Yesterday, in the excitement of the Reds winning 3 Gold Gloves, I missed this press release from the Cincinnati Reds. Redsfest will be held on December 3 – December 4, and tickets are on sale now.

Tickets for FOX Sports Ohio Redsfest are on sale now at reds.com, by phone at (513) 381-REDS, all area Meijer stores, Reds.com ticket kiosks and Great American Ball Park administrative offices.

The annual fan festival will be held at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati on Friday, December 3 from 4 to 10:30 pm and Saturday, December 4 from 11 am to 6:30 pm.

One-day tickets are $17 for adults and $7 for kids 12 and younger. Two-day tickets are $25 for adults and $12 for kids.

New for 2010: With paid admission, all fans will receive one free View Level ticket to the Friday, April 15, 2011 Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game at Great American Ball Park. Also, the first 10,000 fans each day will receive a free drawstring backpack and Reds travel mug.

Redsfest features more than 200,000 square feet of activities, including autograph and photo booths with current and former Reds players, interactive games for fans of all ages, hard-to-find memorabilia and much more.

More than 50 current and former Reds players and coaches are expected to attend including Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Bronson Arroyo, Jonny Gomes, Aroldis Chapman, Dusty Baker and many more.

For more information and updated details about Redsfest, please visit reds.com/redsfest. Fans can also register on reds.com for the Redsfest VIP Sweepstakes and to bid on Autograph Fast Passes.

“Redsfest is one of the finest fan festivals in all of Major League Baseball,” said Reds President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini. “It’s the best way for fans to get an up-close experience with the current Reds from the 2010 National League Central Division Champion team along with veterans from the past and the future stars of tomorrow.”

All current and former players in attendance will be introduced live on the Redsfest Main Stage on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

A special tribute to Reds manager Sparky Anderson is planned for the Main Stage and in booth #10 on the Redsfest floor.

Specific times for player appearances will be announced one hour prior to the autograph and photo sessions on the info screens on the Redsfest floor and on the Reds official Twitter page at: twitter.com/cincinnatireds.

The Redsfest Main Stage will feature popular activities such as kids-only press conferences involving players, a Reds Idol karaoke contest and the Reds Hot Stove Report with President of Baseball Operations and GM Walt Jocketty and Manager Dusty Baker.

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum will again have a presence at Redsfest, including a display featuring the ’75, ’76 and ’90 World Series trophies, Reds artifacts, Reds trivia and more. Redsfest is a great opportunity to purchase a 2011 Reds Museum membership.

The annual Reds Community Fund Celebrity Poker Tournament takes place on Saturday, Dec. 4. Registration and side games begin at 3:30 p.m. with the tournament starting at 5 p.m. Sign-up today at reds.com/poker or call (513) 765-7240.

An exhibit highlighting the Reds Spring Training home in Goodyear, Arizona will return this year. Tickets for 2011 Spring Training will be on sale.

The Chipotle Wiffle® ball Tournament finals kicks off the weekend of programming on the 10,000 square foot Gorilla Glue Field of Dreams that also includes a celebrity Wiffle® ball home run contest on Friday evening.

Redsfest is the first chance to purchase a 2011 Reds Heads Kids Club membership. The $20 Reds Heads merchandise kit makes a great holiday gift for children ages 14 and younger, which includes vouchers for free Reds tickets and exclusive club gear.

Proceeds from Redsfest benefit the baseball-themed outreach programs of the non-profit Reds Community Fund.

In a year that saw the Cincinnati Red win for the first time forever, you knew there had to be a good chance for some hardware to be won after the season. The first such awards were announced today, with the Reds getting not one, not two, but three Gold Glove awards.

Cincinnati third baseman Scott Rolen won his eighth Gold Glove, while two teammates, second baseman Brandon Phillips and pitcher Bronson Arroyo, were also honored. Phillips’ award was his second, Arroyo’s his first.

I was confident that Phillips would win the award again; he was great again this year. I’m a little surprised by Arroyo and Rolen, although they are no slouch in the defensive department. But not giving one to Jay Bruce does seem like a crime to me. Bruce’s arm was constantly a runner-stopping presence. And he stole a home run or two from hitters, as well.

There’s always next year. Plus, it seems a little silly to complain about enough Reds not being lauded. Cincinnati won the most gold gloves of any team. Imagine that, award-winning defense back in Cincinnati!

The opening game of the 2010 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants is halfway over as I type this. The game is on, but I just haven’t cared as much as I have in the past years. And I think Redleg Nation has hit on the reason why/

After the Reds were eliminated from the playoffs this season, I found that I just couldn’t get excited about watching someone else’s team fight for a championship. My team should be playing these games!

Isn’t that the truth.

Sure, the Philadelphia Phillies made the Cincinnati Reds look silly in their 3 games in the National League Division Series. But it really wasn’t that hard to see the Reds making a run at things. A couple bounces for the Reds here, a complete lack of defensive implosion there, and things could have been different.

After the regular season of baseball is over, I’m always disappointed that there won’t be any more baseball until the next year. I’m always left wanting more. But this time, I wanted the more even more. The Reds were good this year. And they’re going to be good next year, with the legitimate possibility of being better.

How can I care if it’s the Giants or the Rangers that win their first World Series title ever when I’d rather it be the Reds?

Joey Votto has been recognized by The Sporting News, and the Vote Votto campaign wasn’t even needed. This had better be just a prelude to his MVP award after the World Series.

Cincinnati Reds 1B Joey Votto has been named to Sporting News’ National League All-Star Team in voting of his peers. He is the first Reds player named to that prestigious squad since OF Ken Griffey Jr. and IF Felipe Lopez were included in 2005.

Earlier this summer, Votto was named to his first All-Star team after receiving 13.7 million votes in the 2010 All-Star Game Final Vote. He is a leading candidate for the NL’s Most Valuable Player Award and is a finalist for the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Year Award Presented by Pepsi after leading the Reds to the National League Central Division championship while ranking among the league’s Top 3 in 11 statistical categories, in the Top 5 in 15 categories and among the Top 8 in 18 categories.

Votto led the National League in on-base percentage (.424), slugging percentage (.600), hitting on the road (.349), hitting vs RHP (.347), RBI ratio (4.8ab) and OPS (1.024). In the prestigious Triple Crown categories he ranked second in hitting (.324) and third in both homers (37) and RBI (113). In 2010, he became only the fourth player in Reds history to hit at least .320 with 37 HR and 113 RBI in a season (MVP George Foster in 1977, Frank Robinson in 1961 (MVP) & 1962 and Ted Kluszewski in 1954).

Tony LaRussa Signs with St. Louis Cardinals.

Did you hear that? It was a huge, collective sigh of relief from fans of all Major League baseball teams outside of St. Louis, Missouri today. Tony LaRussa will not be taking his tired, team-hating antics anywhere else next year. No, LaRussa will remain a Cardinal.

The team announced the deal Monday and said it includes a mutual option for the 2012 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

You might think it a little odd to bring back a manager who so clearly lost the ability to motivate his team to play good baseball at the end of the 2010 season. But apparently, that failure was all due to bullpen coach Marty Mason. He was fired today just as LaRussa’s rehiring was announced. Because the reason the Cardinals didn’t get first place was because their bullpen sucked. Right. I’m sure the rest of the National League Central will be quaking at the thought of whoever his replacement is.

Still, everyone with the possible exception of Cardinals fans should be very happy that LaRussa and the Cardinals won’t be much of a threat next year.