Cincinnati Reds honor the career of one of their all-time greats

The Cincinnati Reds honored the end of the career of Bronson Arroyo at the end of the season.

The Cincinnati Reds don’t have much to celebrate this year.  The starting rotation was historically bad for most of the year and their entire opening day rotation spent some time on the disabled list.  One of those pitchers was the venerable veteran, Bronson Arroyo, who ended his playing days in June after an injury occurred in Chicago.

Arroyo was famous in Cincinnati for so many different things.  He had the high leg kick and the twelve to six curve.  He had the long hair to go with the guitar playing of a rock star.

Arroyo was born in Key West, Florida, and it suits his personality.  He owns a house boat and plans to float away during the off-season.  We can all imagine never seeing Arroyo in the public eye again.

In many ways Arroyo was the consummate teammate and the ultimate loner at the same time.  When the media interviewed Arroyo, he repeatedly mentioned how much he loved being alone in the off-season.  In his next breath, however, he mentions how much he loves spending time with his teammates.

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In his private life not many people were aware of his marriage.  He and his ex-wife were married from 2000 to 2008.  He kept both the marriage and the divorce away from the public eye.

While Bronson Arroyo may have preferred riding into the sunset, his career with the Cincinnati Reds was celebrated in the spotlight.

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On the second to last home game of the season, the Reds celebrated Arroyo’s career.  The fans probably respect him the most for his legendary durability during his time with the team.  He topped 200 innings every season from 2005 through 2013 except for the one in which he pitched 199.

In 2004 Arroyo played with the Boston Red Sox when they won the World Series.  It was appropriate that they were present when his career ended.  The Reds gave Arroyo several retirement gifts.  

Former teammates also left messages trying to convince him to start a new career in coaching or scouting.

The Reds gave Arroyo a rocking chair for the “old man.”  They also gave him a custom guitar and case made from an old road jersey.  After the game Arroyo came out a and covered Pearl Jam songs for forty minutes.  

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That was a fitting end to Arroyo’s baseball career.  He was great at what he did, but he was always something more.  Now he can go do more with the rest of his life.