Gosh, it seems like so long since we’ve gotten to experience the multi-media extravaganza that is the Ryan Parker Reds tribute song. Tonight I share with you Ryan’s musical homage to the Reds broacast booth: Marty and Thom, the Cowboy and the Lefty. You won’t want to miss the Jim Day shout-out near the end.

Kinda makes me miss George.

The Cincinnati Reds have launched their web page to allow fans the chance to purchase tickets to opening day.

The Reds open the season a bit earlier this year, starting the season on March 31 when they host the Milwaukee Brewers at 2:10pm EDT. And all you have to do to have a chance to be there is fill out the form and hope. Or buy a season ticket. Whichever.

I know I’ll be trying for my chance. I’ve never been to Opening Day before, but it sounds like a fun day, as long as it’s not too cold.

About half a year since they last signed him, the Cincinnati Reds are letting Jason Isringhausen try out for the team again.

Mark Sheldon had a quote from general manager Walt Jocketty on the tryout.

“He’s contacted me and said he was healthy again and wanted to throw for us,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said on Sunday during a Reds Caravan stop. “He’ll throw for [pitching coach] Bryan Price on Monday in Goodyear and we’ll see how he throws and how healthy he is.”

I have to think that Izzy is getting the chance simply because of Jocketty’s experience with him with the St. Louis Cardinals. There’s not really any other reason to explain this. I mean, the Reds are faced with a very crowded pitching staff, and I doubt that a 38-year-old guy who hasn’t had success in the majors since 2007 is going to be able to break through.

In a move that will no doubt not be officially announced for another week or two, the Cincinnati Reds have signed their last arbitration-eligible player to a contract. Edinson Volquez has signed what is believed to be a $1.6 million, one-year deal.

General manager Walt Jocketty had been attempting to sign Volquez to a multi-year deal, but was unsuccessful.

“We’ll see if they’re up for doing more later,” Jocketty said Sunday from a Reds Caravan stop in Lexington. “We tried to do a multiyear deal. They just wanted to concentrate on the one year now. [Volquez’s agent] had a few cases and wanted to get the arbitration thing out of the way.”

I think that the Reds escaped an unnecessary risk here. Given Volquez’s recent Tommy John surgery, I’m not sure how wise it would be to sign him to a long-term contract. Let him prove he can be healthy for more than a year, first.

The signing means the Reds will not have to tear down Volquez in front of an arbiter, and he won’t have to hear such things as, “You and Johnny Cueto have hairstyles that are too similar.”

The Cincinnati Reds stopped in Bloomington, Indiana last night, and we were there!

Unlike previous years when we hit the Muncie, Indiana stop, our schedule this year wasn’t allowing it. (There’s a little something called the Palladium opening in our town, and we wouldn’t miss it for the world.) So we decided to head down to Bloomington yesterday to let our son add to his 2011 Reds Heads shirt autographs.

The location was held inside a mall, and unlike in Muncie, there was no radio presence interviewing the Reds as fans walked through the autograph line. It was…quiet. I liked that.

Representing the Reds were Devin Mesoraco, Brandon Phillips, Marty Brenneman, Bob Miller, and Lee May. During Marty’s introductions of everybody, Mesoraco was introduced as “Snacks.” It was jarring. I hope that Devin has a better fate than the last player with that nickname.

The crowd was easily 600 strong, and probably closer to 800 by the time the event was over. We got our autographs about halfway through the event, and the line behind us was longer than when we started. Not being from Bloomington, I don’t know where their baseball allegiances tend to lie, but it was nice to see such support.

A few pictures I took of the event are below.

The whole 2011 Reds Caravan: May, Miller, Brennaman, Phillips, and Mesoraco.

Devin Mesoraco, the future catcher for the Reds, signs a kid's item.

Phillips wears his sunglasses at night and checks his twitter account constantly.

Apparently, Marty Brennaman is left-handed. I don't think I knew that.

The Caravan line stretched down the hallway for much longer than is visible here.

The autograph collection grows.