Service time, Mike Leake bobbleheads and big decisions

The arrival of the 2010 season generated plenty of excitement for fans of the local ball club. All-Star talent was deployed across the field, from youngsters Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to veterans Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips. Four-fifths of Dusty Baker’s rotation had been settled. Aaron Harang, Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey would inaugurate the season in that order.

A pitched battle (heh) for the fifth rotation slot between rookies Mike Leake and Travis Wood had played out during spring training. Reds general manager Walt Jocketty decided to put Leake on the Opening Day roster. Leake, with ragged blonde hair and scruffy beard, had been drafted out of Arizona State as a…