A few notes regarding the Reds 2012 schedule (the schedule can be viewed in it’s entirety – with times – on reds.com/schedule.)….

Fox National Games (Fox National exclusive rights)
May 26- Colorado at Cincinnati- 7:15pm
June 2- Cincinnati at Houston- 7:15pm
June 16- Cincinnati at NY Mets- 7:15pm
August 25- St. Louis at Cincinnati- 4:05pm

ESPN Sunday night selected game is:
July 15- St. Louis at Cincinnati- 8:05pm (ESPN exclusive rights)
*There are several games that we could be selected as an ESPN Sunday night game (they must give 23 days notice and on some dates, 16 days notice).  At this time, those games include:  June 10- Detroit at Cincinnati, June 17- Cincinnati at New York Mets, August 19- Chicago at Cincinnati, August 26- St. Louis at Cincinnati

There are 2 games that will air on ESPN that are not exclusive:
April 5- Miami at Cincinnati- 4:05pm (ESPN 2, We are protected.  Our market will be blacked out by ESPN 2)
May 21- Atlanta at Cincinnati- 7:10pm is an ESPN Monday Night game (ESPN using a blackout lift for this game, game could co-exist)
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Opening Day Ticket Opportunity On Reds.com

CINCINNATI (January 31, 2012) — In a continuing effort to make Opening Day tickets available to as many fans as possible, the Reds have announced the annual online ticket opportunity for the April 5 game vs. the Miami Marlins.

Now through Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at noon ET, fans can register on reds.com/openingday for a chance to purchase up to four (4) individual Opening Day tickets.

There are a limited number of tickets available through this opportunity.

Applicants must complete and submit the registration form online on Reds.com to participate in this opportunity to purchase Opening Day tickets.

Winners will be selected at random from the pool of registrants.

Winners will be notified via email and will have the opportunity to purchase up to four tickets to Opening Day.

The best way to guarantee Opening Day ticket options is with a VIP Full, Weeknight or Half-Season Mix plan.

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Don’t forget to tune into tonight at 9pm ET to the new baseball trivia show, Baseball IQ on  MLB Network  as the Reds’ Rich Linville tries to win $45,000 for the Reds Community Fund. 

Rich Linville

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Also tonight, the Reds Hot Stove League will air live from 6-7pm ET on 700 WLW radio as well as Reds.com/HotStove.

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That’s all I’ve got for now.  More later.

