Friday - November 16, 2007

Joe Nuxhall, Long-time Reds Player and Announcer Dead at age 79

From the time I was a little kid, I would listen the Reds on the radio brought to me by the familiar voices of Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall. That was in the early 70's. Yesterday, Joe Nuxhall lost his battle with cancer.

Nuxhall, started pitching for the Reds when he was only 15 years old in 1944 and he made the transition to the announcers booth in 1967. Joe was a good man and he and Marty made one of the best announcing teams in baseball.

Cincinnatians today mourned the loss of Joe Nuxhall, who as a 15-year-old in 1944 made history by pitching for the Reds and later became a fixture in the Reds radio booth.

Nuxhall -- affectionately known as the Ol' Left-Hander -- died at 10:55 p.m. Thursday at Mercy Hospital-Fairfield. He was 79.

He was admitted to the hospital on Monday for pneumonia, a low pulse rate and low white blood count. Doctors had planned to insert a pacemaker because of Nuxhall’s low pulse. Nuxhall had battled non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since 2003.

Nuxhall is survived by his wife of 60 years Donzetta, and two sons, Phil Nuxhall and Kim Nuxhall. Kim Nuxhall issued a statement this morning:

“On behalf of the entire Nuxhall family we wish to express our deepest gratitude for the tremendous outpouring of prayers, well wishes, cards and messages during this very difficult time. Dad felt that he truly had three extended families during his career....The great City of Hamilton, Ohio where he grew up.....Fairfield, Ohio where he raised his children and Cincinnati, Ohio where he was able to play and broadcast the great game of baseball with the Cincinnati Reds.

"We will be eternally grateful to the Cincinnati Reds organization and the fans who provided us with experiences and memories of a lifetime. Dad truly loved you all."  Read more....

Author: The Machiavellian
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