Welcome readers, to the new and improved Red Hot Mama. You may have noticed that the past season has been kind of a downer around here, due in part to the fact that it’s been the same old mediocrity around Cincinnati but also due in fact to my perspective getting stale. I mean, honestly: there are only so many funny ways that a woman can say “please, for the love of all that is good, stop sending out Stanton.”

So we’re mixing it up around here. We’re taking the exclusive focus off of the Reds in favor of a broader picture of the whole National League Central. If we’re lucky, maybe one of these teams will win the division.

“But you don’t know anything about any of the teams in the NLC except the Reds,” you might say. To which I would respond, “what do you mean ‘except the Reds’?”

In case you were wondering what my Crack Technical Staff was up to while I was undergoing my team-identity existential quandary–and I know you were–he’s been working on a pretty massive change as well. Not only did he design the new look and feel for the site, but he also changed the entire underlying technology. Even as you read this, you have the ability to comment even if you’re not registered, plus edit those comments for up to 10 minutes after you post them.

Speaking registering for an account, if you were previously registered, your account has been migrated to the new software. Check your email for a message with your new password. If you have any problems, drop me a line and we’ll get it figured out.

And with that, I’ll get down to business. This is quite a thrill for me. I haven’t been this excited about baseball since Bronson Arroyo went to Cincy. And just look how well that worked out!