Complete Timeline of Offseason Moves

Today marks the final day of January. Tomorrow marks the first day of February. What's that mean for the Reds? It means the period of no baseball is nearing an end and the beginning of Spring Training is just around the corner! So, to help organize and chronicle the flurry of transactions made by the organization over these past frigid months, here is a timeline of Cincy's major moves during the offseason:

Notable Quotables

Here are some notable quotes coming from Reds country recently:

“A lot of interest, more interest than we’ve had in the last few month. All of a sudden the last month or so, people have been really interested. Yes, our sales are up. They are on target.” -Owner Bob Castellini on the rise in season ticket sales over the past few weeks.

"I think Walt [Jocketty] has been in pursuit of that for a while. It's something we know is a big challenge for us. It's certainly is desirable." -Castellini on the prospects of signing Joey Votto to a long-term extension.

A Collection of Vintage Reds TV Ads

 



Not only were Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Ken Griffey Jr. Hall of Fame players during their time in the major leagues, but they were also just as potent in front of a camera. For your viewing pleasure here is a small& collection of some of those vintage commercials they starred in. Enjoy.

Pete Rose for Aqua Velva (1976)

Four Reds in Preseason Fantasy Baseball Top 100

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm not a huge fantasy baseball guy. I'd much rather root for my team over constantly stressing over rotisserie points, but I can see the allure of it. With that said, I recently came across Athlon Sports' "2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings" and wanted to share my findings.

The site had a brilliant idea of combining five fantasy big boards from around the web to form a consensus top 100 -- and four Reds made the cut. Here are the names of those stat-packing players, as well as both there Athlon Sports ranking and their ranking from each of the other sites:

Odds to Win World Series, NL Pennant

The latest offseason shuffling around the major league landscape has forced Vegas to do a little re-shuffling themselves. Every signing, every trade, and every departure is followed closely by the oddsmakers in Sin City. With that in mind, here are the most up-to-date odds for each MLB team to win the World Series, courtesy of Bovada sportsbook:

Breaking Down the Chances of A Votto Contract Extension (Video)

The huge contracts given to former NL Central foes Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder this offseason has spurned a lot of debate around Reds country. Why so you ask? Because it has many wondering whether or not the club will be able to afford first baseman Joey Votto when his contract expires at the end of 2013.

MLB.com's Jeremy Brisiel and Jeff Nelson weigh in on that very subject in the following video clip. They talk about the Reds chances of retaining Votto, as well as other teams who may be in the running for his services once he becomes available. Check it out:

Familiar Faces in Different Places

It goes without saying, but Cincinnati has been a major player during this MLB offseason. General manager Walt Jocketty and the club has been able to reel in several new additions to the team including Ryan Madson, Matt Latos, Ryan Ludwick and Sean Marshall, among others.

However, the franchise also parted ways with several players from its 2011 roster. Here's a recap of where and how those former Reds ended up in their new places:

Latos on his new Team (Video)

Newcomer Mat Latos takes some time to express his excitement about becoming a member of the Reds organization in the following short, video clip:

Arredondo, Reds Reach Agreement

The Redlegs entered Thursday with just one arbitration-eligible player on their roster, and by Thursday evening they had none.

This is because the franchise reached a two-year deal with reliever Jose Arredondo, thus dodging the arbitration bullet one final time for the 2012 offseason. The exact salary figures have yet to be released, but it's safe to assume the right-hander will see a bump in pay from the $480,000 he made last season.

Top 100 MLB Prospects: Reds Analysis

MLB.com recently released its 2012 Prospect Watch Top 100 list, and after the recent trades, the Reds were able to claim just two of the players on the list, Devin Mesoraco at #14 and Billy Hamilton at #34. For what it's worth, having just two on the list does put them in the bottom third of the league in "top prospects." Some may hardly even count Mesoraco as a prospect since he is expected to spend the entire 2012 season in Cincinnati. Nonetheless, due to his relatively short major league experience so far, he keeps his prospect status, as do several others in a similar situation on the list.

How do the Reds stack up against their most common foes and the rest of the league?

Jeff Francis, Reds Caravan Kicks Off

Several media outlets reported yesterday that the Reds reached a minor league deal with left-handed starting pitcher Jeff Francis, to add options to their rotation. The 30 year old is 61-66 with a 4.78 ERA in his career, and won 17 games in 2007 with the Rockies. He spent last season with the Royals, making 31 starts, going 6-16, with a 4.82 ERA.

