidney stones last year, Nichols called 27 consecutive minor league seasons without missing a day of work.
Even though he’s working for his seventh team in the minors and has gone 31 years without getting a call to the big leagues, Nichols still never wavered on his career choice.
“It’s been the best career for me, honestly,” Nichols said. “People have asked me that lately, did you ever think about just quitting and getting a different job? For me, this was the right career, whether it was major league or minor league. It was the correct career path, whether I get to MLB or not, and it was worth it. It’s something I’ve enjoyed entire career, and that’s why I continue to do it after 31 years.”
Nichols first major league opportunity went in the books as a win as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 9-7.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.