I didn't think I was going to do a Cincinnati Reds episode this year. For most of 2020, the Reds seemed to be spinning their wheels. They finally put together a top notch pitching staff but their hitters steadfastly refused to approach competence. It looked to be another long season--even though it was only 60 games. But lo and behold! Comedian and Queen City native Mark Chalifoux (The Dad) is stopping by to talk Redlegs baseball! As the late Fred Willard once asked, "Hey, wha happa?" Well, suddenly in mid-September, it was like Reds hitters looked up at the clouds and saw the face of Mufasa (voiced by Ted Kluszewski) commanding "Remember who you are." From that point forward, it was as if their offensive philosophy could be summed up as "Oh right...I AM Joey Votto!" And Joey Votto is one of the best things you can be as a baseball player. In this episode, we pay tribute to Votto's awesomeness in many ways: The greatest hitter of this generation. A secret stand-up comedy fan. A Canadian national treasure. And, along with fellow paragon of awesomeness Amir Garrett, part of the wokest pair of team leaders in a sport that desperately needs more wokeness. We also discuss the opposite of wokeness: Thom Brennaman. As Mark indicates, Reds fans are properly appalled and that's actually a great thing. And we start the episode with a spirited debate on the merits of Trevor Bauer. There's no denying he's been a great pitcher this year. But SPOILER ALERT: as a Cub fan, I find Bauer repulsive. As a fellow human being, I think he's even worse. But like the Reds season, let's end on an upbeat note: Joseph Daniel Votto. Yeah, that's the good stuff... Twitter: @KenSchultz_ @MarkChalifoux Insta: @kenthinguy @markchalifoux Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices