Boy, was I surprised to find the Freekbass Reds Fan video on Cardnilly today. I see Daedalus even commented on the entry. Am I the only one to have missed it?

In any event, here it is:

Days in a row, that is. Thank goodness for off-days.

Whoo, what a crappy week of Reds' baseball, huh? It's been bad enough to make me glad that I can't stay up to watch any of it. It's sort of a relief to just hear the losing score on the radio in the morning; it stings so much less than it would if I'd stayed up until after 3 a.m. to see the leads blown with my own eyes.

But a part of me would also like to stay up to bear witness to those losing efforts. I've got a wide martyr streak, and so suffering through the losses appeals to me. Makes me believe that the winning will be that much sweeter for it.

So it's with that attitude that I turn the page on August tomorrow and prepare for better things to come. We've suffered enough; it's time for a month of winning. Let's really stop this thing at six.

ESPN reports that the Red Sox are in the market to get rid of David Wells. The Cardinals, Dodgers, and Padres are the leading contenders, but the story also mentions the Reds as the very last word in the piece.

But consider this: David Wells is 43 years old and left-handed. He's just off knee-surgery but he appears to be coming back. In other words, it's a wonder this guy hasn't been with the Reds for a month.

JD is being nice enough to encourage people to call in to the RHM podcast line, and is it a coincidence that I got my first non-spam call last night? I'm looking forward to playing it on the show on Tuesday. Keep the calls coming!

I especially appreciate JD's efforts because he must get some five times the traffic that I do. Or rather, I should say that Joel and promoted diaries get some five times the traffic that I do, since that's about 90% of the original content on Red Reporter. Them's delegating skillz!

I wanted to post a comment on RR to thank JD for his efforts, but I can't remember my password. I know I have been logged in from work before, but his blogging software logs you out after about 30 seconds. And really, it's a good thing. Just imagine the chaos if my coworkers got onto my computer and posted sarcastic or suggestive remarks with my account. It might sully my otherwise pristine name!

It's better this way, though, because I realized that I really ought to just put up a proper post here on my own blog to express my gratitude. It's been a long time since I've given JD any love in the form of links, mostly because I already have a link to Church of Baseball in my side bar. Linking to him linking to Daedalus on a daily basis would just be redundant.

I could always link to the wacky antics of the community that has grown up over there. Who would have thought that the copyrighted Reds logo (I'm sure he has permission!) and photo of a stapler that he sometimes finds time to put up before games would inspire such camaraderie. The kids are amazing! Taking over other blogs is a great team-building exercise. Some people might say “mob mentality” but I say it's just good clean fun.

So, thanks JD for doing your part to support the podcast and for providing so much to the Reds' blogging community. What would we do without you to occasionally forward your incomprehensibly prodigious traffic?

Did you see the story “Notes: Reds show love for Valentin” on Reds.com?? I'm so excited!

No, not just because Javy's already signed to come back just seven months after the last time they signed him to come back, though of course I'm excited about that:

On Monday, Valentin was given a one-year, $1.25 million contract extension for 2007 with a club option for 2008.

The club option is for $1.3 million, which includes a $75,000 buyout. That option would escalate to $1.35 million if gets 250 plate appearances next year, and $1.4 million if he reaches 300 plate appearances.

That's awesome, of course, but what I'm psyched about is the headline on the story. Sure, you might think that including “love” is just a play on “Valentín”, but I choose to believe that's it's one-third of “Latin Love Machine.”

We're going to try moving the podcasts to Mondays to see if I can actually get them out on a more regular basis. It's remarkable how difficult it is to get your booty out of bed to record audio on a Saturday morning.

This week, the Crack Technical Staff and I discuss the Reds play-off hopes as well as contenders for all the awards that come up this time of year.

This week we introduce a new segment that I hope to make a regular feature: Ignorant and Inflammatory. It's the point of view of an ignorant person who gets all inflamed about something they don't understand. This week: the non-renewal of Steve Stewart's contract.

Also, the podcast is proud to introduce a voicemail line where you can call in and leave a message to be featured on the podcast. It ought to be a local call to those in the Cincinnati area, so call any time, day or night, and leave your thoughts on the Reds, podcasting, or how sexy you think my voice sounds. You may just hear yourself on next week's podcast. P.S. - Drunk dialing is encouraged!

