Welcome to round 2 of the Jason Romano Commemorative NLC’s hottest baller contest. 15 of the best-looking players on NLC (plus one fella in limbo) face off in a single-elimination tournament.

The first match in our second round features two players from the town of Budweiser. Recent Cardinal Jason LaRue took down Brewers prospect Manny Parra to make it to this second round. Always Cardinal Rick Ankiel survived Cubs prospect Sam Fuld and illegal substance allegations to make it to this round.

Jason LaRue
ht: 5-11 wt: 205 dob: 03/19/1974

Rick Ankiel
ht: 6-1 wt: 210 dob: 7/19/1979

[poll=19]

SARASOTA — The Cincinnati Reds and 2B Brandon Phillips have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a four-year contract through the 2011 season with a club option for 2012. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

Phillips, 26, last season received votes for the National League’s Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and Most Valuable Player awards while earning the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds’ Most Valuable Player.

In 158 games for Cincinnati he hit .288 with 30 HR, 94 RBI and 32 stolen bases in becoming only the second second baseman in Major League history to produce at least 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season.

While establishing single-season franchise records for a second baseman in total bases (315) and home runs (30), in 2007 Phillips also led all National League second sackers in fielding percentage (8e, .990), total chances (782), putouts (341) and assists (433).

Among all Major League second basemen Phillips ranked in the Top 3 in almost every major offensive category. He led the Reds in games (158), runs (107), hits (187), total bases, triples (6), stolen bases and multi-hit games (56).

Former Red and Pirate Sean Casey has signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox for $800,000.

I know that Casey never was the prototypical first baseman–hitting for average instead of power, but I always liked him. Heck, who didn’t? Sure, it was easy to get frustrated with him during his grounding-into-double-play phase, but he contributed more than his fair share of good memories to the Reds.

He’s accepting a backup role for the defending world champion Red Sox. Like when he was with the Tigers, it’ll be nice to see a familiar face in the playoffs. And should the worst happen and the Red Sox repeat, at least I can be happy about Casey getting a ring.

Welcome to round 1 of the Jason Romano Commemorative NLC’s hottest blogger contest. 15 of the best-looking players on NLC (plus one fella in limbo) face off in a single-elimination tournament.

Voting has closed in our first pairing, finding veteran hottie Jason LaRue victorious over underdog Manny Parra. There’s still time to vote in our second match, between Sam Fuld and Rick Ankiel.

Our third pairing sets the Astros’ Brandon Backe against the Reds’ Brandon Phillips. I suspect that this is the 1-16 seed game, but maybe Backe will surprise me.

Brandon Backe
ht: 6-0 wt: 195 dob: 4/5/1978

OK, so this battle of the Brandons might be more fair if it were Brandon Claussen representing the Reds, but Backe isn’t bad, especially by Astros standards. And his 3-1 record in 5 games last season would have trounced Claussen.

Brandon Phillips
ht: 6-0 wt: 195 dob: 6/28/1981

A new member of the 30-30 club, a spectacular fielder, and the subject of debate over his parental status, Phillips may be the single-most exciting player on the Reds right now. And that includes Mike Stanton!

[poll=11]

In yet another affectionate display of loyalty to the team that traded his home-town discount ass to Cincinnati, Bronson Arroyo was seen gushing at a concert in the Boston area:

But near the end of Bronson’s set, he threw a zinger into the music: a cover of Augustana’s 2007 summer ballad “Boston.” And what did the guy do, knowing that former GM Theo Epstein was watching from the backstage wings?

Dude totally modified the lyrics, making what one could view as either a nostalgic gesture toward the old crowd or, as we’d like to think, a plea for his old job!

“I think I need to get back to Boston,” he sings. (We couldn’t hear the next couple of lines because some of the women of the crowd were freaking out) “I need to get out of Cincinnati, I think I need the Olde Towne to fill my heart again.”

Seriously, what is this guy like when women dump him?