Jamie

January 31‐February 17 – Salary arbitration hearings (if applicable).
February 19 – Voluntary report date for pitchers, catchers and injured players. [Please note: This date is February 12th for members of the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics.]
February 24 – Date when all other players may be invited to Spring Training. [Please note: This date is February 17th for members of the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics.]
February 29 – First exhibition game, Florida State University at Philadelphia Phillies, Clearwater,Florida.
March 2 – First Spring Training game, Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics, Phoenix.
March 2 – Mandatory date when players are required to report. [Please note: This date is February 24th for members of the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics.]
March 11 – Last date to renew Major League contracts.
March 19 – Last date to assign an injured player to a Minor League club, if applicable.
March 26 – The earliest date that a Club may backdate a placement on the Major League 15‐day disabled list.
March 28‐29 – Japan Opening Series 2012, Tokyo, Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics.
April 4 – Opening Night, St. Louis Cardinals at Miami Marlins, ESPN.
April 5 – Opening Day.
April 10 – The first date that a player placed on the 15‐day disabled list during Spring Training may be reinstated (if placed on or backdated to March 26).
April 14 – First date that a player optioned during Spring Training may be recalled.
April 15 – Jackie Robinson Day.
May 13 – Mother’s Day.
May 15 – Earliest date that Clubs may re‐sign players that they unconditionally released between August 31, 2011 and March 31, 2012.
May 18 – Interleague Play begins.
May 28 – Memorial Day (WelcomeBackVeterans.org).
May 28 – Start of Closed Period for the 2012 First‐Year Player Draft.
June 4‐6 – MLB First‐Year Player Draft.
June 16 – First date that Clubs may trade an eligible free agent player who was signed after electing free agency.
June 17 – Father’s Day.
July 2 – First date to sign international players for the following season.
July 4 – Fourth of July (WelcomeBackVeterans.org).
July 8 – Taco Bell All‐Star Sunday, Kansas City.
July 9 – Gatorade All‐Star Workout Day, Kansas City.
July 10 – The 83rd MLB All‐Star Game, Kansas City.
July 13 – Signing deadline for Rule 4 drafted players, 5:00 p.m. (ET).
July 16 – Competitive Balance and Forfeited Pick (if applicable) Lottery.
July 16 – First date that assignable draft selections may be traded (through October 3, 2012).
July 22 – Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Cooperstown.
July 31 – Non‐waiver trade deadline, 4:00 p.m. (ET).
August 1 – New waiver period begins; trade waivers now required.
August 31 – Waiver trade deadline. Outright Waivers secured on/after 8/1 are in effect until midnight ET tonight. Postseason eligibility lists are established at midnight ET tonight. To be eligible, a player must be a bona fide member of a qualifying team on August 31 and must remain a bona fide member through the end of the applicable Postseason series.
September 1 – Active player limit increased from 25 to 40.
September 11 – September 11th Remembrance (WelcomeBackVeterans.org).
October 3 – Final scheduled day of 2012 regular season.
October 3 – Last date that assignable draft selections may be traded.
Postseason – TBD.
Immediately After World Series – Eligible players become free agents.
6th Day After Completion of World Series – First day that Major League and Minor League free agents may sign contracts with a Club other than their former Club.
12th Day After Completion of World Series – Last date for a player who declared free agency under Art. XX (B) to accept an arbitration offer from a former club – midnight ET tonight.
November 20 – Day to file reserve lists for all Major and Minor League levels.
November 29 – Last day to request outright waivers to assign player prior to the Rule 5 Draft.
November 30 – Last date to tender contracts – midnight ET tonight.
December 3 – 5:00 p.m. (ET) today is the last time to outright a player prior to the Rule 5 Draft.
December 3‐6 – Baseball Winter Meetings, Nashville.
December 6 – Rule 5 Draft, Nashville.
TBD: Civil Rights Game, Play Sun Smart, Roberto Clemente Day.

NOTE: THESE DATES WILL BE USED UNLESS NOTIFIED DIFFERENTLY.

Over the course of four days in January, I have more fun at my job than I do during any four-day stint the entire year.  I’m of course talking about the Reds Caravan.  Yesterday, I concluded my sixth tour of duty with a group of guys that included Marty Brennaman, Brandon Phillips, Lee May, Chris Welsh, Tucker Barnhart and my dear friend Ryan “LeRoy” Rizzo.

Here’s how the Caravan works: Three groups of Reds personnel get on three different buses and travel a combined 2,600 miles across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.  These three separate groups visit our fans and radio affiliates to sign autographs, take pictures and spread the Reds gospel.  It’s the club’s goodwill tour.  The traveling groups not only consist of the guys on the bus (players, front office folks, manager, broadcasters), they comprise of advance teams and additional staff that follow in trail vehicles, including folks from our sponsor – Cincinnati Regional Tourism Network.  It’s quite an undertaking that Reds Director of Caravan Configurement Zach Bonkowski spends a lot of time concocting.

This year, in addition to the “Marty and Lee Show”, I got a lot of enjoyment from spending time with Reds minor leaguer Tucker Barnhart.  Tucker just turned 21 and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.  I like the way he handles himself and I think he’s going to be a pretty good big leaguer one day.  A switch-hitting catcher who’s capable of winning a Gold Glove is potentially dangerous.

Tucker was the rookie of this tour, so we had to do something to initiate him as a “rock star.” Following our final stop of the night on Friday, I got an extra copy of Tucker’s room key in Lexington.  Ryan Rizzo helped stall Tucker while I ran off the bus and hid in the “Rook’s” room with my flip cam.  Tucker had no idea what I was up to and didn’t suspect a thing.  He finally made it to his room, swiped his key and entered.  At just the right moment, I jumped out and scared Tucker Barnhart to within inches of his life.  It made for great television.  Take a look…. 

