Here (above) I captured Lou and the Disney XD Girls in the season ticket holder-only line waiting eagerly for a rare and highly coveted Jack Hannahan autograph. Moments before, I photographed (below) the National League's 1988 Rookie of the Year, Spuds MacKenzie!
Whereas every other player/former player/broadcaster who may be signing autographs sits behind their designated table, creating an impenetrable barrier between demi-god and mortal, Chris Sabo was out in front and spent a minute or two talking with every fan who came through his autograph line. As I said to Lou, by way of explaining his contrary approach, "Sabo has always been different."
While Lou and the Disney XD Crew were in line for Jack Hanna-Barbera, I drifted over to the mainstage area grabbing a few minutes seat time and watched some outfit calling themselves Funky D or G or some other random letter of the alphabet butcher soul classics such as Kool and the Gang's "Get Down On It" and the Ray Beal classic "Word Up!" by Cameo. I was prepared to storm the stage one-man gang style and bring the curtain down on Funky Zzzz had they wrecked the Dazz Band's "Let It Whip." Lucky for Funky and the Flunkies, I became distracted by the agent for secret society world domination seated directly in front of me attempting to appear inconspicuous.
Somebody remind me next year to wear my International Order of Loyal Raccoons uniform to RedsFest 2014.
Exploring further afield, I caught glimpse of Dat Dude Wants Traded on the Wiffleball field.
RedsFest draws in luminaries from every field of endeavor in Cincinnati. Impeded by an overwhelming throng, I was unable to photograph Professional League of American Rules Football legend Elbert "Ickey" Woods. The throng was considerably less dense surrounding another PLARF legend, David "Full Rock" Fulcher.
Ultimately, I was shut out of autograph opportunities in my limited time at this year's RedsFest (and due strictly to my own disinterest in those players whom I would have had the opportunity... like Manny Parra). The photograph lines at RedsFest for retired players tend to be criminally brief and as a result I waited in line for less than 5 minutes to have my photograph taken with "Mr Perfect," Tom Browning.
Seeing how much fun I was having with Mr Perfect, reminiscing about bygone days, the Disney XD Gang stampeded the empty corral for their own photo with a living Reds legend.
If I weren't the incorrigible narcissist, this would be my 2013 Xmas picture. It was sweet that he took them by the hand. From what little I experienced of the event this year, RedsFest was again a smashing success. Credit to the Castellini's and everyone in the Reds organization as well as the sponsors, vendors and army of volunteers who were involved with the planning and execution. Particular congratulations directed at my two covert sources deep within the Reds organization, code named BOSS and CAMPBELL.
Hooray for the Cincinnati Reds!
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In November, the leading paleontologist of the western Carolina's vacated his secluded mountaintop retreat for a Thanksgiving visit to his bucolic boyhood homestead. Attended by His Girl Friday, the Belle of Rock Island (wait, that sounds like a steamship. Forget that...) Kristan aka "Dr. K." I escorted them on a quiet post-Thanksgiving Day dinner at an historic regional landmark which will go unidentified here.
Do not waste your time looking in the photograph above for clues as to where we dined that evening, and certainly you should disregard the sculpture of a golden lamb above the mantel. Behind us was a roaring fire and immediately outside the windows the city burghers were holding their annual Christmas Tree lighting. After our dinner, we briefly toured the establishment's upstairs hotel. I found Andy sitting rather uncomfortably upon a high-backed, narrow-benched, multi-hyphenated antique seat. I thought it presented an hilarious opportunity to have us photographed seated in grim-faced discomfort as all 19th century visitors must have similarly experienced when seated upon this objet d'woodworking torture. Andy worked a little sepia tone magic on his version and submitted it for publication here.
We kill us!
I have declassified this portion of his attached email:
Somehow I think it ends up being a great question for "which items in this picture are an example of anachronism?" but we don't have to go there. Congrats on having a better stern 18th century visage than I do.
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My trusty Android fails to capture with exacting detail the assorted atmospheric images I sometimes wish to record. A bright golden light along the horizon escaped dense winter cloud cover across a valley in the outlaw territory of our beloved old District.
The 'droid muted the colors and tonality but still, I think, it makes for an evocative photo of mid-century Middle West Pax Americana.
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Ending where we began, I seize upon every opportunity to avail myself of the old This Week in Baseball closing theme. In keeping with RedsFest and revered former Redlegs, please enjoy the following Sean Casey-intensive "This Week in MLB Network" clip from October 4th, 2013.
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