Ah, Aurilia's on board and Freel's drunk. Too bad we didn't land Morris; all we're missing is a big-name pitcher doomed to failure and this would feel just like 2005.

Just like last time Freel got himself into alcohol-related trouble with the law, I've been scrounging around for information. It's not quite as amusing this time around, but I'll share what I've seen.

Charge Report
Thanks to Cincy at Strike 3 Forums, I'm able to present Freel's Charge Report where you can find, among other things, his home address. And use it to find driving directions from Yahoo! Maps, if you're inclined to do such a creepy thing. I would never do that, of course, even if it would be kind of cool to know that Freel is just 14 hours and 10 minutes away.

The report also says his eyes are brown.

The Media
John Fay at the Enquirer gives us the bare-bones in his write-up.

ESPN doesn't have much to add, which is usually the case with ESPN.

Marc Lancaster digs a little deeper in his piece in the Post. He tells us that “Freel refused to stop screaming obscenities at a pool hall employee, police were called, and Freel was arrested,” and that “the arrest occurred outside an establishment called The Rack, which is described on its Web site as “Tampa's first pool room-sushi hall.”

The Rack: for when you want to combine the grime-factor of a pool hall with raw fish. Good choice, Freel.

While you're on the Post's page, check out the photo of Freel. His eyes are blue. Huh.

The Mutterings
Of course, I've been trolling the message boards, reading the other blogs, and eavesdropping on conversations as well. In general, people's responses run the gamut from It's-No-Big-Deal to He's-Gone-Too-Far-So-Fire-Him. Some people say he's only 29 and still in his partying phase; some say he's 29 already and ought to know better. A whole lot of people think that he's got an alcohol problem and that the Reds ought to force him to get help.

I dunno. He could have an alcohol problem. But, then again, he might just be a millionaire minor celebrity. If television is to be believed -- and it's never led me astray before -- then ALL millionaire minor celebrities party constantly. It's what I'd do.

In both arrests, it wasn't exactly the alcohol that was the problem, but what Freel was doing while drunk. Last time it was driving, and we all know that's real bad. This time, he was being kind of a jerk, but it shouldn't be any surprise that Freel can be kind of a jerk. We don't love Freel because he's a nice guy. That's why we loved Casey.

Not everyone needs to be a nice guy. Just because Cincinnati is in the heart of the Midwest doesn't mean that every single player has to be the picture of down-home virtues. Maybe the Reds would be better off with a few, well, jerks. If nothing else, it makes for much better television.

At least, that's what my optimistic side says. Ah, optimism. It really does feel like 2005.