You know the drought of baseball news is about to break when you start hearing about the Reds Caravan. A couple weeks after that it’ll be pitchers and catchers reporting, then the drama of who’s going to make the roster, then, before you know it, Opening Day.

The dates, stops, and players on the tour have been announced, and it is an impressive line-up. Kudos to the Reds for convincing these guys to come out; it’s a good enough line-up that I’m thinking I’ll be heading to two of the locations.

Here’s the low-down:

Northern Leg

In attendance will be:

• Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman
• All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips
• broadcaster and former pitcher Chris Welsh
• minor league catcher Tucker Barnhart
• Assistant General Manager Bob Miller
• mascot Gapper

Southern Leg

In attendance will be:

• broadcaster Jim Kelch
• broadcaster and former pitcher Jeff Brantley
• infielder Todd Frazier (a more powerful draw this year than he was when he was on the western leg last year)
• pitcher Logan Ondrusek (Thurs. and Fri. only)
• 2012 minor league Player of the Year Billy Hamilton (see note on Frazier above)
• VP of Baseball Operations Dick Williams
• mascot Rosie Red (the best of the mascots)

Western Leg (and the only one I really care about)

In attendance will be:

• broadcaster Thom Brennaman
• President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty
• All-Star outfielder Jay Bruce (Thurs. & Fri. only) – Don’t forget to congratulate him on getting married
• pitcher Homer Bailey (Sat. & Sun. only) – Let’s start calling him Mr. No Hitter
• veteran catcher Corky Miller – I hope he brings the ‘stache
• minor league outfielder Ryan LaMarre
• Reds COO Phil Castellini
• mascot Mr. Redlegs

There’s some fine print about the even at GABP and other details available on the Caravan post at Reds.com.

The Hall of Fame voting results were released today. Apparently, it was no huge loss when the fine men who retired at the end of 2007 left the game, because not a one of them was voted in this time around.

Yeah.

I didn’t watch the program that was on the MLB Network today at noon with the results. I wonder how Bob Costas filled up all that time.

And the winner is….no one!<lack of thunderous applause>

There are some pretty big names on that list, but of course the rumors that that these guys used steroids keeping these guys out of the Hall.

I don’t know: on the one hand, they should have known better. On the other the whole Major League environment was begging them for more and more home runs. Punish the players, sure, but how are you going to similarly punish all the other people who contributed to this fustercluck?

Thankfully, this is a temporary problem and eventually their names will roll of the ballot, one way or the other. Then self-righteous reporters who managed not to notice the steroids at the time when reporting on it might have actually done something productive can shut up about how morally superior they are for refusing to vote these guys in.

The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of who was voted in by writers on Wednesday of this week. Of the 37 former players on the ballot, seven of them have ties to the Cincinnati Reds.

• Lee Smith
• Reggie Sanders
• David Wells
• Jeff Conine
• Royce Clayton
• Todd Walker
• Mike Stanton

Of these players, Sanders is the only one anyone would consider a Red. Sanders was drafted by the Reds in the 1987 draft and played his first eight Major League seasons for Cincinnati.

For the most part, the others were all with the Reds towards the end of their careers, long after their most effective seasons. Smith was traded to the Reds in 1996 for a portion of the season. The Reds traded for Wells to help them down the stretch in their division-winning 1995 campaign. Although I don’t remember it, Conine was with the team for most of 2007 before being traded to the New York Mets. Clayton was, of course, received during former general manager Wayne Krivsky’s horrible trade of 2006. Walker was the team’s second baseman for 2001 and 2002. And Stanton was another one of Krivsky’s horrible moves. Stanton was signed for 2 years for what would be his age 40 and 41 seasons. He last just one of those years before being released.

Of these players, the only ones with any real Hall of Fame chances are Lee Smith and Reggie Sanders, and neither are likely to make it. Smith held the record for the most career saves for many years, but the voters still haven’t realized that closers, much like designated hitters, are legitimate baseball positions that deserve representation in the Hall. That’s unlikely to change this year.

As for Sanders, he was an accomplished player, but is likely resigned to the Hall of Very Good. Over his career, he accumulated an average of .267, an on-base percentage of .343, and a slugging percentage of .487. Not bad, but not Hall of Fame caliber. His best years was 1995 when he hit 28 of his 305 home runs, and helped the Reds win the Central Division.

