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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Vottomatic Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds SGA bobblehead of Vottomatic.
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Autograph Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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Is It Worth It?


I love the Cincinnati Reds. They are my team when it comes to Major League Baseball. My parents instilled a love for the Redlegs in me when I was a kid, and my passion for this team has only grown since. I was with this team during the dark days when it looked like October baseball would never grace the Queen City again, and I was with this team when they walked off with the National League Central Division Championship in 2010 and when they ran away with it in 2012. I have seen guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin forge their Hall of Fame legacies on the shores of the Ohio River, and I witnessed the rise of the “Cuban Missile” Aroldis Chapman, and the crowning of the Homer Run Derby King Todd Frazier.

I have seen a lot during my time as a Reds fan. Rebuilding, however, is a hard thing to watch. It is especially difficult when you consider how good the Reds were a few years ago. They made the playoffs, and it seemed like they were on the verge of breaking through and capturing their first World Series Championship since the 1990 season. That was not the case as those dreams were dashed when the front office realized that the team they had assembled was not quite good enough to win it all. Fan favorites left town, wins were outnumbered by losses, and the reconstruction of the Reds has officially begun. So after witnessing the rise and fall of the Reds of the 2010s, I have to ask if it is worth watching this team struggle as it looks to regain its former glory?

To sum it up: yes. It is worth watching this team struggle. Do not get me wrong. I want to see the Reds win every game they play and win the World Series. I will always have that sate of mind and will be angry when they play poorly and be excited when they play well and win. It is the fan in me that evokes that emotion. I also realize that this team is designed to win in the next few years and not now. I do not like it, but I know that this team will lose a lot of games and will look very bad at certain times during the season. The baseball analyst in me realizes that.

So why will I watch this team? I want to see them grow. I want to see this young crop of payers evolve into the next batch of Reds stars. This team is loaded with untapped potential. I have seen flashes of their talent, and if they can turn those flashes into sustained play game in and game out, then the future looks very bright for the Redlegs. This team will put it all together and become a winning franchise once again. It is only a matter of time.

So is it worth it? Absolutely.

Go Redlegs!






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Monday, April 25, 2016

Bobblehead Page Update

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Photo Page Update

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Monday, April 18, 2016

Atari Flashback 6 Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an Atari Flashback 6.
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Wrestlemania 31 Two-Disc Blu-Ray 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 this week’s post, I will review the two-disc Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 31. Aside from seeing it live on television when it aired last year, I have only seen it on Blu-ray on a 16:9 television screen. Therefore I have no idea how the DVD version of Wrestlemania 31 is presented on a 16:9 or a 4:3 television.

Like my other Wrestlemanias on Blu-ray that I previously reviewed, the entire wrestling event is on the first disc. It starts with Aloe Blacc performing “America the Beautiful” and ends with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. There are three bonus features included on the first disc. They are the Fatal 4-Way WWE Tag Team Championship match between the Usos, Los Matadores, the New Day, and Tyson Kidd and Cesaro that aired on the Wrestlemania 31 Kickoff Show, and videos showing how Seth Rollins is the “future” and how John Cena prepared for Rusev.

The second disc features the entire 2015 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. While the 2015 hall of fame class was not as star-studded as year’s past, it was still a pretty decent group of inductees. The biggest wrestling personalities to be inducted were Alundra Blayze, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, and the most legendary of the group, the “Macho Man” Randy Savage. It is a real shame that Savage was inducted posthumously as his induction was long overdue, and I can honestly say that he was one of my most favorite wrestlers of all time. His induction is the main reason every wrestling fan should watch this induction ceremony. Like the first disc, disc two has three bonus features. These include the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that aired on the Wrestlemania 31 Kickoff Show, and two videos that center on Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan.


The packaging for this Wrestlemania is okay. The front is very simple as it showcases the Wrestlemania 31 logo and some of the more popular wrestlers who competed that night. The back of the packaging features some of the matches, a list of the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame inductees, and a collage of Wrestlemania 31’s biggest moments.


The inside of the packaging looks great as it is a panoramic picture of Levi’s Stadium as the show went off the air. There are fireworks exploding all over the place, and it makes for an epic looking picture.

In conclusion, this is a great home video version of an amazing Wrestlemania. This is my second favorite Wrestlemania of all time behind only Wrestlemania 17. Wrestlemania 31 featured great matches, epic encounters, and an ending that was almost as shocking as Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon joining forces at the end of Wrestlemania 17. You are doing yourself an injustice if you do not purchase this Blu-ray set. It should be in every wrestling fan’s collection.

Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 32 Blu-ray review!





