This week on the Red Hot Broad Cast:

• More stuff about the Indiana Reds Caravan stops. If you go to the Muncie one and can pick me out of the crowd, I'll happily exchange a copy of The RHM Super Fun Activity Book for Kids for your $7.
• The high, high cost of bringing on Jeff Keppinger.
• Reds awards.
• Signing David Ross and Paul Wilson.
• Streaker hit by car during football celebrations in Gainesville
• Nelson signs with Yankees, then retires
• Sammy Sosa Is Too Fat For Japan

Episode 41: How Fast Can the Team Bus Drive Down I-69? (14.4 MB, 21:02)

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Trent sez:

Today the Reds signed David Ross to a two-year deal plus a club option for 2009, avoiding arbitration with the catcher.
…
According to the AP, Ross gets $1.6 million this year and $2,525,000 in 2008. The Reds have a $3.5 million option for 2009 with a $375,000 buyout. He made $500,000 last season.

Ross had a heck of a year last year, and I'm surprised that he didn't convince the Reds to give him even more.

In other signing news, the Reds also signed Paul Wilson to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. No word yet on whether he's cut his hair for the occasion.

According to the Trent's blog, the Indy stop of the Reds caravan will be at Jonathan Byrd's cafeteria in Greenwood, not Pinheads as previously reported.

Reds manager Jerry Narron, pitcher Todd Coffey, outfielder Chris Dickerson, Reds Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Browning, new Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman and senior vice president of business operations Phil Castellini will be on that stop, at Jonathan Byrd's Cafeteria in Greenwood, Indiana (just south of Indianapolis) on Saturday, January 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

They're going to have to fly to make it from Damon's in Muncie at 5:30 to Greenwood at 7:00. If only the Armed and Famous people were still in Muncie, they could be poised to pull them over for speeding.

I bet you forgot I was doing these. Yeah, me too.

October
The Cubs started out the month by cutting ties with their manager. There are certainly those in Redsland who were sad to see Dusty go, and even more who wished the Reds had followed suit. They would go on to hire Lou Piniella later in the month, so we'll have that to look forward to.

October was the month that Pete Rose appeared on Letterman. Always a treat to see Pete talk in public.

After a nonexistent broadcaster search, the Reds hired Thom Brennaman.

The rumors began flying about Rich Aurilia not returning to the Reds. Of course, the rumors turned out to be right. Thankfully, I got him on the podcast and found out about his ringtones before he left.

I was on t.v. to talk about the Reds. I've still never actually seen this myself, but I know that at least a few people did because they e-mailed me and said so. I was so excited, that I found a bunch of Reds' celebrity matches.

The Reds fired Chris Chambliss, probably because Krivsky hates offense.

Former Red Cory Lidle was killed when the plane he was piloting crashed into a New York apartment building. In light of this event, a certain Yankee Christmas ornament seemed sorta inappropriate.

The Cards won the World Series. Who the heck would have figured?

I did that thing I sometimes do when I don't just rehash old material but actually write something new. This time it was about why moneyball isn't money.

Florida Spring Training: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League, 3rd Edition by Alan Byrd
Intrepid Traveler
ISBN: 978-1-887140-68-3
$14.95
www.TheOtherOrlando.com

Florida Spring Training: Your Guide to Touring the Grapefruit League is a guidebook to the spring training experience in Florida. It talks about things like whether it's difficult to get tickets, where you should sit in the stadium if you want to get some shade, the best food on the menu, and the best best places to get autographs.

The objective details in this book are complete and helpful, especially before your first visit to a park. The opinions in this book, on the other hand, are often inconsistent, irrelevant, and annoying. For example, consider this paragraph from the intro to the chapter on the Reds' spring training site, Ed Smith Stadium:

There's little to like about Ed Smith Stadium. While it comes close in size to some of the League's intimate older parks, it's missing the things that would make it quaint. For instance, there's little to say “Wow!” about. Well, aside from the “Big Red Smokey” and the rib tips, there's nothing to say “Wow” about. And the lack of the Wow-factor hits you as you walk into the stadium and notice that there is no roof over the main concourse. Do not go to Ed Smith Stadium if there is a chance of rain. You will get wet.

This paragraph drives me crazy, for no fewer than three reasons:

• It's wrong: there's a lot to like about Ed Smith stadium. There's ample parking, Siesta Key nearby, and our favorite team plays there.
• The word “Wow” is used differently three times, demonstrating the need for a thesaurus and a copy editor. While that doesn't affect the usefulness of the book, it does make it difficult for me to read.
• The paragraph starts out about how there's nothing to like about the stadium, and ends up being about getting wet in the rain. The chapter goes on to complain about the color of the seats and lack of activities between innings. The subjective evaluations are just all over the place.

But now that I've got my complaining out of the way, I'll tell you that none of that stuff really matters. This is a reference book, after all, and is best used for its facts. Those seem to be complete, and the ones I can verify myself are accurate.

The first time spring training goer will find a lot that's helpful in this book. For example, in the chapter on the Washington Nationals, you find this note:

There is a parking lot next to the stadium. It is reserved for employees and handicapped parking. However, it does not say that anywhere. you won't find out until you drive in and get turned away.

Nice thing to know in advance.

The multi-team spring training goer will also find a lot that's helpful in this book. Chapter 20 is completely dedicated to itineraries for spring-training trips, with recommendations for which parks to see in which order. If your spring training trip isn't focused around a single team, this book will save you a lot of energy in searching out details from disparate web pages. However, if you need to find more details, it does provide addresses for those disparate web pages for your convenience.

The spring training autograph seeker absolutely must have this book. There is a heavy emphasis on autographs: it tells you when to go, where to stand, and what to do. Personally, I don't give a flying flip about autographs, so I mostly skipped over those parts. Maybe for future editions they'll consider listing the local watering holes frequented by the players: now there's a detail I'd be interested in.

Florida Spring Training is available at bookstores nationwide, through online bookstores, and at www.TheOtherOrlando.com.