CINCINNATI, OH -- A Cincinnati Reds fan and frequent message board poster used his precognitive powers to select the winning lotto numbers this week to win a $250 prize.

“After I foretold the loss of the Reds' season because [Reds' General Manager Dan] O'Brien signed [infielder Rich] Aurilia, I knew I had the gift,” said the lotto winner, Mel O. Drama. “So I bought a ticket.”

He bought 300 $1 tickets, actually. “It's not luck,” said Drama. “It's clairvoyance.”

Dunn Cancels Kissing Booth
Adam Dunn, the Reds' popular outfielder-cum-first-baseman, cancelled plans to man a kissing booth for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during Cory Lidle's Celebrity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas this weekend.

“It sounded like a good way to meet some hot chicks, but these nerdy guys started lining up on Wednesday.” said Dunn. “It was freaky; they were all muttering about on base percentage.”

Dunn's fans were disappointed.

“But it's for the kids!” exclaimed one man in queue.

Old Guys Inducted into Reds Hall of Fame
Tom Browning and two other people you've never heard of were selected to join the Reds Hall of Fame this week. The three old guys will be inducted during a pregame ceremony at Great American Ball Park later this summer.

Yeah, that's a lame title, but I am helpless against the power of a corny rhyme.

Thaq Diesel, a new addition to The Cutting Edge explains his reaction to the Casey trade, his notions on the nature of fandom, and new candidates for the honor of His Favorite Player in Casey to Pittsburgh: The Sean Casey Trade.

Thaq says:

The team's outlook in 2006 looks a bit like last year's squad; I'm not saying a competitive team is impossible, but the pitching staff isn't much more improved than last year's. Thus I'll probably be rooting for players I like. Yet, when I think of the Reds this year, I ask myself who's left to really root for?

It's an interesting idea: even though the Reds may not be competitive this year, all y'all are still going to be fans. But if the team didn't even provide characters to like, would you stick around?

Trading Casey, even though he was dear to the city, wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the fan base. Like killing off a beloved character in a novel, it raises the emotional stakes. And now that we've all been shaken out of our comfortable little worlds and reminded of how much it can hurt, it's time for our team to take another plot turn and provide us a little emotional security.

So, does that mean I'm calling for a contract for Dunn? Now, that is a plot twist.

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.

A long day of sitting in front of the computer, reloading Mr. Lancaster's blog has finally yielded the tidbit we've all been waiting for:

Rich Aurilia will be back with the Reds this season. He agreed tonight to a one-year, $1.3 million deal that also carries a mutual option for 2007 at $2 million. Not sure about a buyout.

That's a pretty good rate for the Reds, considering the market. Now we'll see if the roster stays put or this is a precursor to another deal.

I'm mildly surprised that Aurilia landed with the Reds again. When the Cardinals snapped up Junior Spivey for $1.2 million, it seemed like the market might have been stronger for Aurilia. Plus, the Reds infield is getting awfully crowded.

But I'm not complaining. I like Aurilia. And with Ryan Freel's shenanigans early this morning, the Reds might be glad to have the additional flexibility.

So says Marc:

Ryan Freel was arrested early this morning in Tampa and charged with disorderly intoxication. I don't have any further details about what happened quite yet, but Freel was released on $250 bond at 11:05 a.m. today, seven and a half hours after the arrest time.

Of course you want to reserve judgment until you know all the details. But damn, boy!

UPDATE: The Official Reds Site has some additional information.