CHARLESTON was a stop for both the Reds' and Pirates' caravans last week, a sure sign that Major League Baseball spring training camps will be welcoming pitchers and catchers just three weeks from now.

Cincinnati (74-88) and Pittsburgh (67-95) again brought up the rear in the National League Central last year but, as you might expect, there was plenty of optimism from the players and announcers of both clubs that stopped in the Kanawha Valley last week.

WCHS-AM 580 will again be Charleston's radio home for the Reds this year, as it has been for more than half a century. Pittsburgh will also be well represented locally on radio this season as WKAZ-AM 680 (95.3 on FM) will carry Pirates games. 

While the Reds and Pirates both sport fan bases in Charleston, the current status of their primary radio voices couldn't be more different.  

Marty Brennaman won out over 200 applicants to take over for Al Michaels as the Reds' play-by-play announcer in 1974 and has been there ever since. (Do you know Marty's real first name?  Find the answer below.)

The Pirates' new radio voice, Tim Neverett, also emerged from a pool of more than 200 play-by-play candidates to get the chance to replace Lanny Frattare in Pittsburgh. 

But while Brennaman is exclusively on radio with the Reds, Neverett will split time between radio and television with Greg Brown on Pirates' broadcasts. 

Brennaman's take-no-prisoners style has endeared him to most Reds fans. For example, Brennaman never hesitated to call out Ken Griffey Jr. for a lack of hustle or Adam Dunn for his inability to get clutch hits. The comments that made Brennaman unpopular among some Reds players have become a running commentary painting a sometimes-painful picture of a franchise that hasn't sniffed the postseason since 1995.

Neverett, who has minor-league play-by-play experience, comes to the Bucs after serving most recently as the pre- and postgame host for the Colorado Rockies, a team just two years removed from the World Series.

"Hey, I'm not in the wins and losses department," Neverett joked last week at the Power Alley Grill when asked about joining the Pirates, who are on a streak of 16 consecutive losing seasons. 

"[General managers] Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies and Neal Huntington of the Pirates both came from the Cleveland Indians,'' he said. "They both have similar plans; they both have the same school of thought. They both will go with young players. The Rockies dumped their high-priced contracts, which is kind of like the situation the Pirates are in. The Pirates mirror the Rockies in a lot of ways. Is anyone predicting a World Series for these guys? No, but I think they can get better, and I think if you look at what they did in 2008 they can improve in 2009 and gradually progress."

Brennaman won the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 and has been the Ohio Sportscaster of the Year 12 times. Some of his most entertaining moments have come during his exasperated explanations of the Reds' frustrating play in recent years.

Neverett's style at the major-league level with the Pirates, he readily admits, will be a work in progress. 

"Someone asked me about my home run call in Pittsburgh and I said 'Touchdown, Steelers!'" said Neverett. "I have things that I do and say, but I'm not a comedian with schtick. I'm not going to come in there and reinvent the wheel. I'm going to give you a baseball game. I'm sure as I grow into the job there will be things that will become common. Things that worked for me in Las Vegas in the Pacific Coast League aren't necessarily going to work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

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Reach Dave Weekley at Week...@Yahoo.com.