So no players who played for Cincinnati are likely to be voted in this year. But then, if you believe what Deadspin says, it’s likely that no players will be voted in.

On December 22, 2012, Ryan Freel was found dead in his home in Florida, killed by a self-inflicted shotgun wound. He was the father of three, the oldest of whom just celebrated her eighth birthday. He was 36.

As you may have noticed, I’ve put off writing about this. It seemed like a topic that deserved some quiet reflection, which there isn’t time for in the days leading up to Christmas. That didn’t stop it from affecting my holiday season, though. Of course, Ryan Freel isn’t a close friend or family member, but it felt weird to continue being jovial while it was in the back of my mind. Everybody brought it up in conversation. It made for somber holiday party chit-chat.

Still, as the days went by the shock and sorrow of the news gradually dimmed compared to the happy memories. How, before games at different ballparks, he used to confirm with the umpires what he was allowed to climb on to in order to make catches. Farney. The time he had a little too much domestic beer at Applebee’s and tried to start a cheer for Danny Graves. I just can’t help but laugh thinking about those times.

I remember when Reds and Blues used a South Park character generator to make pictures of the whole roster, but Freel was on the DL, so I thought I saw my opportunity. The R&B Freel character appeared online just minutes before mine did. I was never so mad at Joel as right then.

I remember how Freel’s was the first and only autograph I ever sought out, and how my husband had the t-shirt framed for mother’s day one year. That t-shirt still hangs on the wall; I’m looking at it as I write this. I remember how he and his wife appeared at that inappropriately-and-somewhat-offensively-named “Baseball 101” program that the Reds put on, and how all those fiercely devoted old lady Reds fans adored him.

But mostly I remember the joy it brought my soul to watch a person commit so completely, win or lose. These days, most people probably don’t remember when I used to write “Human League” profiles about the players, but Freel was one of the first, and this was something I dug up from that post:

Wherever he’s playing, Freel has a reckless disregard for his own safely and will fling himself into walls, stands, the ground, other players, or anything else that stands between him and the ball. He has broken the arm of one fan and the nose of another, and a near-collision with Barry Larkin resulted in aggravation of an existing injury for the veteran shortstop.

But mostly if anyone gets hurt, it’s going to be Freel. He’s had bruises, fractures, strains, tears, you-name-it, but he always seems to bounce back quickly. Freel is a frequent Web Gem Nominee because his defensive plays often appear to be, if not impossible, at least highly improbable.

Or perhaps a better paragraph to end on would be this one:

When you select a player’s jersey to wear, you’re honoring that player, but you’re also sending a message to the world about yourself. When you elect to don #6, you’re telling the world that you appreciate passion, energy, and a can-do attitude. You’re saying that you aren’t afraid of embarassement, pain, or hefty emergency room bills. You’re saying that you don’t wait around for things to happen; you make your own destiny.

RedsZone.com put together a fundraiser for suicide prevention in his honor, and Freel’s family is donating his brain tissue to head trauma research. Make your kids wear their helmets, guys.

When the news broke of Ryan Freel’s suicide last week, it made for a very sad evening at the RHM household. During Freel’s time with the Cincinnati Reds, he was the most entertaining athlete on the field and a joy to watch. The news of his passing just before Christmas was difficult to handle.

Some good news has come out of the tragedy, though. The Reds fan forum RedsZone has organized an effort to raise funds for the Cincinnati branch of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Ryan Freel’s recent death has shocked Reds nation and affected many individuals, both in the Reds family and elsewhere. Ryan Freel was a beloved member of the Reds family, and gave fans a reason to cheer at every game. From his diving catch in GABP to rob Pujols, to his fearless vault into the stands of Coors field, to the game where he stole second, third, and home, he always gave his all to help the team.

So, in his honor, RedsZone.com would like to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Cincinnati Branch, so that Freel’s tragic death doesn’t have to be in vain. From Christmas Eve to the end of January, donations of any amount will be accepted and then 100% of the money will be given to AFSP-Cincinnati.

Donations can be made online through YouCaring.com.