The Cincinnati Reds caravan made its first stop tonight at Pinheads in Indianapolis. The event was hosted by WNDE Sports Radio and covered by WISH-TV 8 and WRTV-6. The joint was jumpin' with standing room only and people willing to wait in the autograph line through the entire Q&A period.

I arrived about 35 minutes early, so I had gotten my free sticker, entered my name in the drawing for the opening day tickets, and found a seat in the second row before most fans had found their way down the winding path to the Pinheads parking lot.

I sat there, chatting with the guy sitting next to me (apparently there is a farm near Connersville whose claim to fame is being the exact midpoint between Cincinnati and Indianapolis) and being available for someone to come ask for their free copy of Funnyball. But no one claimed the book, so I guess I'll just keep it nearby for the next time I need paper for origami or something to wedge under a wobbly table leg.

Finally the program was underway. Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brennaman gave a short introduction of the panelists, pictured here. From left to right they are Chris Denorfia, Dave Williams, Phil Castellini, Marty Brennaman, Jerry Narron, Lee May, and Steve Stewart. Jerry Narron had a short statement about how excited he is to work with the new management and about the potential of Wily Mo Peña and Austin Kearns getting regular playing time, and before we knew it, the floor was open for the Q&A.

Apparently the crowd was not ready for the Q&A, because the queue failed to form. Since I had prepared questions, I leapt up to the microphone to be the very first person in line. My first question was for Mr. Denorfia:

RHM: With Adam Dunn moving to first base and rumors swirling about trading Austin Kearns, how do you feel about your chances for becoming Cincinnati's next big outfield heartthrob?

::crowd laughter and general embarrassment from Denorfia::

CD: You know, this would be the first question I got. I thought I might sneak out of here, but I got this question right away. I'm really looking forward to making it very hard on these guys this year. I'm really going to try to press as hard as I can the guys that are in place and I'm just looking to get an opportunity. That's all I can do and that's what I'm looking forward to and I'm really excited.

As I alluded to before, I'll be attending the Reds Winter Caravan stop in Indianapolis from 5-7 p.m. Thursday night.

The event will go down at Pinheads at SR 37 and 141st St. You can find the directions here. The Pinheads website looks really cheesy and plays obnoxious music. I am really, REALLY looking forward to this event.

Scheduled to appear in Indy are:

• Manager Jerry Narron
• Broadcaster Marty Brennaman
• Other broadcaster Steve Stewart
• Reds Hall of Famer Lee May
• Senior director of business operations Phil Castellini
• Casey-trade booty Dave Williams
• the Minor League Player of the Year, to be announce tomorrow night

I'm in a bit of a pickle because all the questions I had ready to ask were for Dan O'Brien, who, surprisingly, is no longer planning to attend. Maybe Williams will be able to tell me when the Reds are going to land those two additional second basemen they'd need to field one at every position.

If you're going to be anywhere near the north side of Indy on Thursday afternoon, do stop by and say hi. I'll be the brunette in the red sweater. Be the first one to identify me, and get a free copy of Funnyball. Be a subsequent person to identify me, and get a broad smile and a hearty handshake.

If you can't make it to Pinheads, at least you'll be able to enjoy my full write-up of the event. Maybe I can even rig up some cheesy music for the occasion.

Former Expos and Orioles general manager Jim Beattie started as special advisor to owner Bob Castellini today. Beattie is one of the potential candidates for the GM position, along with our own interim GM, Brad Kullman.

Redleg Nation linked to a two part interview with Kullman on Baseball Prespectus. I didn't read it all, but I was very surprised to see someone from the Reds organization actually give details. It was sort of…thrilling. Like being let in on a big secret. Ooh!

Just for that, he has my early support.

Speaking of Reds General Managers, Dan O'Brien offered his final words about his tenure with Cincinnati to the media today. You can read them over here. As far as parting shots go, they're not parting shots at all. Did he storm about losing his job at all or is O'Brien really this mature? Perhaps he should consider a career as a high school guidance counsellor; he's got the patience for it and he's certainly used to taking the crap.

In other Reds news, former Reds pitcher Ted Power joined the management as the organization's Pitching Rehabilitation Coordinator. I've never heard of a Pitching Rehabilitation Coordinator, but if there's one team that needs one, it's the Reds. Plus, Power provides the ever-important opportunities for headline puns, so this is clearly an all-around good move.

I heard on the radio this afternoon that the charges against Ryan Freel brought as a result of his adventures at the pool hall/sushi bar have been dropped. Marc confirms it, though I can't find it mentioned anywhere else online.

So what will the Reds do with Freel now? Will they make him go through the EAP again? Force him to give up sushi? Require him to compete with Aurilia, Womack, and a half dozen other second baseman hopefuls for playing time?

UPDATE: This was a subhead in this story on the official site:

Charges avoided: A disorderly intoxication charge was dropped against Reds utility player Ryan Freel on Tuesday by the state of Florida, pending the completion of 35 hours of community service and six months without any further incidents.

Freel was arrested in the early-morning hours of Jan. 8 in Tampa after an alleged street corner altercation. It was the 29-year-old's second arrest within a year. He was charged with driving under the influence in Bellevue, Ky., on April 4.

This morning new Reds owner Bob Castellini relieved general manager Dan O'Brien of his duties. Brad Kullman, Reds Director of Major League Operations, will serve as interim general manager while a search for a new general manager takes place.

Castellini explained the move, saying “I want someone in this job who is my choice,” so it seems unlikely that Kullman will remain at the post long-term. However, Castellini was careful to point out in his press conference this afternoon that a full general manager search will take 3-4 weeks and may not be complete before spring training.

Castellini and Co., who were just approved to buy the team on Thursday, certainly aren't dragging their feet getting things done. Other fixtures in the Reds organization are probably feeling insecure these days, but Castellini foreshadowed this move in his introductory press conference on Friday. Dan O'Brien scarcely garnered a mention in that speech.

Reds fans everywhere are ecstatic. Dan O'Brien was a widely maligned figure in Cincinnati baseball. And I admit, it's hard not to get swept up in the excitement of something happening. I'm not one to confuse motion with progress, however, and I'll reserve judgement on whether this was a good move until we meet the replacement.

My most immediate question is whether O'Brien will be replaced on the Reds Caravan stop in Indianapolis on Thursday. All of the questions I'd formulated were directed at him.

Thanks Marc for the always-excellent timely blogging.

Check out Tiny Casey in his new digs in Florida. Notice the fine popsicle stick construction. Of course he would never settle for anything less; he's got to have a sweet crib if he's going to impress Barbie.

CINCINNATI, OH -- Less than 24 hours after the press conference to introduce new team ownership, the Reds' new CEO Bob Castellini hosted the press in his office this afternoon.

“Thank you for being here again,” began Castellini. “Our goal here today is to demonstrate how very seriously we take our our dedication to timely communication with the fan base. We take it very, very seriously.”

“I want to make a promise today to Reds fans wherever you are -- a promise from one fan to another -- we will bring championship baseball to Cincinnati. This is just our second day on the job,” Castellini said.

When someone pointed out that it was actually his third day on the job, Castellini was embarrassed.

“That's even worse than when I forgot to count the A's and Dodgers as teams who won more World Series than the Reds,” Castellini said. “But not quite as bad as when I said that we'd contend this year with $60 million in payroll.”

Mathematics aside, there wasn't much for Castellini to report since yesterday. He reiterated some of his key points.

“We are still very excited about the new role John Allen will be playing with the organization. Not only does he have a solid plan for maximizing the business potential for the club, but he also has visionary ideas for the direction of the organization as a whole,” said Castellini.

“And O'Brien will be there too.” Castellini mumbled.

The next press conference is in the works but hasn't been scheduled as of yet.

“Look for Reds employees asking for your opinion of when we should hold another one,” Castellini said.

At 4 o'clock this afternoon, new Reds Owner Bob Castellini spoke at a long-anticipated press conference. You can find the transcript of his speech on The Official Reds Site. If you're familiar with the official site, you'll notice a new look touting the slogan “The Power of Tradition.”

Marc Lancaster, writer for the Cincinnati Post, says on his blog that there were decorations around the 4192 Club, where the press conference was held, bearing the slogan “Reds Pride.” The logo appears here and at the end of the short video Marc mentioned in that post. This video was shown before the press conference. It is available on the Cincinnati Enquirer's website.

Here at Red Hot Mama, we get a lot of non-Reds fan readers, so I imagine that a lot of you could be wondering why everyone's getting so riled up about a press conference. You have to understand that here in Reds country, fans have felt like we've been kept out of the loop for a long time. The ownership and front office has been very tight-lipped, offering sound bytes that are infuriatingly vague or cryptic. Carl Lindner, previous controlling share-holder, rarely spoke about the team in public.

So to have a new owner, whose newness already brings with it the promise of hope for the future, actually schedule a press conference and put in the extra effort to make it a big event…well, that's just something we're not used to.

And it sounds like it really was a big event, with a multi-media presentation, fancy decorations, city officials and former ballplayers, and time set aside for interviews with all the major media outlets in addition to the speech proper.

I listened to the speech on 700 WLW on my drive home from work. It was impossible not to notice the repeated references to “bringing championship baseball to Cincinnati.” In the Q&A after the presentation, someone asked how soon we could expect to see a contending team, and Mr. Castellini said that his goal was to field a contending team in 2006. He pointed out that the team has many challenges to overcome, mentioning specifically the pitching. So at least he has been paying attention.

Castellini talked about budgeting to break even. That's pretty much what the last ownership group said, so no huge change there, though his spin on it sounded better. Before I always felt like the ownership's message was scarcity-focused: we'll only give you as much as you give us. Castellini's words felt growth-focused. In a description of the plan used to get the Cardinals organization on track and similar to the one to be implemented for the Reds, he said “Improved attendance led to more revenue. More revenue led to more payroll.”

In the Q&A, though, he also said that they don't plan to take a big hit up-front to get this cycle going. That's a little bit of a disappointment, I suppose, but probably a good thing in the long run. How many time have fans seen new ownership burst onto the scene, throw a bunch of money and promises at them, and then fizzle out? Hopefully Castellini's plan will make a lasting impact.

The Reds will be experiencing an organizational change. The business operations and baseball operations of the club will be further separated, with John Allen heading up the business side and Dan O'Brien heading up the baseball side. On a day when some people were hoping that O'Brien would lose his job, in fact he got a promotion.

This is a very good change. Not only will it allow Allen to focus his talents on the business side exclusively, but it will also give us as a fan community a real opportunity to evaluate the skills of Dan O'Brien as general manager. Before, O'Brien's situation was so much different than that of other general managers around the league, it was hard to make a fair comparison.

Castellini spent a little time talking about the marketing of the Reds. He pledged increased community involvement, a more memorable experience at the ballpark, and communication that is “timely, transparent, and truthful.” I know that I'm not the only Reds fan out there that is excited to hear those three Ts. I hope that the new ownership and organization will consider alternative outlets for their communication. The Reds have a burgeoning online community that's hungry for more team involvement.

Listening to the speech on the radio, I thought Castellini sounded intelligent and passionate. He did not come off as being overly polished or rehearsed; instead, he sounded like he was just telling the world what he felt about his new position with the Reds. He sounded realistic and down-to-earth. He sounded like his plan might just work.

And that's just the sort of thing that's worth getting riled up about.

The Cincinnati Reds and starting pitcher Aaron Harang avoided arbitration today when they agreed on a one-year, $2.35 million deal. Harang was the one pitcher Reds fans felt like they could count on in 2005, despite his 11-13 record.

By retaining Harang, the Reds secure the ever-important looks-like-a-goth-factor, as this only slightly modified picture demonstrates. He doesn't have to limit his wickedness to the mound. BWHAHAHAHA!

Thanks to whomever made the original photo available online.

The United States initial roster for the World Baseball Whatever is now available. The only Red risking preseason injury on behalf of the U.S. this year will be Ken Griffey, Jr.

Wily Mo Peña is a possibility for the Dominican team and former Red Mario Soto will be among the coaching staff. Felipe Lopez and Javier Valentín could be playing for Puerto Rico.

And if those international bullies pick on any of my guys, so help me, I'll forever approach the World Baseball Classic with a mild sense of irritation tempered by an utter lack of enthusiasm.