Over on Blogher.org, contributor Sarah lists some of the woman baseball bloggers who are in high gear going into the off-season. I'm pleased to be listed among them, though my content these days has a lot more to do with Thom Brennaman than actual play-off performances.

Check it and the linked blogs out to feel like you've done your part to support equal baseball opportunity today.

From the change of ownership way back when, I could tell this Reds season was going to be different.

Sure the team was picked to finish last, and they certainly played like a last-place team in 2005, but it didn't feel right. With Bobo's insistence on winning, the Reds and last place were suddenly two tastes that tasted weird together.

And now here we are at the end of the season where the team finished in 3rd place, but was in it until the very end. And not in that not-mathematically-eliminated way. They actually had a shot at the playoffs until the last week of the season.

A quote from Jerry Narron in John Fay's Reds Insider from Sunday, October 1 sums it up best.

“On Sept. 29, we're still alive and players are disappointed that we are not in first place,” Narron said. “I don't think that mind-set has been here the past couple of years.

“Coming out of spring training, where we were picked last, and now to be disappointed we're not in first place shows how far we've come.”

That's very true. It's easy to get down on the Reds because of how they finished the season, but it was the best year the team's had arguably since 1999.

And there's no reason to think it won't get better next year.

The team was filled with players who hadn't played in a pennant race. Now they have. Sure, most of them failed, but now they have a better idea of what it takes. Next time, I don't see Aaron Harang struggling nearly as much down the stretch. Or Adam Dunn and Brandon Phillips, for that matter.

Secondly, Krivsky, for all his crappy moves, will have a whole off-season to prepare for next year. I think that'll make him a tad more cautious.

And of course, Bob Castellini. He's at the top, behind this desire to win. I think it's going to catch on. Already, I'm excited thinking about pitchers and catchers reporting.

On Monday, Pete Rose appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. When Letterman asked Rose whether he used performance-enhancing drugs during his playing years, Rose responded with a dignified, “I had too much respect for the game and for my body for that. I know I could have extended my career, but to me, it just didn't seem right.”

Oh, wait, no, that wasn't Rose. Rose's quote was “If I took steroids, I'd have gotten 5,000 damn hits.”

If you're sick of watching the Cards wallop the Padres, you could take a minute to read this AP story via The Enquirer about the appearance. It even goes on to explain that he recently signed a bunch of “I'm sorry I bet on baseball” baseballs to get them on the market at the same time as a bunch of other “I'm sorry I bet on baseball” baseballs that he'd signed previously that a collector was auctioning off. As opposed to because it was--you know--a sincere sentiment.

No, not the Indianapolis Indians. The Cleveland ones. Can you believe it?

I can't believe I missed this story in the Beacon Journal on-line edition where the prospect of Royce Clayton filling the Indians' short-term shortstop need is explored:

Two veteran shortstops on the free-agent market who might interest the Tribe are Alex Gonzalez and Royce Clayton. Gonzalez is expected to re-sign with the Boston Red Sox. Clayton will be 37 next year. He's playing short for the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .256 with two home runs and 38 RBI in 132 games this season. Clayton or someone of that type would just be a stop-gap.

Hey, more power to 'em. I wouldn't mind seeing Clayton again only as part of the inter-league rivalry.

A couple of stories from the Arizona perspective on the prospect of Thom Brennaman joining up with the Reds. This bit from azcentral.com:

Thom Brennaman, the voice of the Diamondbacks for all nine of their seasons, appears close to accepting a position with the Cincinnati Reds, where he would join his father, Marty, in the broadcast booth.
…
Should he depart, Brennaman is expected to do both television and radio work for the Reds.

Oh, no. He's not going to crowd out Jim Day, is he?

A story on EastValleyTribune.com featured this modifier-laden quote from Thom. Critics of Steve Stewart who didn't think he used enough adverbs and adjectives will be pleased to see this:

“There obviously is the unbelievable lure of working with your dad,” Brennaman said. “I'm enormously grateful that the Diamondbacks have allowed me to explore the chance.”

Both stories mentioned that other teams have pursued Thom in the past, but the Reds were the first given permission by the Diamondbacks to talk to Brennaman the Younger. The fact that other teams were interested gives me some hope that the Reds aren't putting together a kitschy father-son team for the sole purpose of avoiding a legitimate announcer search.

I mean, it's still going to be a kitschy father-son team, and it will allow them to avoid doing a legitimate search, but I'm hopeful that that's not the only reason they're doing it.