Reds' Spring Opener

The Reds Rocket made the trip out to Goodyear, Arizona on Sunday for the Reds' spring opener versus the Tribe. Goodyear is best known for a prison, within view of the freeway, from which inmates periodically escape and run across the highway and, of course, the Snyder's of Hanover pretzel factory. Samples and products available for purchase in the main lobby. The prison now houses a death row facility for the state's women who murder. You're welcome to stop by but don't forget the tape, for making shivs, and the crank inside your shoe. Oh, and also this from our friends at Wikipedia  - Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of 16,000 acres of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire threads. So, there you go. All you ever need to know about Goodyear.

The picture to the above-right, of course, is a skydiver with a Reds flag attached to his foot. He was mauled by the Indian's mascot, which surprisingly, is not a politically incorrect caricature of an american indian but a big pink monster named Slider. Goodyear also provides a mascot named Zizzy. Zizzy looks like a baseball-coated shlong wearing a visor. He also attacked the skydivers but did appear to be very popular with the kids.

Volquez and his precision weave was supposed to make the start Sunday, but had some undefined visa issues. May have, and the Reds Rocket is speculating here, something to do with the previous positive drug test but the Reds were fairly tight-lipped. So, Baloney's Beard made the start and threw pretty well. I realize this is early in the spring and it takes a while for the bats to warm up and, since it's the Indians, the bats will probably never warm up, but he really didn't look terrible pumping that 88 mph gas.

The Reds Rocket's photojournalism team also attended and is happy to provide you with the following images:

Mike Leake was nice enough to be required to sit at a table, pregame, and sign a few autographs. The line we probably 5 people long, so, lots of Mike Leake fans in his home state. I told him, from afar, that I love his heart.






Here's the pregame shot of the teams lining up. You can see Zizzy on the end of the Reds' line.

For those of you hungry for an action photo of Corky Miller taking some swings, the wait is finally over. His mustache remains at the big league level.

And of course a pre-game shot of the field. If you look closely you can see Miguel Cairo exchanging pleasantries with the opposition. Since he's played on every team in the majors, he likely knows a lot of people. Good for you Miguel.

Since everyone has seen Votto ground out to first and Stubbs camp under a fly ball in center, I decided not to bore you with those photos. The Reds Rocket is considering a trip to see the Reds and A's today. So, there is a possibility of more photos of mascots and food that no one cares about. Stay tuned.