Dear Bob,Hi. I visited your company last week - you know, the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Club, my favorite company in the whole capitalist world. I drove 8.5 hours from Washington, DC to Ohio where my mom and I took a vacation to watch the last place Reds play. I always make it back to Ohio - where I grew up watching Reds baseball - at least once a year, but I'm usually restricted to watching the Reds in visiting parks on the East Coast during the season. I believe I still attend more Reds games than most fans over the course of a year - I've already hit five this year. I wanted to tell you about my great four days in Cincinnati, Ohio and show you some photos I took while I was there.
What joy it was to finally watch the Reds in their home park! Except Saturday and Sunday, it hardly felt like a home park with all of those obnoxious Deadbirds fans. I was sick of them the moment I saw one of them in Cincinnati. As soon as we pulled up to our hotel, there they were, clogging up the drop off area with their bird covered cars, wandering aimlessly through the lobby, crowding the elevators, and wearing their World Series championship shirts as a slap in the face to us Reds fans. 
I hate that team. The fact that they've won twice the number of World Series we have has something to do with it, but the whole dominance of the NL Central thing during this millennium grates on my last nerve. Then there's that first baseman guy - thought he deserved the MVP last year and all. Oh, and there's that whole "baseball's best fans" b.s. that I can't stand. Of course people are going to come out to the park when you go to the playoffs every year. 
We talked to a bunch of Deadbirds fans who were from places such as Indianapolis and Louisville, places that were traditionally Reds country. You guys did a great thing with the expanded Winter Caravan in the off season and reaching out to the frontiers of the Reds market. I hope we can bring some of these "fans" back with a winner in the coming years. Although judging from the picture, baseball seems to be a burden to some of these folks.
I was surprised to see a number of handmade shirts like these - perhaps the cost of merchandise has created this phenomenon? The cutest one we saw was on the third day when a kid had made his own "Got Homer?" shirt, obviously the result of his mother's refusal to buy him one for $30. Good for her. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a photo of it. There was also a couple with some pro-Bonds shirts - I'm glad I wasn't the only one - but I didn't want to take a picture of them, as they may have broken the camera in doing so.
What a great stadium, really. I've been to countless other games there since its opening, but I think this time I fell in love with it. Maybe it was the perfect weather or the perfect company, but I saw it differently than in the past and think those Reds fans who say "meh" every time they go to the park should take a step back and look at it again. It's a photographer's joy with all of those nooks and angles and the towering toothbrush lights.
When I first saw the smokestacks back in 2003, I thought them a bit gimmicky, but I've grown to really like them. They make the park, in my opinion, especially with B&B Riverboats having moved to Newport so you can see them from the stadium. NY has the apple, the Sausages have the slide, and the Enrons have the train, but fireworks from the smokestacks beats them all. I suppose I'm a little biased, though, with the fireworks being for Reds homers and wins and all.
But enough about the stadium, Bob. I know you didn't have anything to do with its design or construction, but you do have everything to do with the product that plays inside of it. What use is it having a great stadium if the inside is polluted with garbage? The 2007 Reds aren't garbage, though. In fact, during my visit to Ohio, the Reds went 6-2, and my faith in this team was renewed. Greatest comeback ever? I don't know, but 13 games out with 13 to play against the Sausages and 12 to play against the Chub$ means the team may be playing itself back into the race. 
I got goosebumps looking up at that "Cincinnati Reds Est. 1869." That's a long tradition, Bob, a tradition I know you appreciate. It has to be pretty awesome to be in control of the team of your childhood. You know, I was thinking as I spent the second half of the week at a lake in Central Ohio and listening to the Reds game, that Marty Brennaman has seen winning, competitive teams for most of his broadcast career and that this drought is his longest. No wonder he's cranky. But at the moment I was thinking about this, I noticed something that had been absent for much of this season. I noticed enthusiasm. The excitement for Reds baseball was back in his voice. Bob, I think hope has returned to the faithful. Don't break up this team now.
That's enough for today, Bob. I plan to continue this letter to you for the rest of the week because my time in Cincinnati was great! Congrats to Junior for making the All Star team and all, but I hate the All Star break, because I miss Reds baseball during this time! I'm hoping the break doesn't take away the team's momentum. Seems like it's just their luck to start winning when their one break comes. But maybe they'll sit around thinking about how fun the last week was and dare to dream about a comeback. Just maybe the second half will be theirs? Anyway, I'll leave you with a couple more photos and promise there will be plenty more all week. Take care..
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