River Otter's Reds Blog
Ramblings From A Reds Fan Who Lives West of the Mississippi

Frick Award Winner TBA 2/19

Posted In: . By River Otter

Joe Nuxhall is one of ten finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award. The award is given annually to recognize broadcasters who have made "major contributions" to baseball. Nuxhall received an incredible 82,304 votes from the approximately 122,000 online ballots that were cast. The 2008 winner will be announced February 19th. Keep your paws crossed for the 'Ol Lefthander.

UPDATE 2/19/08: Dave Niehaus has been named the winner of the 2008 award. As the Consigliere eloquently wrote yesterday, Nuxy doesn't need to be elected to the Hall of Fame to validate his career. The Hall of Fame will be a lesser place without him.

 

Signs of Spring

Posted In: . By River Otter

Reds pitchers and catchers will report to camp on Saturday, February 16th. According to the most recent edition of the Reds Hot Stove Notebook, Ryan Freel and Juan Castro have received permission to report with pitchers and catchers. Both Freel and Castro are also out of options. Although most of us expect Freel to make the team, I have a hard time seeing how the Reds could justify a spot for Castro without injuries to some of the other infielders.

 

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Reds could still be in the mix for Joe Blanton. Rosenthal reports that Blanton won't bring nearly the same bounty as Bedard because: 1) he's not as good; and 2) he's not nearly as affordable. Rosenthal indicates that Blanton will probably earn in the range $18M over the next three years due to his arbitration eligibility. Of course, $18M for 3 years is reasonable for good starting pitching. It will be interesting to see if anything comes from this rumor.

H/t to Doug Gray at Reds Minor Leagues.