PIC PAGE UPDATE @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM WITH #REDS & #BENGALS PICS #beyondthestripes #whodey #letsroar #goReds #MLB pic.twitter.com/9go3HsZsGq
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 19, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Photo Page Update
Thursday, August 13, 2015
MLB All-Star Kickoff 2015
Sting's SummerSlam Surprise
SummerSlam is
WWE’s biggest event of the summer and its second biggest event of the year
behind Wrestlemania. With this year’s edition being extended to four hours, one
has to expect it be at the same level if not better than Wrestlemania. The card
is shaping up nicely with matches that should be entertaining to watch but one
match stands out from the rest. That bout, of course, is the Wrestlemania 30
rematch between the beast and the phenom.
Brock Lesnar and
the Undertaker are set to square off in the main event of SummerSlam and while
it looks great on paper, I can’t help but worry that this match will drag like
their bout at Wrestlemania 30 did. The only thing memorable about their
encounter at the 2014 edition of the showcase of the immortals was the jaw
dropping finish in which Lesnar ended the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at
Wrestlemania. So how can WWE salvage the match that is going to headline their
second biggest event of the year? Enter Sting.
The vigilante
has not been seen since Wrestlemania 31 after he was defeated by Triple H. What
better way to reintroduce Sting to the WWE universe by having him interfere in
the SummerSlam main event and cost the dead man the match? This is how I would
book the ending of the bout.
After a grueling
battle between the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, the phenom has gained the upper
hand and is about to tombstone the beast and claim the retribution that he has
been so desperately craving since Wrestlemania 30. The Undertaker picks up
Lesnar and slams his skull into the mat. As the dead man crosses the arms of
the beast in rest in piece fashion for the pin, the lights go out as the cry of
a crow echoes throughout the arena.
When the lights
turn back on, the Undertaker is standing across the ring from the baseball bat-wielding
vigilante. The crowd is roaring in shock and excitement as two of the biggest
names in wrestling share the same ring for the first time in history. Then
Sting makes his move. He swings for the fences and misses, allowing the phenom
to pick up the vigilante in preparation for the tombstone. Before he can
deliver the blow though, Sting manages to reverse the signature move of the
dead man into a scorpion death drop. The vigilante connects and stands up and
surveys the carnage in the ring. The lights go out and the cry of the crow
echoes throughout the arena as Sting disappears.
When the lights
turn back on, Lesnar, having recovered from the tombstone, staggers over to the
Undertaker, picks up the limp body of the phenom, and delivers an F5 to the dead
man for the pin and the win. This makes the Undertaker look strong in defeat,
allows Lesnar to still remain undefeated since 2013, and more importantly, it
sets up the long awaited dream match between Sting and the Undertaker at
Wrestlemania 32.
That is how I
would book the ending to the SummerSlam main event. It has shock value,
violence, and it tells an intriguing story that will culminate in the biggest
dream match in wrestling history. Hopefully this prediction I have for
SummerSlam is correct and proves to be more than fantasy booking on my part!
Friday, August 7, 2015
Paul O'Neill Bobblehead Unboxing
Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2015 Paul O'Neill bobblehead from the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.
Bobblehead Page Update
#BOBBLEHEAD PAGE UPDATE WITH A NEW #REDS NODDER @ http://t.co/7szAEAxyiu #GoReds #ATOBTTR #CINvsARZ #Bengals #MLB pic.twitter.com/RZoRkf7uVU
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 7, 2015
2015 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Bobbleheads Review
Earlier this year I wrote a blog post previewing the 2015
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum series of bobbleheads. They gave away
five different nodders on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from April to August
and all were of a member of the 1990 World Series Championship Cincinnati Reds
team. In this post, I will share my thoughts on every bobblehead I received
from the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.
The first bobblehead I got from the Reds Hall of Fame and
Museum was of former first baseman Todd Benzinger. I thought this was an
awesome looking bobblehead and a great way to start of the series as Benzinger
had never been immortalized as a bobblehead. The pose they chose was also
topnotch. It features Benzinger making the final out in the fourth game of the
World Series to both end the game and give the Reds their fifth World Series
title in franchise history.
The second bobblehead was of Joe Oliver. He was the popular
catcher on the 1990 team whose clutch hitting scored Billy Bates in walk off
fashion in Game 2 to put the Reds ahead two games to none over the Athletics.
