At last the Reds have announced their caravan dates.

The northern leg of the tour will feature:
Thom Brennaman, Phil Castellini, Walt Jocketty, Devin Mesoraco, Tom Browning, and Ryan LaMarre.

The southern leg of the tour includes:
Marty Brennaman, Chris Welsh, Brandon Phillips, Bob Miller, Lee May, and Tucker Barnhart.

The western leg of the tour is the one in my neck of the woods. It’s also the one that’s noticeably weaker than the other two legs. There’s even one fewer person on the roster:
Jim Kelch, Jeff Brantley, Dusty Baker, Todd Frazier, and Billy Hamilton.

If you went to any of the Caravan stops last year, you’ll want to check out the page on Reds.com where these schedules appear because there are also photos from last year’s stops.

Over at Hardball Times, Chris has put together a list of some of the high- and low-lights of the career of the newest inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame, one Mr. Barry Larkin.

I skipped ahead to 2000 and I found one I like:

April 20, 2001: It’s taken 1,823 games and 7,712 plate appearances, but Larkin finally collects his first career grand slam when he goes deep against Al Leiter of the Mets in the second inning. It’s his 142nd time facing a pitcher with the bases loaded. It proves to be the difference as Cincinnati wins by four, 9-5.

And this one:

Aug. 2, 2002: In the space of 19 pitches, Cincinnati Reds catcher Jason LaRue allows three passed balls. That’s right, a knuckleball pitcher is on the mound (Jared Fernandez). Larkin goes 0-for-3 with a GIDP as the Reds lose.

Not really sure what that one had to do with Larkin, but it’s funny.

Of course, for me, the most important moment isn’t found on this list. For me that most important moment is the one where Larkin led off the first Reds game I ever saw in person, and managed an infield hit. That’s the good stuff.

From Cubs.com:

The Cubs’ roller-coaster ride with Zambrano came to an end Thursday, when the team dealt the volatile right-hander to the Marlins for fellow righty Chris Volstad.

Zambrano, 30, waived both his no-trade clause and the $19.25 million option for 2013 to join good friend and Venezuelan countryman Ozzie Guillen, the new Marlins manager, who will try to keep the pitcher’s emotions in check.

Emphasis mine because I want you to notice that the Marlins are calling on one Ozzie Guillen to keep Zambrano’s emotions in check. Guillen. Zambrano. In check.

Awesome.

Remember a few years ago when there was a drawing to win tickets to the World Series on the condition that you live-blogged the whole thing? I entered that contest, but I didn’t ever actually see the blog. I assumed it was because the winner was too beer-soaked to type, but today I learned about another contest that results in blogging responsibilities that I’ve never heard of, so maybe I’m just out of the loop.

I’ve gotten several emails about this “Fan Cave” contest but they fail to use inverted pyramid structure and I got lost before the end of the center-aligned press release, so I had to ask what the heck a “Fan Cave” was. Here’s what I learned:

So the MLB Fan Cave is a 15-000 sqaure foot location in Manhattan that houses a Cave Monster wall of TVs designed for watching baseball. In 2011, two fans were assigned with watching every game from the Fan Cave while blogging about their experiences. The Cave also hosted numerous player and celebrity visitors who appeared in video content that lives on its website, www.mlbfancave.com.

In 2012, multiple contestants will begin the season in the Cave for the chance to remain in the space all season and to hang with MLB stars.

Definitely check it out. Phillips came last year as well and did a Facebook interview with Reds fans from the space.

I didn’t ask what “Cave Monster” is. Nor did I ask what made the TVs specifically designed for watching baseball. There are some things man is just not intended to know.

Anyway, if you’re free from May to October this year to join the cast of “Big Brother — Blogger Edition,” you can enter to win the honor. Apparently some major leaguers are scheduled to come for a visit, including Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and–wait for it–Bronson Arroyo. Grunge guitar for everyone!

I’ll spare you the lengthy press release, but here’s how you can enter:

MLB is accepting entries now at MLBFanCave.com and has moved the deadline back to January 31 to allow fans more time to enter.

You probably already saw the week-old Inside Baseball post on SportsIllustrated.com predicting, among other things, the Reds to win the World Series in 2012. But even if you have, I bet you’d like to read it again:

10. The Reds will win the World Series. The AL has, arguably, the five best teams in baseball. The NL has that kind of parity at the top, though at a lower level of performance. In a short series, though, that doesn’t really matter — and we’ll see that again in 2012, as the Reds, winners of a weak NL Central, ride the bats of Joey Votto and Jay Bruce into the World Series, where rookie catcher Devin Mesoraco and a deep bullpen dispatch Texas in six games. The Rangers, winners of 94 regular-season games and the AL West, become just the third team — and the first since 1913 — to lose three straight Fall Classics.

I know people were talking about it last week, but I didn’t have a coworker email it to me until today, so you enjoy it again. Mmmm…savor the flavor.

I love to hear people talking like that, but I’m not sure I’d be prepared to go this far myself unless we get some depth on the whole left side of the field. But I can’t disagree that this is the year to go for the NLC: the Cards won’t take more than a couple seasons to get their legs back under them, Epstein might actually turn the Cubs around, and after this year there’s no more beating up on the Astros.

But the other prediction in that article that caught my attention was this one:

9. The A’s, and their ongoing attempts to relocate to San Jose, will be the big off-field story as the team loses 100 games.

I didn’t know the A’s were trying to move. Between the Dodgers’ ownership problems, the Angels’ city identity crisis, and now this, I’m thinking those California baseball teams maybe need to chill out a little and get away from it all. I’ll have the week-old news ready for them when they get back.