It's unlikely that Francis will make the rotation for Opening Day, but he will provide depth should the Reds need a backup starter due to injury or poor performance, which is much more likely. When is the last time in the modern era that a team went through a full 162 games using the same five starters? Seriously, that's intriguing to me, so if you know the answer, please let me know.

*****

The 2012 Reds Caravan kicked off today and will continue through January 29th.

Reds Acquire Valdez, Avoid Arbitration With Masset

If the signing of utility man Willie Harris on Monday wasn't enough to secure depth in the Cincinnati infield, Wednesday's deal sure did.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the Redlegs pulled the trigger on a trade that landed utility infielder Wilson Vadlez from the Phillies in exchange for left-handed reliever Jeremy Horst.

Valdez appeared in 99 games for the NL East Champs in 2011, posting a .249 average and a modest .294 OBP. The 33-year old boasts a career .243 average in six big league seasons.

News and Notes from Tuesday

Fielder appears to be taking his talents
to The Motor City

-The biggest news around Reds country - and Major League Baseball for that matter - was the Detroit Tigers move to sign free agent first baseman Prince Fielder on Tuesday. The agreement is reportedly worth $214MM over nine seasons, which equates to an average of $23.78MM per year -- the fourth-richest contract in baseball history.

Fielder's departure from the NL Central clears yet another obstacle standing in the Reds' path to claim the division crown. If they weren't already considered the favorites to "take the cake" in the Central, this will surely sway the naysayers. And although the Redlegs benefit short-term from this situation, you have to believe front office personnel are biting their nails over the long-term repercussions of today's transaction. Why? Because the prospects of keeping Joey Votto beyond 2013 (when he enters free agency) is looking more and more unaffordable, and let's face it...grim.

Cincy Adds Roster Depth, Signs Harris

Cincy addressed their last remaining need on their offseason wish list with the signing of free agent utility man Willie Harris on Monday. The two sides agreed on a minor league deal which includes a non-roster invite to the club's Spring Training in Goodyear, Arizona. Should Harris make the big league roster he will earn a base salary of $800,000 with the potential to earn as much as $1MM in incentive money.

The 33-year old spent the 2011 season as a member of the Mets where he batted .246 and sported a .351 OBP in 283 plate appearances. Cincinnati will mark the seventh franchise Harris has played for in what is to be his 12th major league season in 2012.

Known for his versatility to play just about any position on the diamond, the Cairo, Georgia native should provide much-needed depth to both the infield and outfield spots. However, he is likely to see more playing time at shortstop behind Zack Cozart and Paul Janish assuming he makes the big league roster at all.

This Day in Reds History: Team Inks Mastermind Behind Big Red Machine

January 22nd, 1967 - In a move that would later be considered monumental in the creation of the Big Red Machine, the franchise signs Bob Howsan to a three-year contract to be its vice-president and general manager.

Here is an excerpt taken from Redleg Journal:

"The first front-office job for the 48-year old Howsam, a native of Colorado, had been with the Denver Bears. He was also the first owner of the Denver Broncos and the owner of the stadium that was eventually enlarged and named Mile High Stadium. His first major league position came in 1964 when his mentor, Branch Rickey hired him to become general manager of the Cardinals. Howsam had become disenchanted with the Cardinals after what he perceived to be persistent meddling by ownership in his operation of the club, including a series of controversial trades.

On This Day in Reds History: Marty takes the Mic

"And this one belongs to the Reds!"

January 21st, 1974 - Filling a void left by play-by-play announcer Al Michaels - who left the team in the fall of 1973 to assume the same role with the Giants - Cincinnati hires 31-year old Marty Brennaman to take his place on the radio.

Before joining the Redlegs in '74, the Portsmouth, Virginia native graduated from the University of North Carolina with a communications degree in 1965. He spent four years with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association before breaking onto the baseball scene in 1971 as the play-by-play man for the Triple-A Tidewater Tides (now known as the Norfolk Tide).

Top 10 Sluggers in Reds History

In the game of baseball, there may not be a single play more exciting than witnessing a homerun. One crack of the bat can send a dull crowd into a raucious frenzy in a matter of seconds. And while modern day players aren't knocking 'em out of the yard at the pace of players from 15 years ago (thanks largely to extensive PED testing), it's still a treat to see the ole' cowhide go screaming over the fence.

