The Crack Photography Staff will probably be putting together a slideshow of the photos he took at Redsfest sometime soon, but in the meantime, here are some of the snapshots I grabbed with my iPhone.

You know you’ve arrived at Redsfest when you see Adam Dunn’s old jersey.

We spent most of the time in Autograph Line D, the kids’ only line. First up was an autograph from Paul Janish.

We were back in line a little later to add Edinson Volquez’s name to the back of the Reds Heads jersey.

Plus Ryan Hannigan to fill out the autograph list for Friday.

Of course, it wasn’t all autograph hunting. No Redsfest would be complete without the climbing of a simulated rock face.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a Redsfest. I’ve taken the afternoon off work, the kid is home from school, and we’re just about ready to hit the road. To think: just 2 1/2 hours till we’re at the Convention Center of Dreams!

Pics to come.

The Cincinnati Reds yesterday tendered contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players. That means Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Bill Bray, and Jared Burton will all be Reds again next year.

Somehow, I doubt anyone was worried Votto wouldn’t be back.

Actually, Bill Bray and Jared Burton were the only 2 of those 6 that I could see the Reds passing on. But retaining control over 2 players under 30 years old who have both been very successful relievers so recently is a good idea. Replacing them would cost too much, especially since predicting how good a middle reliever will be from year to year is such a crapshoot.

In addition to the contracts, the Reds are moving forward with long-term contracts for Bruce and Votto. Hopefully, the Colorado Rockies’ extension of Troy Tulowitzki for 7 years at $134 million won’t price either of them out of the Reds’ payroll. I’d love to have both spend the bulk of their careers as Reds.

We just bought our tickets for Redsfest 2010! This is the first time the family is heading out for both days, and since it requires interstate travel to get there, we’ve also booked a hotel. So, it’s an official commitment; two complete days of autographs, climbing the Powerade rock wall, and watching whatever wacky stuff they put up on the stage.

Sorry fourth-grade basketball team that our son is on: we’re skipping the Saturday morning game because we have our sport priorities in order. Sorry kitty cat who will not have us to meow at all night: you’ll just have to mew in an easterly direction and hope the message gets through.

I don’t know about you, but this is just about the most excited I’ve ever been for a Redsfest. There’s just so much up-beat stuff to talk about and so much promise for the future. Plus, since it’s coinciding with the semester drawing to a close, it means not only content to write about, but also time to write it.

I hope to see you at Redsfest. Keep an eye on RHM for photos galore.

The writers got it right! With 31 of 32 first-place votes, Joey Votto was awarded the Most Valuable Player award. Oh, and whoever didn’t vote for Votto might want to look out.

Votto led the Cincinnati Reds to their first division title and first playoff appearance since 1995. Coincidentally, the last time a Red won the MVP award was in 1995, when Barry Larkin did the heavy lifting for Cincinnati.

Lots of fans, myself included, had some apprehension that Votto might be snubbed, as he had been for the All Star vote. Thankfully, he wasn’t. Because there was no way for fans to vote him in later.

Enjoy this one Joey. And I’d love to see you and Jay Bruce battling each other for the award next year.