Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have recently upgraded third baseman Scott Rolen's contract to tie him up for the next three years. That is all well and good, but I believe we had him for this year already, am I right?

We have more pressing problems than pacifying a player for whom we already had mortgaged the farm—no play on words.

Shortstops still change teams or get re-signed by their own club while we sit and wait it out.

Barry Larkin spent his entire 19-year career playing for his hometown Cincinnati Reds. Considered by many to be one of the best all-around players of his era, Larkin is now eligible for baseball's highest individual honor.

While statistics are the primary tool for measuring a baseball player's greatness, there are vital qualities and characteristics that a computer can't necessarily figure out. Larkin excelled in many of those categories.

You see plenty of moves like this in football, but contract restructuring is not nearly as common in baseball. But yesterday, the Reds and Scott Rolen agreed to a restructured deal that will keep him in Cincinnati for the next three seasons:

As a devoted Chicago Cubs fan for more than a decade now, I have long been keenly aware of the plight of Ron Santo. Santo, who was a key cog during the Cubs' quasi-revival in the late 1960s and early 1970s, now broadcasts Cubs games for WGN radio, and so remains (alongside Ernie Banks) the face of the Cubs franchise, some 35 years after the end of his illustrious career.

It's easy to get excited about a 22-year-old prospect who jacked 27 homers between AA and AAA last season.  Especially when, during his September cup of coffee with Cincinnati, and in his second at-bat for the Reds, he blasted one about 30 rows deep over the right field fence of Great American Ball Park.

Juan Francisco, a left-handed batter standing at 6'2" and tipping the scales at 220 pounds, undoubtedly has the body of a power hitter.

The Cincinnati Reds non-tendered outfielder Jonny Gomes on Saturday, according to the MLB.com.

Gomes posted impressive power numbers in 2009, batting .267 with 20 home runs and 51 RBI in just 281 at bats.

The problem was his feast-or-famine numbers against right-hand pitching. He hit 15 home runs in 180 at bats, but managed only 29 non-homer hits on his way to a .244 average against righties.

I was born in 1975 and have been a Cincinnati Reds fan ever since. For the majority of my life, the shortstop position has basically been manned by two people: Dave Concepcion and Barry Larkin.

Since Larkin's final season in 2004, the Reds have been unable to find stability at the position. It appears that the latest person to get a chance to play shortstop on a regular basis is Paul Janish.

When a baseball team drafts a player who rejects a full-ride scholarship to play wide receiver for a major college football team, it's safe to assume the kid is fast. 

When that football team is from the best conference in the country (SEC), it's safe to say the kid can flat-out boot scoot as well as any major leaguer. 

That's exactly what the Cincinnati Reds did with their second round (57th overall) selection in 2009.

On Friday afternoon, we picked the kids up early from school and headed to Cincinnati for Redsfest.  If you have never been to the annual celebration of baseball during the winter months, it is well worth the time and money.  Opportunities for autographs and pictures with players are just some of the attractions.  

There are games for kids of all ages and more Reds memorabilia than you can possibly imagine.

After a heartbreaking loss like the one the Redskins just suffered at the hands of the Saints, you never want to dwell on what went wrong, who missed what, and what owner caused it all. The easy route for a blogger would be to rip Sean Suisham for a missed field goal that would’ve insured a win and a halfway decent highlight for this year’s NFL Films package.