After a 24-season run as the Giants' PA announcer, legendary local radio personality Renel Brooks-Moon announced Monday she will no longer be the voice of the Giants at Oracle Park.
Those who were listening to Bay Area radio back in the 1980s and 1990s remember Giants PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon simply as “Renel,” from her KMEL Morning Zoo era, and then her “Renel in the Mornings” duty at KISS-FM. But she went by the full name Renel Brooks-Moon when talking over PA announcing duties for your San Francisco Giants in 2000 when they moved to what we now call Oracle Park, and she’s remained in that role for the 24 years since.
That run has now ended. The Chronicle reports that Renel Brooks-Moon is parting ways with the Giants, in what seems like an amicable, albeit surprising separation.
“As a Bay Area native, it has been the honor of my lifetime to serve on the mike and in the community for the Giants for 24 years,” Brooks-Moon said in a statement released Monday. “My very first game on April 11, 2000, I shall never forget, because the job has always been bigger than me. Representation matters, and it is my great hope that my time in the booth has inspired little girls, young women and people of color to pursue their dreams even if those dreams seem impossible, because impossible dreams can come true.”
And while it does sound like Brooks-Moon is splitting with the Giants on friendly terms, it seems like there was some sort of contract dispute here. The Bay Area News Group reports that her Giants contract ended this past December, and the press release announcing her departure said the two sides had “extensive discussions” about extending her contract, but “mutually and amicably” agreed to part ways.
According to an ESPN report on KGO, Brooks-Moon still plans on “representing the Giants in the community as a volunteer, activist and mentor." And she’s certainly saying nice things on her way out.
“To my successor, best of luck, and enjoy every minute of it!” Brooks-Moon added in the official announcement. “To the talented young control-room crew, I could not be prouder of you all. And last, but certainly not the least, the fans: 100% the best fans in all of baseball, many of whom have become personal friends. I can’t thank you enough for your overwhelming kindness and support. I will miss you all the most.”
Renel Brooks-Moon became the first woman PA announcer in the World Series, or any major sports championship game, in 2002 (albeit in a series whose result Giants fans would otherwise prefer to forget). She called three more World Series match-ups in 2010, 2012, and 2014, she called Barry Bonds’s record 73 home-run season in 2001, and his breaking of the all-time home run record in 2007. And heck, the ballpark has had four different corporate names during her 24-year tenure.
This announcement comes less than three weeks from the Giants’ Home Opener, which is Friday, April 5. And there is no announcement yet on Brooks-Moon's successor. But the Giants did announce in the release that the ballpark’s PA booth named in her honor, and Brooks-Moon will be bestowed the title “public-address announcer emeritus.”
Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: San Francisco Giants announcer Renel Brooks-Moon addresses the crowd during a Wall of Fame induction ceremony before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on September 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
