By Tom Groeschen
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Old Left-hander was one active guy Monday, hardly looking like a man who's rounding third and heading for retirement in 2004.

NUX'S FINAL FIRST DAY

10:30 a.m. - Joe Nuxhall arrives at Great American Ball Park for his 38th and final Opening Day as a Reds radio broadcaster. "I always like to get here a few hours early," Nuxhall says. 11 a.m. - Nuxhall is on the field renewing old acquaintances. He wears a floppy golf hat with a "Cog Hill" logo (it's a club in Chicago), khaki-colored coat and navy slacks. The temperature is about 40 degrees, typical Cincinnati Opening Day weather. 11:45 a.m. - Nuxhall finishes up an interview with a local TV station. Radio, TV and print reporters are lining up to talk to him about his last opener as a broadcaster. How many interviews has he done today? "Probably 10 or 12 so far," says Nuxhall. "Charleston, Lexington to wherever. I've talked to all of them." 11:55 a.m. - Nuxhall does an interview with WLW sports reporter Bill "Seg" Dennison on the steps of the Reds' dugout. Dennison calls him "Left", a favorite nickname for insiders. "I think it's time to head upstairs for a while," Nuxhall says, noting it's lunchtime. 1 p.m. - Nuxhall arrives in the Reds' radio booth to begin his pregame homework. "I'm tired already, and I just got here," the 75-year-old Nuxhall quips, walking slowly to his seat. Bob Trumpy, the former Bengal who still does NFL games on radio, is visiting. "They'll have to drag you out of this booth, Joe," Trumpy says. 1:52 p.m. - Reds COO John Allen drops by. "I didn't get to see you earlier, Joe - good luck," Allen says. Replies Nuxhall: "Thanks, John - have a good year." 2 p.m. - Vice President Dick Cheney appears on the field to throw the first pitch. There are far more cheers than boos, and Nuxhall says, "The Republicans win." 2:07 p.m. - Reds play-by-play voice Marty Brennaman, on the air just minutes before game time, welcomes Nuxhall by saying, "My colleague, my partner, my friend here we go again, Joe." Replies Nuxhall: "Time to kick off. Regardless of how you feel coming in here on Opening Day, once you get in here, the butterflies still hit." He pauses briefly, says: "Let me gather myself. It's another big day Opening Day, it always is." 2:12 p.m. - Two minutes into the game, Chicago's Corey Patterson crushes a Cory Lidle pitch for a home run. "We talked about getting the ball up, and that was a no-doubter right off the bat," Nuxhall says. 2:38 p.m. - Third inning, and Nuxhall's turn for play-by-play. He calls the third, fourth and seventh while Brennaman rests. "And here with the play-by-play, in his 38th year in the booth," says Brennaman, "is the Old Left-hander." 3:12 p.m. - At the top of the fourth inning, Cheney is ushered into the radio booth accompanied by Secret Service agents. Nuxhall and Brennaman interview the vice president during the half-inning, which ends with Cheney telling Nuxhall, "I had your (baseball) card when I was a kid." A laughing Nuxhall replies, "You just hurt me." 4:40 p.m. - Top of the eighth, Nuxhall leaves the booth to head down to field level. He will tape an interview with a key player, which today will be Patterson. The taped interview is played after the game. 5:01 p.m. - Game ends with the Reds losing 7-4. 5:23 p.m. - Nuxhall's portion of "Reds Wrapup" airs - the interview with Patterson. Nuxhall unwinds with a cold drink. 5:30 p.m. - Nuxhall signs off with his "This is the Old Left-hander rounding third and heading for home. Good night, everyone." 5:36 p.m. - Nuxhall tapes an interview with WLW's Dennison. 5:40 p.m. - Nuxhall leaves the park, headed to nearby Montgomery Inn for some takeout ribs he'll bring home to Fairfield for himself and his wife, Donzetta. "She wasn't here today," Nuxhall said. "Too cold." He puts on his golf hat, zips his coat and heads to the parking lot. His 38th opener as a broadcaster is history.

Joe Nuxhall began his 38th and final season in the Reds' broadcast booth by interviewing Vice President Dick Cheney, being the subject of numerous interviews himself, then heading to Montgomery Inn for postgame takeout.

"You want to say Opening Day is just another day, but it isn't," Nuxhall said. "I didn't think about it much driving down here, but once you get in the park, the butterflies hit."

Nuxhall, 75, carried himself in typically understated style. Dressed casually in a floppy golf hat, khaki jacket, red golf shirt and navy slacks, Nuxhall ignored the pregame 40-degree weather and greeted old friends with his familiar toothy grin.

"It's a beautiful day," he said. "Sunny, not really that cold."

Nuxhall is in his 60th year overall with the Reds organization, including a playing career when he was 135-117 in 16 seasons as a left-handed pitcher.

The man who gained fame as the youngest player to appear in a major-league game (15 years old in his Reds debut in 1944) again was a media sensation Monday, doing numerous interviews with print, radio and TV reporters.

All asked the same thing: Joe, how's it feel on your last Opening Day?

"It's always a big day, Opening Day," he said. "It always is."

Nuxhall is scheduled to broadcast 78 of the Reds' 162 games before retiring. The rest of the games will be done by his replacement, Steve Stewart, who will team with play-by-play man Marty Brennaman.

Brennaman, entering his 31st year with Nuxhall, honored Nuxhall by calling him, "My colleague, my partner and my friend."

The highlight of the day came just before the top of the fourth inning when Cheney, escorted by Secret Service agents, arrived in the WLW-AM radio booth for a brief interview.

Amid tight security, only Brennaman, Nuxhall and a couple of WLW staffers were allowed in the booth while Cheney was present.

"We're very honored here in the old Great American Ball Park to have a guy who can throw a strike, the Vice President, Mr. Dick Cheney," Nuxhall said.

Cheney showed good form in throwing out the first pitch Monday. Nuxhall asked Cheney if had "a wager" on that with President Bush, who threw out the first ball Monday in St. Louis.

"I used to pitch American Legion ball back in Wyoming, but (President Bush) said they didn't need to get out the radar gun for me," Cheney replied.

Nuxhall and Brennaman both asked a few questions of Cheney, including his thoughts on putting a team in Washington, D.C., ( "It's a great baseball town") and questions about the economy ("All signs are pointing in the right direction").

Nuxhall closed the five-minute interview by saying it was "a pleasure" to meet Cheney.

"It was a pleasure to meet you too, Joe," Cheney said. "I had your card when I was a kid."

That prompted laughter from Brennaman and other onlookers.

"You just hurt me!" Nuxhall replied, himself laughing.

The game itself, a 7-4 Reds loss, later had Nuxhall lamenting how it happened.

"They scored five runs after two were out," Nuxhall said, doing his postgame wrapup show with WLW reporter Bill Dennison. "As (ex Reds pitcher) Jim Maloney used to say, if you can't slam the door like that, you're not going to get it done."

Nuxhall's most memorable Opening Days? As a player there was 1954, when he pitched three innings of relief to win 9-8 over the Milwaukee Braves.

And there was 1956, when he said he muffed a grounder by the Cardinals' Red Schoendienst and then allowed a two-run homer to Stan Musial in a 4-2 loss.

As a broadcaster?

"The years after the World Championship seasons of 1975, '76 and '90," he said. "Coming back to honor the teams that won ... that was special."

And what about Opening Day 2005?

"I'll be here somewhere," Nuxhall said. "I won't be here in the booth, but I'll be here somewhere."

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E-mail tgroeschen@enquirer.com

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