Wit and Wisdom n Gethsemane Moss, Ed.D and Jeannine Mendoza Ed.D Mary Hand and Genevieve Hand Benicia Magazine’s editorial staff had the recent pleasure of interviewing Renel BrooksMoon, the former radio celebrity and current public address announcer and Voice of the San Francisco Giants. Known simply as “Renel,” she has dominated the airwaves since 1986 when she joined KMEL’s The Morning Zoo. In 1997 she launched KMEL’s sister station 98.1 KISS FM as host of Renel in the Morning Show until 2017. When she transitioned to baseball it was a perfect segue for her, having grown up in a baseball loving family. A little known fact is that before working for the Giants, Renel worked for the Oakland A’s Television in the 1980s. Renel’s success as an interviewer and commentator is in part due to the development and honing of her own style. She recalled an interview with Mark McGwire in which he tried to shake her confidence prior to going on air: “Are you nervous?” he asked Renel as they sat together minutes before going live. “Oh, I’m ready,” she replied. Renel believes in deep research on anyone she interviews. She keeps up to the minute facts ready. These are the techniques she has developed for interviews: Do your research. Ask questions they don’t expect. She co-writes and edits game day scripts for each Giants game. Her direct and unflappable demeanor, as well as her renowned sense of humor, has served her well in her 40-plus years in broadcasting. Renel was recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame during the 2002 World Series when she became the first woman to public-address announce a Championship game in all of professional sports. She succeeded Sherry Davis, who was the announcer while the Giants played at Candlestick Park (1993-1999). Renel was honored to be selected as PA announcer in 2000 when the team moved to Pacific Bell Park, becoming the third female PA Announcer in major league history and the second African-American. The following Question & Answer session took place recently in a Zoom meeting between Benicia Magazine’s editorial staff and Renel. The answers have been edited for length. 16 • Benicia Magazine
ACCOLADES Renel was recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame as the first female announcer of a championship game in any professional sport for her role in the 2002 World Series. 8 years later, the Giants won the World Series, when San Francisco defeated the Texas Rangers in 5 games. They won the World Series again in 2012 in a 4-game sweep over the Detroit Tigers, and won the 2014 World Series in 7 games over the Kansas City Royals. In July 2018, Brooks-Moon served as the "Mistress of Ceremonies" at the inauguration of London Breed, the 45th Mayor of San Francisco. Renel received two honorary doctorate degrees, the first, Doctor of Arts and Letters from her alma mater, Mills College, and the second Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of San Francisco.