In fact, that moment is what the bobblehead was based on and in my opinion,
they mirrored that moment almost perfectly.
The third bobblehead of the series was of Billy Hatcher. He
was one of the most popular outfielders on the 1990 team and also serves as the
current first base coach for the Reds. Hatcher being featured as a bobblehead
was a no-brainer because of his record setting performance in the series as he
had a batting average of .750. I’m shocked that he hadn’t been featured as a
bobblehead sooner because he is just as popular today if not more than he was
in 1990 with members of Reds Country. They did a nice job with this nodder, and
it is my personal favorite of the bunch.
The fifth bobblehead was of Ohio native and former Reds
outfielder Paul O’Neill. This was the last bobblehead the Reds Hall of Fame and
Museum gave away, and they picked an excellent player to immortalize as a
nodder. Even though he might be more famous as a Yankee than a Red, he will
always be considered a member of the Redlegs to me and to other members of Reds
Country. This bobblehead looks great and was a fantastic way to end the series.
It was also flying out of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum as its release was
on the same day as the Devin Mesoraco bobblehead game and virtually every fan
who attended the game hit the hall before going to the game. That’s what I did,
and at the end of the night, I left the game with both the O’Neill bobblehead
and the Mesoraco bobblehead.
You probably noticed that I did not pick up the fourth
bobblehead in the series. It was of Tom Browning, one of the pitchers on the
team. The reason I did not go and pick up this one was because I have a
Cincinnati Reds Tom Browning bobblehead that the team gave away in 2008, and I
usually only collect one bobblehead of a player per team.
In conclusion, the 2015 series of Cincinnati Reds Hall of
Fame and Museum bobbleheads were great and the best series of nodders that they
have done to date. My only gripe with the series is Browning being featured as
I thought that should have gone with somebody else other than him as he has
already been featured as a Reds bobblehead. I think Jose Rijo, Glenn Braggs,
and Lou Pinella would have been great choices. Hopefully the Reds or the Reds
Hall of Fame and Museum make bobbleheads of these guys in the future. If you
were not able to get your hands on any of these bobbleheads, then eBay is your
best bet to find them. All fans of the Reds need these bobbleheads in their
collection as they celebrate the only wire-to-wire team in the history of the
Cincinnati Reds.
Make sure you check out the unboxing videos for these bobbleheads by clicking here!
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Photo Page Update
PIC PAGE UPDATE WITH #REDS VS #CARDINALS PICS @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM #GoReds #STLvsCIN #ATOBTTR #MLB #baseball #NFL pic.twitter.com/Lrq4i49lBQ
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 6, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Photo Page Update
PIC PAGE UPDATE WITH #BENGALS PICS @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM #NFL #TrainingCamp #whodey #letsroar #TC53 #football #mlb pic.twitter.com/KkSzZ2NBlI
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 2, 2015
Devin Mesoraco Bobblehead Unboxing
Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2015 SGA Cincinnati Reds Devin Mesoraco bobblehead.
Bobblehead Page Update
#BOBBLEHEAD PAGE UPDATE WITH NEW #REDS NODDER @ http://t.co/7szAEAxyiu #Mesorocket #PITvsCIN #ATOBTTR #GoReds #MLB pic.twitter.com/oNDlhJtvY3
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 2, 2015
Photo Page Update
PIC PAGE UPDATE WITH #PIRATES VS #REDS GAME PICS @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM #GoReds #PITvsCIN #Bobblehead #MLB #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/7IaxMEGaPz
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 2, 2015
Friday, July 31, 2015
Wrestlemania 22 3-Disc DVD Set Review
Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.
In 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment presented its 22nd
edition of the showcase of the immortals in front of the always-rowdy Chicago
crowd. It was a fun event that had a lot of memorable moments and as soon as
WWE released it on DVD, I immediately picked it up for my home viewing
pleasure. With this being an individual Wrestlemania DVD set, all three discs
of the Wrestlemania 22 DVD set deal with Wrestlemania 22 in some sort of
fashion.
Disc 1 contains some vignettes, the pre-Wrestlemania18-man
interpromotional battle royal between the superstars of Raw and Smackdown, and
the first few hours of Wrestlemania 22 as it starts with the traditional
singing of “America the Beautiful” before ending with the announcement of where
Wrestlemania 23 will take place. When viewing the first disc, I recommend
watching the battle royal before the actual event in order to get the full
Wrestlemania 22 experience.
Disc 2 contains the rest of the Wrestlemania 22 event as
well as a ton of extras. Should you choose to continue watching Wrestlemania
22, the second disc picks up immediately where the first disc left off as the
very entertaining triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship is
the first match you will see. The extras included on disc 2 are what really
make this DVD set shine. Aside from the home video exclusives that feature Mick
Foley getting stitches and Rey Mysterio celebrating his World Heavyweight
Championship victory, you also get to see the entire Wrestlemania Post Show,
John Cena on Raw the night after Wrestlemania 22 addressing the hostile Chicago
crowd that almost booed him out of the city, and Saturday Night’s Main Event
that occurred a few weeks before Wrestlemania 22 in its entirety.
Disc 3 contains the entire WWE Hall of Fame induction
ceremony that featured the inductions of former Chicago Bear William “The
Refrigerator” Perry, the late great Eddie Guerrero, and Bret “Hit Man” Hart
among others. I enjoyed the induction ceremony and the Wrestlemania 22 edition
had some very entertaining moments that make it worth a watch.
The packaging of this 3-disc set looks very cool as it
features all of the competitors in what were arguably the night’s biggest
matches as well as the classic Wrestlemania logo in which the “R” and the “S”
are connected. Inside the case are the discs and pictures from the event with
the two biggest pictures being of the then World Heavyweight Champion Rey
Mysterio and the then WWE Champion John Cena.
Overall, the Wrestlemania 22 3-disc DVD set is a very nice
home video version of the event. It contains the entire Wrestlemania 22
pay-per-view, the entire pre-Wrestlemania 22 Saturday Night’s Main Event
television special, and the entire WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Most of
the matches on the card were fantastic and had me in awe. Shawn Michaels
dropping a massive elbow on to Vince McMahon from an enormous ladder, Edge
spearing Mick Foley through a flaming table, and the Money in the Bank ladder
match acrobatics are just a few of the cool moments from this event. It is
relatively cheap and easy to find today, so add it to your Wrestlemania
collection.
Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 23 DVD review!
Friday, July 24, 2015
The Cancelled Bobblehead
Please note that this was written before the All-Star teams
were announced.
If you have been a fan of my website, then you know that I
am a collector of bobbleheads and a diehard fan of the Cincinnati Reds. When
the Reds release their promotional schedule, I always look for the games that
feature a bobblehead giveaway so that I can get tickets for it and add the new
nodder to my collection. One bobblehead on the 2015 schedule that caught my eye
was a special “2015 All-Star player” bobblehead. With the Reds hosting the 2015
midsummer classic, the team decided to give away a nodder of a Reds player that
made the All-Star team with the player being featured in what I would guess to
be the National League All-Star uniform. Unfortunately for bobblehead fans, it
appears that this nodder has been cancelled.
As I was looking at the Reds promotional schedule to see if
the third “Stars of the Queen City” bobblehead had been revealed, I noticed
that the “2015 All-Star player” bobblehead game had been changed. Instead of
giving out a bobblehead, the team is now giving out a figurine of a Reds player
that makes the All-Star team. Talk about disappointing.
This was one of the bobbleheads I had been looking forward
to most this season. Last year, the team gave away what I consider to be the
best Reds bobblehead of all time in that it was a 2015 All-Star Game Mr.
Redlegs nodder. It is a timeless nodder considering that it features a mascot
and not a player, and it has an outstanding look to it. I was expecting
something similar this year when the team announced that they would give away a
bobblehead of a Reds player who made the All-Star team.
If you look at the Reds record though, it is easy to see why
the team has decided to with a figurine instead of a bobblehead. As I write
this, the Reds are in fourth in the National League Central and have once again
been ravaged by injuries. Combine that with frustratingly bad play and the
results have not been pretty. Fans have noticed this too as it appears that
Todd Frazier might be the only Reds player at the 2015 All-Star game. Shortstop
Zack Cozart was having a great year and was in contention to make the All-Star
team, but a terrible leg injury has him on the shelf for the rest of the year,
leaving Frazier as the lone Reds player to possibly make the team.
I would have loved to see Cozart make the team and have him immortalized
as the All-Star bobblehead. Frazier had a bobblehead game very early in the
season, and I doubt fans would shell out the cash for another Frazier
bobblehead or any Reds other player for that matter. As I write this, Phillips
and Votto have gained ground in the All-Star voting for their positions, but
Phillips, like Frazier, has already had a bobblehead game this season, and
Votto seemingly has one every other year.
With it being slim pickings for Reds All-Stars, the team has
decided to play it safe and give out a figurine instead of a bobblehead. The
figurine might turn out to look pretty cool, but bobbleheads are and always
will be cooler. It is out of my hands though, and if I like how the figurine
looks, I might head to Great American Ball Park to get it.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Photo Page Update
PHOTO PAGE UPDATE WITH #REDS vs #CUBS PICS @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM #GoReds #CHCvsCIN #ATOBTTR #LetsPlayTwo #MLB #wwe pic.twitter.com/F4wUDTm5nf
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 23, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Photo Page Update
PIC PAGE UPDATE @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM WITH #REDS GAME & TODD FRAZIER AUTO SIGNING PICS #Reds #OhioCup #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/MJ6JCILYc5
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 19, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
My All-Star Week Experience
The 2015 edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
took place on Tuesday, July 14, and in the end, the American League topped the
National League by a score of 6-3. It was a fun game to watch, and it capped
off an incredible week of baseball activities. I tried to soak up as much of
the All-Star Game festivities as I could, and in this post, I will discuss what
I was up to during All-Star week.
Things officially kicked off with the opening of the MLB
All-Star Game FanFest on Friday. I went to it and was blown away by everything
they had there. They had a lot of cool exhibits that dealt with not only the
Cincinnati Reds but with some of the all-time greats to have ever played the
sport of baseball. There were exhibits about the Negro League, women in
baseball, and the baseball hall of fame. After the All-Star FanFest closed for
the day, I went up to Fountain Square in the center of the city. Buildings and
skywalks were decked out in All-Star decorations, and you could feel the excitement
in Cincinnati building as the midsummer classic drew near. There was a concert
at Fountain Square as the band, Saint Hotel, rocked the heart of downtown after
a baseball themed fireworks display illuminated the night sky. It was a
fantastic day and an excellent way to start All-Star week with a bang.
The next day I went to a celebrity softball game. It was not
the official MLB Celebrity Softball Game. The one I went to was called the
Celebrity Softball Challenge. It featured a lot of local celebrities playing
softball for charity. The game featured Team Johnny Bench taking on Team
Evander Holyfield. Players on the teams included a few members of the
Cincinnati Bengals such as Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill, a Cincinnati radio
DJ named Meat, Tae Bo fitness guru Billy Blanks, and a few members of the
Columbus Blue Jackets. This was a very entertaining game and you could tell
that the celebrities were having fun. In the end, Team Bench destroyed Team
Holyfield.
On Monday, the day of the Home Run Derby, I went back to the
All-Star Game FanFest. The different booths and stations there were giving out
a lot of free stuff, and I managed to pick up some really cool things for my
sports memorabilia collection. I also got the autograph of Amos Otis, a former
player of the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets among other teams. I
also did the “Steal a Base Challenge” in which you race an MLB player on a
screen. I chose to race Billy Hamilton and in the end, I beat him! I also went
to the All-Star Game Block Party. There were games, a zip line, and an
autograph session that featured former player and current co-host of the show
“Intentional Talk,” Kevin Millar.
In the end, I found All-Star week to be a blast and now that
the game is over and all the festivities of the midsummer classic are no longer
in Cincinnati, I’m a little sad. This was the first time I had ever seen the
city and the surrounding area come together and put on a spectacle for the rest
of the nation to see and enjoy. Cincinnati truly shined in the national spotlight,
and I cannot wait to see what happens the next time the MLB All-Star Game comes
to the Queen City.
Check out pictures from All-Star week on the “Photos” page
and keep an eye out for my trilogy of All-Star week vlogs!
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Photo Page Update
PIC PAGE UPDATE @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM WITH #ASG PICS #Reds #ASG2015 #AllStarGame #HRDerby #FanFest #FranchiseFour pic.twitter.com/Ac5lKBiTPF
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 15, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Mr. Redlegs 2015 All-Star Game Edition Bobblehead Review
Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews a 2014 Cincinnati Reds SGA Mr. Redlegs 2015 All-Star Game Edition bobblehead.
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