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Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Jim Maloney Bobblehead Unboxing and More


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Jim Maloney bobblehead and shows what he got from the Cincinnati Reds Opening Night game and the inaugural FC Cincinnati home opener.
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My FC Cincinnati Experience


When it comes to professional sports in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals have total ownership of the loyalty of sports fans in the queen city. The Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL also have a loyal fan base although it is not quite as big or vocal as the members of Reds Country or Who Dey Nation. A new fan base has sprung up in Cincinnati as a new professional team made its home debut on Saturday April 9, 2016, at Nippert Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. That team is FC Cincinnati. I was at their inaugural home opener this past Saturday, and I can honestly say that I had a blast and am a fan of this team for life.

For those of you who are unaware of FC Cincinnati, allow me to explain. FC Cincinnati is a professional soccer team that competes in the Untied Soccer League. According to the United States Soccer Federation, the USL is classified as a Division III Professional League. FC Cincinnati hopes to some day move up from the USL to Major League Soccer, the top division in American professional soccer according to the United States Soccer Federation.


2016 is FC Cincinnati’s inaugural season. I was at their very first home opener, and I had a great time. When my girlfriend and I arrived at the stadium, we checked out everything that was happening outside of Nippert. They had free soccer lessons for kids, giveaways, and a cool game that combined soccer and volleyball. Some of the things they were giving away that I picked up were an FC Cincinnati sticker, magnet, and rally rag.

The gates to the stadium opened soon after, and once we made our way in, we headed over to the merchandise stand. In terms of merchandise, the team has pretty good variety of apparel for FC Cincinnati fans to choose from such as shirts, hoodies, scarves, and jerseys. I bought an inaugural season shirt for a pretty good deal of $15. I do wish they had more stuff to choose from though such as bobbleheads and hopefully they have more merchandise options in the future.


After the merchandise stand, we went to the “Bailey,” which is essentially an open seating section of the stadium located behind one of the goals. The “Bailey” is also where the “Pride,” the official support group of FC Cincinnati, is located. Since it was open seating, my girlfriend and I sat in the front row and had a great view of the action. The fans were fired up, the “Pride” beat their drums, waved their flags, and set off smoke flares, and the action on the field was incredible. The game was very competitive, and there was no shortage of action. In the end, FC Cincinnati defeated Charlotte Independence 2-1 to cap off a great night. As we left the stadium, FC Cincinnati employees handed out oversized commemorative tickets of the inaugural home opener.


In conclusion, I had a great time and will definitely be going to more FC Cincinnati matches in the future. The atmosphere was great, the team looked very good, and the overall experience was one of the best in sports that I have ever had. I highly recommend going to a match. You will have a phenomenal time.

FC! “clap” “clap” Cincy!







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Sunday, April 10, 2016

Bobblehead Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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Thursday, April 7, 2016

Autograph Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Wrestlemania 30 Two-Disc Blu-Ray Edition 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 this week’s post, I will review the 2-disc Blu-ray set of Wrestlemania 30. I have only viewed the Blu-ray version of this Wrestlemania on a 16:9 television screen, so I do not know if the picture crops to fit a 4:3 television screen or how the DVD version is presented.

The action starts on the first disc which contains the entire Wrestlemania 30 event from Hulk Hogan welcoming everybody to the “Silverdome,” (if you do not understand this reference, watch the event), to the triple threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship match that closed out the show. Also on the first disc is the Wrestlemania 30 Pre-Show Fatal 4-Way WWE Tag Team Championship match between The Usos, Los Matadores, the Real Americans, and Rybaxel.

The second disc contains the complete 2014 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony that features some pretty big names from the world of professional wrestling. The late Paul Bearer, Lita, Razor Ramon, and the late Ultimate Warrior among others were all inducted into the hall of fame. The induction of the Ultimate Warrior is a major reason to watch this ceremony as he tragically passed away the night after Wrestlemania 30. The second disc also contains a ton of bonus content including two special features exclusive to the Blu-ray version.


The packaging of Wrestlemania 30 is great. The front of the packaging features a few of the wrestlers from the night’s biggest matches and moments as well as the Wrestlemania 30 logo, and the back of the packaging lists the matches from the event and features a nice collage of some of the wrestlers.


The Blu-ray came in a cardboard sleeve that included a book entitled “Wrestlemania 30: 30 Moments for 30 Years.” The book is small but it contains a lot of cool pictures, match results, storyline recaps, and more from past Wrestlemanias. It is a nice little bonus that really makes this home video version of Wrestlemania stand out above the rest.

In conclusion, the two-disc Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 30 is an excellent home video version of the showcase of the immortals. The event itself was one of the most memorable and shocking Wrestlemanias of all time, and most of the matches and segments were really good. My favorite parts of the event are when Daniel Bryan wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and when Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock all gather in the ring at the same time to kick off the show. It was a really good show, and I highly recommend picking up the Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 30 for yourself.

Next is the Wrestlemania 31 two-disc Blu-ray version review!



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Monday, April 4, 2016

Wrestlemania 32 Thoughts


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone share his thoughts on Wrestlemania 32.
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