That number is (513) 729-7106.

We finish out this week's show with 30-seconds of Gimmetheball by the Psychodots from Cincinnati Clutch Hits.

Episode 21: Playoffs, Awards, and Uneducated Rants (8.64 MB, 12:35)

Fans of Bronson Arroyo's debut album Covering the Bases will be lining up for his follow-up work Loading the Bases, due in stores next month.

Bronson pours his heart out in this album inspired by his 2006 season experiences. Bronson's journey has been an emotional roller coaster, and this album takes you along for the ride.

• You'll feel the heart-wrenching separation of being torn from his home in Boston and shipped off to Cincinnati when you listen to the first two tracks: But I'm Too Hot For Ohio and I Hope Adam Dunn Doesn't Give Me a Wedgie.
• You'll fly high with Bronson through his first nine wins when you hear I'm Too Awesome to Keep Promises to Bloggers and Screw You, Aaron Harang.
• You'll enjoy the care-free confidence of the midseason with All-Star Party Dude and Shit, Would You Believe a Double?.
• You'll ache along with Bronson during his 11-game win draught in It's David Ross's Fault Anyway and It Would Have Been a Good Outing If You Hadn't Let Those Inherited Runners Score.
• Finally, you'll be inspired by the fierce independence of the closing track My Name Ain't Cornroyo.

Loading the Bases is a must-have for baseball collectors and music enthusiasts alike. Pre-order your copy today at the MLB gift shop, cow pastures, and everywhere bullshit is sold.

Jerry Narron has a myspace profile
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile &friendid=89300450

as does George Grande
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile &friendid=97957165

So you can send them some love……

Adam Dunn came up as a possible off-season trade to the Pirates in Dejan Kovacevic's Pirates Q&A on Pittsburgh's post-gazette.com this week:

Q: In regards to acquiring a lefty power bat, and I know chances are extremely slim, but what do you think about trading for Adam Dunn this winter? I seem to remember his name being out there a few times over the last few years, so this winter may be no different. He's still fairly young, fills a major hole, would fit in the Pirates' budget, and -- most important -- Reds GM Wayne Krivsky clearly has no problem making trades.

Kovacevic goes on to explain why that's not a good idea: primarily because Dunn isn't all that young and he certainly isn't all that cheap with the contract he just signed. Good reasons the Pirates shouldn't pursue it, and exactly why they will.

So, what would it take from the Pirates for them to acquire Dunn? Dave Williams isn't going to cut it this time. A couple draft picks? The entire rotation? All of the Indianapolis Indians team?

I've got it: Adam Dunn straight up for PNC Park. It'll give us a place to store all the extra hot dogs we'll need for $1 hot dog night.

Now, I don't normally pay attention to stuff like this; as you know, I care very little about the personal lives of the players of our favorite team. But it just so happens that I ended up on On The DL less than an hour after this little tidbit was posted:

Which national leaguer's new found success has apparently gone to his head in more ways than one? You see it was quite easy to remain faithful to his wife back in the old days. That was before his team began to make a playoff run and before he started regularly going out on the town with his new teamates. The good news is that he, in his own words, rarely cheats on the missus. The bad news, however, is that he is prone to becoming a wee bit overexcited whenever he does stray. One of his most recent encounters described him as “barely being in before coming immediately.” At least the player in question, who was clearly left red-faced with embarassment, is a gentleman because he apologized for his lack of stamina before heading back home to the wifey.

Not that I've indulged in a lot of thought over this, but it sure sounds like it's describing one of our boys, specifically someone who's married, relatively new to the team, successful (unless they the “new-found success” part refers to the team's success, and the person came from a sucky team), and possibly left-handed.

Bill Bray isn't married, and Rheal Cormier hasn't exactly been “successful,” nor did he come from a bad team (the Phillies). Chris Michalak hardly seems to count, since he just came up, and Scott Schoeneweis hasn't been in Cincy long enough to get reports of his exploits sent to On the DL.

So that just leaves one person, but surely they would have included an “Every Day” reference if it had been him, right?