Jeff Brantley: A True American Cowboy

Jeffrey Hoke (Jeff) Brantley, (born September 5, 1963 in Florence, Alabama), is a former relief pitcher with a 14 year career from 1988 to 2001.
Jeff "The Cowboy" Brantley has become well respected by the baseball-savvy Cincinnati fans, due largely to his insightful observations on the subtle nuances of the pitching game. Though occasionally criticized for his play-by-play radio commentary's failure to paint a clear picture of the game, his slow, easy-to-follow verbal delivery and sense of humor has filled the large void left in the Reds' radio booth by the death of Joe Nuxhall.
Brantley played college baseball at Mississippi State University, where he was a teammate of Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Thigpen on a Bulldogs team that participated in the 1985 College World Series. He is the co-holder of the SEC record for career wins by a pitcher with 45, along with University of South Carolina and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kip Bouknight.
He played for the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, all of the National League, and the Texas Rangers of the American League. He was also a member of the 1989 San Francisco Giants team that defeated the Chicago Cubs to win the National League pennant and would eventually lose to the Oakland A's in the World Series.
An All-Star in 1990, Brantley led the National League in 1996 with 44 saves.
As you can see Jeff Brantley has quite an impressive resume in the baseball world. But what you may not know is that the man is a world class rodeo professional. What does he ride you ask? Bulls? Broncos? ….neither.
This past Tuesday May 21, 2009 Jeff Brantley told a story on air during the first game of the Reds Vs. Phillies series about running over a hornet's nest while he was bush-hogging on his new tractor. Jeff saddled up on his new Deere and mounted that bad boy for the ride of his life. While anxiously awaiting his son to bring an ice-cold glass of sweet tea, Jeff sat on his prized tractor unaware of the fact that he was on top of a hornet’s nest. As the Hornets viciously attacked, Jeff tried to pop his tractor into gear. He wasn’t quite familiar with the workings of his new beast and mistakenly shifted into the wrong gear, which sent the tractor off like a horny bull with its nuts rubber banded. Jeff held on for dear life and proceeded to set the world record for tractor rodeo. Jeff overtook an embankment, and went airborne all while mower blades whizzed his head.
Jeff is truly an American Cowboy. Many professionals could not have completed that ride. His strength and agility, along with his well-groomed mullet gave him the ability to tame the beast and defy death.

This is why Jeff Brantley is a True American Cowboy…