Tucker Surprise

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Lee May took Tucker under his wing during our tour.  They sat next to each other at most of the public stops so Lee could see if Tucker was neatly signing his autograph.  Lee says when guys get to the big leagues their signature mysteriously becomes sloppy and illegible.  Tucker made a promise to Lee that his signature will always look respectable. 

On our long drive back to the hotel on Saturday night, the new-found friends arranged a breakfast date for the next morning.  Lee, like Marty, takes pride in punctuality and never being late for anything.  That did not go unnoticed by Tucker, who despite being up most of the night with insomnia, still managed to beat Lee to the hotel restaurant early Sunday morning.  Lee was surely impressed.

Similar to what most new friends do on the last day of school or the final weekend of summer camp, Lee and Tucker sat down in Lexington at our final tour stop to exchange phone numbers.  With his cell phone in hand, Tucker typed Lee’s number into his contacts and then called the number so Lee could have Tucker’s digits without having to type them in.  As Tucker and Lee sat waiting for Lee’s phone to light up, signaling that the call had gone through….nothing.  Crickets.  Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring….finally Tucker told Lee that it must be the wrong number because some strange lady answered (not to mention Lee’s cell phone never rang).  Come to find out, Lee gave Tucker his HOME phone number, not his cell number and that the strange lady who answered Tucker’s call was actually Lee’s wife.  “You hung up on my wife?!  Oh you shouldn’t have done that!”  

Yet another funny instance involving Lee and the “Rook” took place while the two were signing autographs at the Greenwood Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Since Tucker can “read backwards,” Lee said he must be “anorexic.”

You can have Laurel & Hardy, I’ll take Lee May and Marty Brennaman.  I’m convinced they are the two funniest human beings on the face of the earth – and when paired together, nothing can come close to their innate ability to generate laughs.  Their comedic styles do more than just complement each other, they produce a nuclear reaction. 

No matter what Lee says on the bus, Marty, without fail, will rebuff it.  Lee’s every story, every memory, every comment gets chewed up and spit out by Mercury Marty.  “Lee May” becomes “Lee Dismayed” and the results produce epic sparring matches between the two legends which, in turn, inflict pain-inducing belly laughs from us bystanders.

There are two men named “Al” who don’t physically travel with us, but are still very much present on the motor coach during our tour.  One is Al McBean, the other is Al Michaels.  We make it a point at every stop to have someone ask Lee about Al McBean.  You might remember the story from last year when Lee cited McBean as one of the toughest pitchers he ever faced.  “If I were going to battle and had to be in a foxhole with anyone, I’d want it to be ‘Alvin MACK-Bean!’”  Of course, Marty reminds Lee that good ol’ Al “stunk.”  This follows with Lee asking Marty, “How would you know?!  You never faced him!  You were broadcasting in Memphis when Alvin pitched!  And besides, how many home runs did you hit?!  Joe Nuxhall made you who you are!!”  Lee gets so worked up that he finally tells everyone on the bus that he wishes Marty never replaced Al Michaels as the Reds primary play-by-play man in 1974. 

Ironically, another baseball “Al” weighed in on the “McBean” issue during this year’s caravan tour.  When our group was in Portsmouth, the immortal Al Oliver, who happens to be a Portsmouth native, stopped by the WNXT radio studios to see his old pal Lee May.  Believe it or not, Oliver actually roomed with Al McBean for a spell during his playing days.  When pressed on whether McBean was any good or not, Al Oliver said, “sometimes.”  Needless to say, this was not the reaction Lee May was looking for.

Let me tell you a little bit about Brandon Phillips.  Players of Brandon’s caliber, on any team, usually do not participate on their club’s caravans.  It’s just the way it is.  With that being said, we just wrapped up our sixth year with Brandon on the bus.  For as much as we have fun and cut it up, it requires a lot of work and commitment from everyone involved– including the players.  After six years, Brandon doesn’t have to do this work anymore.  He’s under no obligation, yet he keeps jumping on the bus with us year after year.  It’s amazing and verifies what kind of guy he is.  Sure, he’s flashy and might rub some folks the wrong way, but he cares about the people who come out to see him and the team.  He understands the importance of the fan.  I’m not surprised anymore when Brandon takes it upon himself to go through the line at our big stops to sign for every person in attendance – including the folks in the very back who were told they’re not guaranteed an autograph due to time constraints.

I liked having Chris Welsh back with us this year.  On last year’s caravan, Chris had to fill in for a very ill Jeff Brantley on one of the other tours.  Chris came back to us this year and I enjoyed his presence.  He provided “quiet leadership” to our otherwise boisterous dog-and-pony show.  During one of the longer bus rides, Chris showed me some photos he snapped a few weeks ago when he visited Johnny Cueto in the Dominican Republic.  His pictures and stories from the trip were quite eye-opening and made me appreciate the things that I usually take for granted here in the good ol’ US of A.

One of my favorite things on the bus is when I transcribe Mercury Marty’s recaps of the bigger Caravan stops.  They are produced with frolicking jocoseness, if not brilliant eloquence.  Either way our tongues are firmly in cheek when Marty’s recaps are posted on the blog.  But Marty isn’t doing these completely by himself; Reds Assistant General Manager Bob Miller helps out by contributing a few gems. 

Marty created the only smidge of controversy on our leg of the tour when, on Friday, he went on Bill Cunningham’s radio show and stated that we would have a big announcement at Saturday’s Select-A-Seat event at Great American Ball Park.  This of course made folks, including media types, speculate as to whether the team was signing Brandon Phillips to a long-term contract (which wasn’t the case).  No, our announcement was much more juvenile and meant to be taken in jest – not with validity.  Our “big” announcement was that we were presenting ourselves with the first-ever Courage and Camaraderie Award – a counterfeit honor that we helped Marty contrive on the bus.   I’m now aware that a few folks were not thrilled with this stunt.

This was our smoothest Caravan tour in the six years I’ve been a part of it.  No major complaints, no big mistakes, no paralyzing issues, etc.  We got it done and a blast doing it.  It was fun seeing all of the Reds fans come out to see the traveling party.  I also couldn’t believe how many more Better Off Red fans I met this year compared to last.  Our radio affiliates and mall personnel were very accommodating and incredibly kind.  We simply couldn’t do this without their help and we especially couldn’t do it without the support from all of you.

And if I can take a second to “show you the man behind the curtain,” we are fully aware of the ridiculousness we create in presenting  ourselves as the “Rock Star Group.”  As much as we’d like to believe we are more important than the other groups, the truth is, we are not.  We are like a cluster of professional wrestlers staging our endless self-promotion.  Why, you ask?  Because,  we simply have a whole lot of fun doing it.  On Saturday, Lee said, “While the other buses are sleepin’, we’re plottin’.”  While that may be true, the other buses are just as valuable in this organization’s efforts to continue the long and successful tradition of the Reds Caravan.  There’s no “I” in team…but then again, there’s no “I” in “Rock Star.” 

“Until next time,”

Jamie

PS – Big thanks to all of you who came out to visit any of the three Reds Caravan tours.  And a big thanks to all of you who followed along on Better Off Red.  Go Reds!!

My favorite photos from the trip…

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Here’s Reds Media Relations Director Rob Butcher checking in one last time from the Northern crew.

The Northern Leg’s only stop of the day was one of the Reds Caravan’s best, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton. Our hosts do such a terrific job making us feel at home in one of the most impressive venues on the tour. Reds on Radio affiliate WING broadcast live on site. Following our appearance there we bid adieu to Ryan LaMarre, who drove home to Michigan from Dayton. Reds fans will be watching him play in Cincinnati soon. As we like to say in today’s vernacular, he has skills. We can’t thank enough the crew that made this leg possible: Our fearless leader Zach Bonkowski, motor coach driver Patty Patterson, Walt Jocketty, Phil Castellini, Thom Brennaman, Devin Mesoraco, Ryan LaMarre, Brandon Bowman, Audra Sordyl, Ryan Niemeyer, Kristen Meyers, Brad Barnes, Chelsea Theaker, John Rieder, Corey Hawthorne, Pam Owen, Jackie Reau and Pam McFarland. We also thank Jarrod Rollins, who was at master control in Cincinnati compiling the photos and blog entries from all 3 legs. See you in 2013.

The Reds Caravan Southern Tour (aka, the Rock Stars), were “east bound and down” Friday morning at the crack of dawn (8:45am), rip roarin’ through the heart of America.

In a 61-minute motor coach ride on a long and windy road up through the middle of Appalachia, our first stop of the day put us at the beautiful Chief Logan Convention Center  in Logan, WV.   Marty, Lee, Bob, Chris, Tucker, Brandon, Ryan and myself, along with the caravan trail team were treated to a delicious private lunch and a meet-n-greet with some of the Reds fans in Logan.  Following the meal, the celebrities on the traveling party gave the crowd of 10,000 (give or take, 9,950) a special Q&A program.  Larry “Speedy” Bevins was our host and helped facilitate our media coverage with  WVOW Radio.

From Logan – we coasted down the big hill to Pikeville, KY where we took our dog and pony show to the East Kentucky Expo Center for a similar program to the one we conducted in Logan.  During this bus ride, we learned that we were going to be recognized as the 2011 Courage and Camaraderie Award winners.  We were nearly overcome with joy and disbelief.  We entered the Expo Center with our head in the clouds and a pep in our step.  Our coverage in Pikeville was streamed live on WDHR.com and on local ESPNPikeville.com.  One of the higlights in Pikeville was when a fan was set up with a “staged” question for Lee May.  She asked the Big Bopper for his impressions of former pitcher Al McBean.  Al McBean, of course, is a popular topic of conversation among the traveling party.  On 2011′s caravan, Lee told us some of the best pitchers in his career off whom he had homered.  He mentioned Marichal, Koufax, Drysdale…and Al McBean.  Needless to say, Marty was completely dumbfounded that Lee would mention Al McBean in the same breath with the aforementioned pitching immortals.  One year later, Lee has yet to live it down. 

Following our hilarity in Logan we went to London….Kentucky.  There we met up with some old friends and put our traveling party over the WANV Radio airwaves.  Once again, food was aplenty and I didn’t miss any.  “What time are you going to the electric chair, Jamie?” – Marty.  Also in London, our very own Nick St. Pierre (aka, Gapper) was the upcoming subject of a  local newspaper story.  He spent the majority of the time in London being interrogated by a reporter.  Marty and I did our best to openly refute all of Nick’s answers and comments.  Nick wasn’t amused. 

Following our European Vacation, we hopped back on the bus for our final desination – Lexington, KY.

Before having dinner at the beautiful VUE Restaurant with Reds CEO Bob Castellini, Karen Forgus, Steve Bearance and the fine folks associated with our Lexington radio affiliate, we dropped our stuff off at our hotel.  I had a plan. 

While my partner Ryan Rizzo stalled the guys on the bus, I managed to get from Caravan Advance Team captain, Patrick McGrath, a key to Tucker Barnhart’s hotel room.  I took the key and scurried up to Tucker’s room with my flip cam.  My plan was to completely scare the ”Rook” to pieces…it worked.  I hid behind a door and patiently waited.  As Tucker fumbled for his key and eventually entered, I jumped out and yelled at the top of my lungs.  Poor Tucker nearly fainted.  I’ll post the video once I have it edited (for language purposes).  I’m still giggling thinking about it.

Well that’s all for now.  I’ll have more later.  We’re currently in the midst of a 4-hour bus ride from Cincinnati (Select-A-Seat event as recapped earlier by Marty) to Bowling Green, KY.  We’ll be at the Greenwood Mall in Bowling Green today from 4:30-6:30.  Looking forward to seeing radio man Tony Rose, the folks at ESPN 1450 and all of the fans who come out to see us.  Coverage of this event will be streaming live on ESPN1450.com.

Enjoy the South Tour photos from Friday…

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