Despite having maintained a Reds blog for 7 years (happy Blog Day, RHM!) the Red Hot family has never made it out to Cincinnati for Opening Day. But tomorrow isn’t just Opening Day. It’s not even just day two of the Joey Votto quarter of a billion dollar contract extension. Tomorrow is that glorious astrological event known as The-First-Day-of-Baseball-Happening-During-Spring-Break.

It won’t happen again for another 86 years, so make sure to get out and see it while you can.

Our agenda tomorrow includes: parade, game, and a trip to Kroger to buy Vott-Os. We’ll be trying new ballpark food and resurrecting the Red Hot BroadCast. We’ll be hoping the Marlins perform as poorly tomorrow as they did tonight (I mean, no-hit through six by Kyle Lohse?) and crying when they don’t. Basically we’ll be living the dream.

Be sure to tune in for a recount of the day, and turn out if you can. Not only would I love to say hi in person, but the team is going to need everyone to be hitting the Food Network Hot Dog Bar a few times per game if they’re going to raise enough money to pay for that contract.

There’s been a loud buzz emanating from Cincinnati since the rumor of a contract extension for Cincinnati Reds’ slugger Joey Votto broke at the beginning of the week. And now the Reds have made it official with a press release and a press conference.

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty today announced the signing of All-Star 1B Joey Votto to a 10-year contract extension through the 2023 season with a club option for 2024. Votto had been signed through 2013 as part of a 3-year contract he received in January 2011, when he avoided arbitration.

“We recognize the historical significance of this signing. Ownership has committed to Joey, and we anticipate that he will continue to be one of the best players in baseball for the next decade or so,” Jocketty said. “He wants to stay here, and we want him here. We have shown we are committed to building a solid foundation from within the organization.”

Added team President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini, “Joey not only is one of the game’s best players, but on the field and in the community he represents himself, the organization and our city with extraordinary professionalism and dignity. We certainly are proud to be able to keep him in Cincinnati for 12 more years.”

Selected by the Reds in the second round of the June 2002 first-year player draft, since his 2007 debut the National League’s 2010 Most Valuable Player ranks among Major League Baseball’s offensive leaders in almost every statistical category. Votto, 28, is a 2-time NL All-Star (2010, 2011), a Sporting News NL All-Star (2010) and the only Reds first baseman ever to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award (2011). In the Sporting News’ 2011 poll of baseball executives was rated the fourth-best player in baseball behind Albert Pujols, Troy Tulowitzki and Felix Hernandez.

Three times in the last 4 seasons Votto was voted by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds’ Most Valuable Player (2008, 2010, 2011).