After spending eight years in the AA, the Reds took their act to the National League in 1890 and currently play in the NL Central Division. The name ?Reds? was inspired by baseball's first openly all-pro team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, which was founded in 1863. Dusty Baker currently field manages the Reds with Walt Jocketty as general manager. The club has been playing its homes games since 2003 at the modern Great American Ball Park, which stands beside where the club's former home, Riverfront Stadium, used to be.

Important moments and accomplishments

In their more than 100 years of existence the Reds have enjoyed good success. They won the inaugural AA season in 1882 and thereafter won the World Series five times ? 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976 and 1990. They have made the postseason 12 times and won NL pennants 10 times.

The 1930s are an important period for the club as it saw the Reds come out of bankruptcy brought about by The Great Depression. The Crosley brothers, Powel and Lewis, bought the Reds and made the club a contender once again. Before the end of the decade the Reds were back in top form and come 1940 beat the Detroit Tigers en route to winning their second World Series title.

For a brief time in the 1950s, the Reds were forced to change their name to the ?Redlegs,? no thanks to the arrival of the Red Scare during the period. The owners felt that the name ?Reds? might be associated with communism which at that time was growing in popularity. Eventually the team reverted to the ?Reds? at the start of the next decade.

The ?60s ushered in the advent of future stars for the Reds. Jim Maloney, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench and Gary Nolan were some of the players who came on board and team up with future Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson.

The 1970s though could be considered as the team's best period in the Majors. During this time the Reds piled winning records in all but one year (1971) in the disco years. Bannered by a team that was fittingly called ?The Big Red Machine,? the Reds made the decade a time to remember for the franchise as they won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976, and won NL pennants four times.

The ?80s were a down time for the Reds that saw them struggle, highlighted by numerous controversies, notably the banning of legend Rose by the MLB for his involvement in gambling. But as has been customary for the club, the Reds rose again from obscurity to take their fifth World Series championship in 1990.

Pitchers in the current roster

Jeremy Affeldt

Bronson Arroyo

Homer Bailey

Bill Bray

Jared Burton

Francisco Cordero

Johnny Cueto

Aaron Harang

Daniel Ray Herrera

Mike Lincoln

Bobby Livingston

Gary Majewski

Nick Masset

Micah Owings

Tyler Pelland

Ramon Ramirez

Josh Roenicke

Daryl Thompson

Edinson Volquez

David Weathers

Cincinnati Reds recent news

The rebuilding process that started last season with the departure of mainstays Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn and David Ross continues for the Reds this offseason as they try to make their way back to competitiveness. They are training their sights on improving their offense, possibly a right-hand hitter, who could deliver the goods consistently for the team. Jocketty and the Reds are mulling going the way of free agency but are also considering player acquisitions via direct trades.

Starting all over again may prove downright messy and ugly at times. But the Reds throughout their existence have shown the ability to rise from the ashes. And with a young nucleus that has so much potential, the future for the Reds looks bright.