With this in mind, here are 10 former Reds who knew all too well about the longball -- they comprise the list of the Top 10 Sluggers in Reds History (most career homers as a Red):

Catching up on MINOR Details: Billings

Last but not least (with apologies to the AZL Reds) we have the Rookie League Billings Mustangs. They finished 44-32 for the best record overall in the Pioneer League North, but missed out on the playoffs by just one game, because they did not have the best record in either half of the season. They did take it all the way to the last day though. The big news for Billings is that the Reds extended their working relationship, which was set to end in 2012, with the Mustangs through 2014.

Bucking into 2012 are your Billings Mustangs...

Happy 50th Birthday To...

Former Red and 3-time All-Star Chris "Spuds" Sabo!

Known for his signature, see-through goggles, the Detroit native spent seven seasons in the Queen City (1988-93, '96) holding down the hot corner and helping lead the franchise to its last World Championship in 1990.

He was also named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1988 and hit .270 (3,012 at-bats) in his Redlegs career.

Happy Birthday Spuds!

Catching Up on MINOR Details: Dayton

If one were to pick which minor league team of the Reds had the best 2011, it would have to be the Single-A affiliate Dayton Dragons. Under manager Delino DeShields (and I love that he's their manager and I don't know why), they finished 83-57, good enough to finish first and win their third division title, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

They could also boast having some of the most promising prospects in the Reds organization, including as mentioned in the previous posts, the Cincinnati Reds Minor League Player of the Year in Billy Hamilton, as well as the Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Year Josh Smith. Let's not forget Tucker Barnhart who won the Minor League Gold Glove for catching, and Daniel Corcino, or Johnny Cueto 2.0. If that weren't enough, there was also 1B Donald Lutz, SP Kyle Lotzkar, and 2B Ronald Torreyes who hit .356 but was recently sent to Chicago as part of the Sean Marshall trade. They probably could have given the Astros a game. However, it will be a new ballgame as they will probably have to do without most or all of those men in 2012.

Dragons' fans can also brag about being the best as "the Dragons set the all-time professional sports sellout record during the 2011 season when they sold out their 815th consecutive game on July 9th", per the team website. They have sold out every single home game since they came into existence 12 years ago. Wow.

On this Thursday, hide your fair maidens in the highest room in the tallest tower of your castle because here come the Dayton Dragons...

Are the Reds' Offseason Moves Enough?

Is the additon of Ryan Madson, among others,
enough to dub the Reds' division favorites?

Dan Syzmborski wrote a very intriguing column recently implying that the Reds still need to make another big offseason move to be considered the "true division favorites" (it's an ESPN Insider piece, so if you want to view it in its entirety you must subscribe). Nonetheless, Syzmborski got me wondering, DO the Reds REALLY need to add another weapon to their arsenal to claim the NL Central in 2012?

In the article Symborski talks about the disappointment of the 2011 campaign, the club's recent acquisitions, a ZiPS projection chart for notable players, and some possible names for the franchise to consider acquiring. However, these two paragraphs are the most telling of the article, in my opinion:

Catching Up on MINOR Details: Bakersfield

Many of the Reds minor league teams are welcoming new names to their organizations at the managerial level, as evidenced with David Bell and Jim Riggleman taking over in Louisville and Pensacola, respectively. However, the Bakersfield Blaze may have the most anticipated player joining their roster in 2012, as 2011 Reds Minor League Player of the Year and speedster, Billy Hamilton, will likely start the year at the Class-A Advanced affiliate of Cincinnati.

The middle of the week blazes in with the Bakersfield Blaze...

Reds Avoid Arbitration With Bailey, Janish

All totalled, Cincy was able to avoid arbitration with three of their five eligible players on Tuesday, agreeing to one-year deals with shortstop Paul Janish, starting pitcher Homer Bailey and reliever Bill Bray (previously reported).

The Associated Press is reporting that Bailey's contract is worth $2.425 million -- which is substantially more than the right-hander earned in 2011 ($441,000).

The exact salary figures for both Bray and Janish are still unknown at this time.

Reds, Bray Avoid Arbitration

The Reds and Bill Bray avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one year deal, according to Bray (@B_Line45) on Twitter: "Contract is done...thanks to the @reds and my agents @OctagonBaseball. My family and I are extremely pleased."

He also divulged the length of the contract on Twitter in a reply saying, "one year, but I will still have another year before free agency."

As soon as the dollar amounts come out, we'll post them on here.

Recap: The All-Region Reds Team

Today we take one final look at the fictional 25-man roster we've been assembling the past five days. And if you're reading this right now and have no clue what I'm referring to, let the following enlighten you:

The roster is comprised entirerly of current MLBers who hail from hometowns located in (or near) Reds country. The main goal in the creation of this squad was to only choose players who came from within the geographical reach of Cincinnati, but without crossing too much into the regions of other MLB franchises (sincere apologies to the Indians, Cardinals, Pirates, Orioles, or Braves if I did).

Latest Reds Top Prospects List

The latest Reds' Top Prospects list comes from the baseball-y mind of Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. He lists his top 11 prospects, broken down among five-star, four-star (of which the Reds had none), three-star and two-star prospects. He then goes on to give nine more who missed the cut, to round out a top 20 list when all is said and done. The article is for subscribers only, but if you click on his name above, you can see the list from 1-20, as well as analysis of #1 prospect Billy Hamilton. In order to see analysis of the rest of the top 11, you'll either have to pony up $4.95 for one month, or $39.95 for the year. The names on this list should be set now, as there probably won't be anymore trades made by the Reds this offseason, although Walt Jocketty has already shocked me twice.

Here's the top 11 by Goldstein for your viewing pleasure:

Catching Up on MINOR Details: Pensacola

The Reds Double-A affiliate may have had the biggest news of any of the Reds minor league organizations as they dropped the moniker of the Carolina Mudcats, moved to a brand new park in Florida, hired a big name manager and became the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, who will celebrate and play their inaugural season in 2012.

Tuesday is the day of the Blue Wahoos...

Reds Add Another Piece to Puzzle

Cincinnati may have just completed their off-season to-do list with the signing of free agent OF Ryan Ludwick late Monday night. The contract is rumored to be a one-year deal, which includes a mutual option for 2013, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Ludwick will reportedly receive $2.5 MM guaranteed with up to an additional $500k in incentives.

The 33-year old outfielder gives the Reds some much-needed depth in the two corner outfield spots, although he is likely to see most of his action if left in a platoon role with Chris Heisey.

Reds Ink Catcher Dioner Navarro

Straight from MLBtraderumors.com:

"The Reds signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a minor league deal, according to the team's Twitter feed. He'll earn $800K plus $200K in incentives in the bigs, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Navarro, 28 in February, will provide veteran depth after catching tandem Devin Mesoraco and Ryan Hanigan. He's represented by MDR Sports Management.

Navarro hit .193/.276/.324 in 202 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year, catching 428 innings. He was designated for assignment in August. The Reds' other non-roster invitees include Sean Gallagher, Ron Mahay, Kanekoa Texeira, Clay Zavada, and Corky Miller."

Color me as puzzled. This probably goes down as the Reds most head-scratching move of the off-season, as catcher wasn't a position I personally thought needed to be addressed. And at a price of nearly $1 million for Navarro's services, the 2008 All-Star isn't exactly what I would call a bargain. Nonetheless, the team now has four capable backstops to help share the load in 2012.



Day Five: The All-Region Reds Team

Today marks the fifth and final post of our five-day series highlighting current MLBers who hail from hometowns located in (or near) Reds country. As we continue our quest to assemble the best 25-man roster possible, we now turn out attention toward the only position located behind the dish -- catcher.

In case you've missed the first four days worth of posts, here is some info to help better detail what we're trying to accomplish here:

Catching Up on MINOR Details: Louisville

It's been a long, but exciting offseason so far in Reds country. It's almost over though. Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Goodyear on February 19th, while the rest are expected by February 24th. Along with the return of the Reds is also the highly anticipated return of MINOR Details here on Redlegs Review to keep you up to date on all the goings-on of the Reds minor league organizations and their players. Over the next week, I'll be updating you on some of the stories and news at each level to get you caught up in time for the start of the season. Whenever roster assignments are announced, we'll get those to you as soon as we can as well.

Today we begin with the Triple-A Louisville Bats...

Top 10 All-Time Most Valuable Reds

Given the fact the city of Cincinnati is home to the oldest franchise in professional baseball, it only makes sense that it boasts a long list of great players. With that in mind, how does one truly go about ranking the top ten Reds of all-time? Do you go strictly off of statistical numbers alone? Or do you consider number of All-Star appearances, team winning percentage and/or other individual accolades?

While the exact answer to this precarious question is still up for debate, one thing "experts" have relied on recently is the use of a sabermetric tool called Wins Above Replacement (WAR). (Fangraphs.com provides a pretty solid definition and explanation of how to measure it -- you can view that here.) But basically what WAR tries to do is calculate the value a certain player provides to their team (usually expressed in wins) over a a minor leaguer or bench player (known as a replacement-level player).

Day Four: The All-Region Reds Team

Today marks day four of our series highlighting current MLBers who hail from hometowns located in (or near) Reds country. As we continue our quest to assemble the best 25-man roster possible, we now turn out attention toward the infield.

In case you missed the first few posts in the series, here is some info to help better detail what we're trying to accomplish here:

Audio: 2010 NL Central Clinching Walk-Off

It's the middle of Winter and I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all craving some baseball right now. While I can't necessarily deliver some never-before seen action, I can dig up the following footage from not too long ago.

Listen as Reds radio broadcasting icon Marty Brennaman calls Jay Bruce's walk-off homer against the Astros to clinch the 2010 NL Central Division title -- a clip that will live in Cincinnati lore for a long, long time. Could 2012 bring an equal or greater amount of excitement?

Day Three: The Reds All-Region Team

Today marks day three of our series highlighting current MLBers who hail from hometowns located in (or near) Reds country. As we continue our quest to assemble the best 25-man roster possible, we now turn out attention toward the the guys who roam the vast, green pasture known as the outfield.

In case you missed the first two days of the series, here is some info to help better detail what we're trying to accomplish here:

The Latest News, Notes & Links

Happy Saturday everyone. I hope you're keeping nice and toasty wherever you may be. Here's the latest news, notes and links coming out of Reds camp -- and believe me there's a lot of it:

**The Reds attempted to add more bullpen depth today with the announced signings of lefties Ron Mahay and Clay Zavada. Both players were inked to minor league contracts with an invitation to Spring Training.

Here are the two excerpts taken from MLBtraderumors.com on the two relievers:

Video of Larkin Presser

Here is a video clip from Barry Larkin's press conference at GABP from earlier this week. Congrats again to Barry on his outstanding achievement!

Day Two: The All-Region Reds Team

Today marks day two of our series highlighting current MLBers who hail from hometowns located in (or near) Reds country. As we continue our quest to assemble the best 25-man roster possible, we now turn out attention toward the bullpen.

In case you didn't get a chance to view yesterday's initial post, here is some info to help better detail what we're trying to accomplish here:

Day One: The All-Region Reds Team

Have you ever wondered what MLB rosters would look like if clubs were only able to choose players from their local area? I have, and it led me to the creation of the following series of posts. Over the next several days I'll break down a 25-man roster - position-by-position - of some current MLBers that hail from hometowns located in (or near) Reds country.

The main goal in making this squad is to only choose players who come from within the geographical reach of Cincinnati, but without crossing too much into the regions of other MLB franchises (sincere apologies to the Indians, Cardinals, Pirates, Orioles, or Braves if I did).

Sizing Up the Reds Potential '12 Bullpen

Bray and the rest of the Reds bullpen will
strike fear in the hearts of many a batter.

With the announced signing of Ryan Madson (although a contract is yet to be formalized), the Reds have all but formulated their bullpen for the upcoming 2012 season. What at one time looked to be a certain weakness going into the season, with the departure of Francisco Cordero, and the plans to move Aroldis Chapman to the starting rotation, has all of a sudden become one of the team's stronger points with the trade for Sean Marshall, one of the game's predominant left handed relievers, and the signing of Madson, who has been a more than capable reliever for most of his career and was a very effective full time closer in 2011. These two paired with the Reds' incumbent bullpen comprise quite a formidable unit.

Here's a look at the probable Opening Day bullpen, and how each member fared last season:

Former GM on Larkin's Legacy (Video)

Former Reds general manager and current ESPN.com writer Jim Bowden breaks down the legacy of the newest member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame -- Barry Larkin.

Reds Get Closer in Signing Ryan Madson

Ryan Madson is the new Reds' closer.

According to several media outlets, a source close to Ryan Madson has confirmed that he has signed a one-year deal with the Reds. Depending on whom you believe, the deal is either worth $8.5MM (ESPN.com, SI.com) or $10MM (reds.com). Perhaps it is worth a base salary of $8.5MM, with incentives up to $10MM? But being he is a Scott Boras client, I'm inclined to think it is closer to a $10MM deal. *Update The contract is confirmed to be worth $8.5MM guaranteed for one season according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter).* Either way, the Reds have locked in their closer for the 2012 season, thus filling two of their biggest offseason needs, along with an ace-like starter in Mat Latos. This further confirms that the Reds are all in this season and the front office believes the time to win is now.

Madson, Cordero, or Wood: Who Ya Got?

The plot keeps thickening in the search for the Reds next closer as rumors surfaced Tuesday evening about the team being in serious talks in inking free agent stopper Ryan Madson, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Cincinnati is now alleged to be courting the free agent likes of Madson, Kerry Wood, and incumbent Francisco Cordero to assume closer/setup roles. Given the fact that all three come with their own pros and cons, I thought it'd be fun to breakdown each candidate to see which one fits best in a Reds uniform. Here is a mini-profile on each one:

Ryan Madson (31)
2011 stats: 4-2, 2.37 ERA, 62 GP, 32/24 SV, 60.67 IP
Career stats: 47-30, 3.59 ERA, 491 GP, 113 H, 630 IP

This Day in Reds History: Domed Stadium Plan Scratched

The following is an excerpt from a book I highly recommend to any Reds fan entitled Redleg Journal which is co-authored by Greg Rhodes and John Snyder:

January 11th, 1966 - Standard Oil of Ohio, better known as Sohio, bows out of a plan to build a domed stadium at the junction of Cornell and Kenwood Roads in Blue Ash. In a forerunner of corporate-sponsored stadiums that later became the norm, the company planned to call the structure the "Sohio Dome," and hoped the name would spur gasoline sales.

2012 Reds Caravan Info

Here is the press release outlining the details for the 2012 Reds Caravan tour:

2012 REDS CARAVAN SET FOR JANUARY 26-29

CINCINNATI (Jan. 10, 2012) — The 2012 Reds Caravan, presented by CincinnatiUSA.com, kicks off Thursday, Jan. 26 and is scheduled to make 15 fan stops in four states covering more than 2,800 miles over four days.

The Caravan consists of three separate tours traveling simultaneously through Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia and provides fans with the opportunity to interact with current and former players, broadcasters and members of the Reds front office staff. At each fan stop, the group will field questions from fans and sign autographs while time allows.

Cincy Interested in Kerry Wood?

Could Wood find himself moving from the shores of the
Great Lakes to the banks of the Ohio in 2012?

According to David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com, the Reds are among many teams interested in acquiring free agent reliever Kerry Wood.

This after rumblings around Chicago that the 34-year old is unwilling to accept another hometown discount from the Cubs. Although new GM Theo Epstein is openly saying the team would like to bring Wood back, his actions don't necessarily reflect his words. Here are two excerpts from Kaplan's piece to better detail the situation:

"Woody wanted to be here despite the rebuilding process but while the Cubs were saying they wanted him back they were unwilling to pay him the market value for a solid set up man," [a source] said. "He has heard from a number of teams that are World Series contenders and they are all willing to pay him a very fair salary to strengthen their bullpen. The Cubs expected him to pitch for another hometown discount. He has already done that for them a couple of times before. There is no reason that he should have to do that again."

Reaction From Larkin After Call (Video)

After getting the call he was looking for, Barry Larkin gives his reaction to the momentus occasion in a story aired by WCPO.

Highlighting the Reds HOF & Museum

by: AJ Jaggers
Staff Writer/Contributor

Every person that calls themselves a fan of the game of baseball must at some point in their life make the pilgrimage to Cooperstown, New York. To walk the halls and see the artifacts from the most amazing moments of this game we love -- to see bats and gloves from the great ones. To walk into the gallery and see the plaques with faces of the men that made this game great. Cooperstown is well worth the drive, but for those of us that call ourselves Reds fans we must also make the pilgrimage to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is the largest team museum in all of baseball and with the tradition and rich history of this team it is no wonder. The mission of the museum is as follows:

Web Headlines of Larkin's HOF Nod

Here are some headlines from around the web regarding Barry Larkin's Hall of Fame nod today:

ESPN.com

Foxsports.com

Barry Larkin Gets Call to the Hall

Next stop? Cooperstown.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced its election results for the 2012 class today and one lifelong Cincinnatian and Red comprised it -- Barry Larkin.

Larkin received a nod of approval from 86% of the BBWAA voters to get in on just his third year on the ballot. He came up short in his first year (51.6%) and again in his second (62.1%) after failing to meet the minimum mark of 75% to earn the selection. However, all is well that ends well and January 9th, 2012 will go down as a day that ended quite well for one Barry Louis Larkin.