Joey Votto and the Big Donkey

2007 was a weird time to be a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, if those of you who can recall shall recall.

They hadn’t won anything in forever - a feeling that certainly still resonates to fans who weren’t yet fans at that point. The Ken Griffey, Jr. Era was crawling to a close, GABP had opened its doors and begun to prove it was far too small, Josh Hamilton was a flash in the Reds pan, and the pitching staff consisted of Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, and 11 jugs machines set to 84 mph.

The future at that time, however, finally looked to be incredibly bright, something that couldn’t have been said for this franchise with any sort of legitimacy for years. Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey were neck and…