The Reds Winter Caravan gets underway tomorrow, fanning out in three Cardinal - no, how about "Compass-y?" - directions. The events at each stop are free and present a chance for fans throughout the hinterlands of Reds Country to meet and greet players, coaches, executives, broadcasters and a seemingly endless parade of mascots. The Reds will also be pedaling tickets to Game 2/Opening Night at each appearance.

Here is a partial list of Reds mascots accompanying the caravan:

• Mr. Redlegs
• Rosie Red
• Gapper
• Mr. Red
• Dr. Cincinnatireds
• Reds Lobster
• Redrum
• P&G presents: Crimson Tide
  
• Vanessa Red-crave
• Trent Reds-nor & the Downward Speier-al
• The Reddleman (inspired by Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native)
  

The locations, personnel and other details by leg are available on the Reds' official Caravan page (there's also a custom Yahoo! map). Brandon Phillips, a fixture on the yearly tour, is probably the player with the biggest star power participating. Dusty is headed West toward Louisville (no, he's not being demoted) along with Red Reporter 2012 #3 Prospect Billy Hamilton and Todd Frazier. Marty, as I believe is customary, heads south through Thundering Herd territory and Devin Mesoraco will be snacking his way North through Columbus and Dayton.

With the team having settled with its arbitration-eligible players, the Caravan signals the last major landmark in the off season before pitchers and catchers voluntary report date on February 19. Kiss some babies, sign an underwhelming free agent (or trade for one) and then head to Arizona with the winds of an ambitious and successful winter at your back.

With the MLB Winter Meetings kicking off today in Dallas and the potential awkwardness of trading players scheduled to appear at Redsfest avoided, this could be the week something happens. Maybe? The Reds are said to be hopeful that they can get something done this week on the pitching front, but John Fay's Enquirer coverage on Sunday was chock-full of highly-qualified and tentative remarks from both Jocketty and Baker.

So the Winter Meetings in sunny DallasFortWorthMegalopolis&CowboysParkingLot is the big item on the dance card this week. The Rule 5 Draft takes place Thursday, but if the Reds don't outright someone off their full 40-man roster by later today, they won't be taking anyone. I don't think they're too concerned about it. You shouldn't be either.

• Monday: Winter Meetings begin at the Hilton Anatole, a luxury hotel somewhere in the Dallasland area and, I can only assume, named after the titular character in a series of children's books written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone. Anatole. Anatole, as you may already know, "is a mouse who lives in an un-named 'mouse village' outside the French city of Paris, commuting by bicycle who was foraging for food when he overheard some humans complaining about mice as villainous. Deeply aggrieved at the insult to his honor, Anatole resolved to do better" (Wikipedia).
• Tuesday: Any Red Reporters in Dallas? It'd be nice to get someone on the scene to dish on whether the Reds have left their rooms. And, if so, whether it was for ice or ice AND mixers.
• Wednesday: Winter Meetings continue. Midnight Wednesday is also the deadline for free agents to accept arbitration offers from their previous clubs. The Reds don't have any offers out. And with Ramon and CoCo in special Type B status, they didn't need to make any in order to get picks back.
• Thursday: Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 Draft. Like free agent arbitration (and possibly free agency altogether), the Reds aren't getting involved. Judging by this list - and the number of players they added to their 40-man roster last month - they probably won't lose anybody either.
• Friday: Cool down from the Winter Meetings. Even if a big trade doesn't happen, it will have been an anxious week. Take a vacation. May I suggest Dallas? It's a major airline hub.

Welcome to the week of November 28, where you can relieve any food guilt or post-Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas torpor with the realization that Redsfest looms on the horizon. Barring a blockbuster trade, the annual Reds-apalooza at the Duke Energy Convention Center will probably be the most significant event in Reds Country at least until the Winter Meetings. It starts this Friday (December 2) and, just like the Mangrove and Sons Septic Tank Servicing Red Reposter, now has a titular corporate sponsor: Fox Sports Ohio.

According to our Red Reporter calendar, you can probably stay in that food-induced coma until friday. Did anyone stop by the Moeller card show?

• Monday: That's today. And if a major league front office is anything like a regular office after a holiday weekend, very little work will get done. Some work might actually get un-done. If someone accidentally gets sent through waivers, I have my own personal opinion on who it should be.
• Tuesday: Chad Reineke will not be going around signing with a bunch of major league clubs because, among other reasons, he just re-signed a minor league contract with the Reds. Reineke pitched earlier this month in the Venezuelan Winter League.
• Wednesday: Will this be the day Yonder Alonso is traded? I can't help but think it won't be.
• Thursday: Deadline to request outright waivers in advance of Rule 5 draft. Unless this too has changed under the new CBA, the Reds are going to have to outright someone from their recently filled-up 40 man if they want to think about taking anyone in the December Draft.
• Friday: Redsfest gets underway in downtown Cincinnati at the Duke Energy Convention Center at 4pm.

Anything to add to the calendar. Drop a line in the thread.

This week, we'll have the answer to at least one burning offseason question: Will the Reds do anything before Thanksgiving? We do not, however, have the answer yet to the question of why the Reds filled up their 40-man roster and included at least one player who didn't appear to be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. But since Walt passed the test on Phillips' and Cordero's options, we'll wait to see where he's going with this.

The Reds may not do anything of note during this shortened Turkey week, but that doesn't mean some things might not be done around or near them. For one, under the new CBA, singingType A relievers no longer forces the signing team to give up draft picks. So we may see a rush on Cordero and other post-Papelbon closers soon.

Here's a look at the week. Stay current on Reds and baseball-related offseason events with the Red Reporter calendar.

• Monday: AL MVP announced, 2pm ET.
• Tuesday: NL MVP announced, 2pm ET.
• Wednesday: Midnight deadline for ranked free agents to be offered arbitration. CoCo isn't going to get an offer unless the Reds go nutzoid,  but Ramon Hernandez still might.
• Thursday: Thanksgiving. After a the cornucopia full of misshapen gourds this season, all the more reason to indulge in excess. There's plenty to be thankful for though. For one, the Reds will not be signing Clint Barmes at 2 yr/$10.5 to fill their veteran shortstop opening. There might actually be a team out there that's disappointed they won't be signing Clint Barmes for $5M a year, although it could be the Reds.
• Friday: Moeller Card Show gets underway at Moeller high school.

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    The 2011 Red Reporter Blood Drive is over and done, and we have a winner! 

                                                                            via www.newenglandblood.org

Continue reading this post »

EDIT: This is a repost, because it's important. Go give.

A little over a year ago Slyde asked all of us to do something we should be doing anyway - donate blood. Well I'm here to ask you this year: Will you please donate? It's for the greatest of causes (saving lives), you'll get some sweet karma for the afterlife, and you'll even be eligible for a prize from us here at Red Reporter!

                                                                            via www.newenglandblood.org

(Votto & Bruce agree!)

Continue reading this post »

A little over a year ago Slyde asked all of us to do something we should be doing anyway - donate blood. Well I'm here to ask you this year: Will you please donate? It's for the greatest of causes (saving lives), you'll get some sweet karma for the afterlife, and you'll even be eligible for a prize from us here at Red Reporter!

                                                                            via www.newenglandblood.org

(Votto & Bruce agree!)

Continue reading this post »