Florence Mall-Florence, KY:  Do to work, I wasn’t able to make to the Red Caravan down in Louisville, so we decided to make the trip to Florence to see the grand finale’ of the event.  There was a pretty good crowd already when we got there, but found a place to relax.  Brian was able to exert some energy in the kids play area, while Lily and Trevor took time to explore the mall for a bit.  The first Reds representatives on hand were the mascots.  Of course, it was imperative that Brian got to meet them all and get pictures.  He already saw Mr. Redlegs at a game, so here are some of him with Rosie Red and Gapper, and Mr. Red, himself:

About 11:00 a.m.  the players arrived.  On hand included minor league players:  Blake Trahan, Sal Romano, Chris Okey, and Shed Long.  Reds alumni:  Eric Davis, Tom Browning, Chris Welsh, Jeff Brantley, Corky Miller, and Dmitri Young.  Current Reds:  Tim Adleman, Tucker Barnhart, Scott Schebler, and Drew Storen.  Reds manager Bryan Price was also there, as well as GM Dick Williams, and President & CEO Bob Castellini.  The Q&A portion was fun for the adults, but the kids didn’t show much interest.  When the players finally came down to interact with the fans, thing got a little more fun.

To be honest, we didn’t even stand in line to meet the major league players.  The line was much too long, and not worth it yet for Brian, as he doesn’t really know the players yet, anyway.  We’re more of a minor league family, anyway, so we met those guys first.  As you would expect, they were all very nice and happy to sign Brian’s Reds baseball.  They offered cool photos with them and the alumni against a green screen, and have the Great American Ballpark in the background when printed out.  I was more happy to meet the alumni, especially Eric Davis, who I watch play for both the Reds and the Tigers when I was much younger.  They wouldn’t let us get autographs from the alumni, but they did do a nice job of moving things along to keep the line moving.  This was a fun experience, and as much as I’m looking forward to this upcoming season, I look forward to this event next year.

Photos property of Minoring In Baseball

Promotion courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds