Meet the Legends

With this year being the 50^th anniversary of the Cincinnati Bengals, the team will be bringing back several legends for each home game for a special halftime ceremony. These legends will also be available for autographs for 30 minutes the day before the game as well as the day of the game. Legends who have signed already include Chad Johnson, Ken Anderson, and Max Montoya among others.

When the autograph sessions are the day before the game, the legends will be at tables inside Paul Brown Stadium by the entrance to the Pro Shop. There will be several lines for the different tables and once you get the autographs of players at one table, you have to exit the stadium through the Pro Shop before reentering the stadium through the gates by the ticket windows in order to get more autographs.

When the autograph sessions are the day of the game, the players will be featured under a tent in the Jungle Zone outside of the stadium. There is one line, and it is a first come first serve basis for autographs with every legend that is signing sitting at one big table. If you want autographs at this session, get there early as the crowd is huge due to the game.

I went to the autograph session the day before the home opener and got to have the legends sign my Bengals banner. The sessions are a great way to add some autographs to your Bengals memorabilia collection and meet some of the grid iron greats that wore black and orange stripes.

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Bengal Shows 2017

With the 2017 NFL season officially underway, the opportunities for fans of the Cincinnati Bengals to get autographs are popping up each and every week in the form of Bengal shows. Bengal shows are shows where fans can get autographs from Cincinnati Bengals players, and I attend at least one show a week in hopes of snagging a signature for my Bengals autograph collection. In this post, I will discuss three of the Bengal shows that take place each week.

The first show of the week is “Benagls Line.” It is held at the Holy Grail on the banks in Cincinnati the day after Bengals games and can be heard on ESPN 1530. The show features radio personality Lance McAllister and former Bengals player Dave Lapham as the hosts and goes from 6 pm to 9 pm. There are usually two guest players who are interviewed during the first two hours of the show. One player is interviewed from 6 pm to 7 pm and the other is interviewed from 7 pm to 8 pm with the final hour being mainly discussion between McAllister and Lapham. Players sign autographs during commercials and there are raffles throughout the night with the prizes ranging from Bengals apparel to Bengals tickets.

The second show of the week is “Beyond the Stripes.” This show is presented by the Cincinnati Enquirer and is held at the Holy Grail. The show is streamed live on the Enquirer’s Facebook page from 7 pm to 8 pm and features a panel of four reporters interviewing the guest player before playing a game with the player to end the show. The interviews are always entertaining and usually feature a few laughs as some of the questions asked by the panel and answers given by the players are over the top. Once the show is finished, fans can line up and have one item signed by the player.

The third show of the week is “Bengals Nation.” This show is held at the Moerlein Lager House on Wednesdays from 6 pm to 8 pm and is presented by television station Local 12. It is filmed in segments and is broadcasted on Saturdays. The show has gotten worse in my opinion as its move from the Holy Grail has really cut back on the interaction that the show used to have with the fans. The area in the Moerlein Lager House where the show is filmed is a lot smaller than the Holy Grail, so some of the segments, such as fans asking the guest player questions and some of the games, have been eliminated. Once the show is finished, fans can get an item signed by the guest player only if they have an autograph pass. The autograph passes are handed out in the beginning of the show, and if you do not get there early enough to get an autograph pass, you will not be able to receive an autograph.

Those are the three different Bengal shows that are held throughout the week. They are a great way to not only get autographs but to also interact with fellow Bengals fans. “Beyond the Stripes” is my favorite show as it is easily the most entertaining of the three. I would say that “Bengals Line” is next with “Bengals Nation” being the least enjoyable show. They are all still fun to attend though, and I highly recommend checking out a few for yourself.

Who Dey!

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One Hell of a Run

FC Cincinnati’s magical run in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup came to an end after a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. Even though the loss was disappointing, the game was full of drama and excitement as FCC’s magic ran out with about 15 minutes left to go in the game. Leading 2-0 over the Red Bulls, FCC appeared to have locked up a trip to the finals. The Red Bulls had other ideas as they scored two quick goals to force the game into extra time where they found the net once more to officially end FCC’s run in the Open Cup.

When the final whistle blew, players dressed in blue and orange fell to the field in exhaustion as a sold out crowd at Nippert Stadium applauded them and thanked them for their efforts. The lads had nothing to be ashamed about as their incredible journey in the Open Cup established Cincinnati as the best soccer city in America. All eyes were on the Queen City as soccer fans from around the world eagerly waited to see what FC Cincinnati would do against the best competition the country had to offer on a national stage. They made their claim for instate supremacy by stunning MLS’s Columbus Crew SC 1-0. They followed that match with an epic nail biter that saw them defeat the Chicago Fire, an MLS powerhouse, 3-1 on penalty kicks in a match that was broadcasted nationally on ESPN. The United Soccer League franchise that was established in the summer of 2015 upset two teams that are in the very league they are trying to join.

It is clear that the entire soccer world took notice. MLS commissioner Don Garber and United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati were in attendance for the Open Cup semifinal match against the Red Bulls. After the match, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch said that FCC would be a “feather in the cap of MLS.” He also called Cincinnati the best American soccer city in a recent interview with ESPN.

None of that would have happened though had it not been for the lads in orange and blue playing their best soccer when the lights were shinning brightest. They defeated some of the best soccer teams in America and took the city of Cincinnati on an incredible ride. They became the talk of the town in a city that is known for Cincinnati Reds baseball. They overshadowed the hype surrounding the start of the 50^th season of the Cincinnati Bengals. They became THE sports team of Cincinnati. Hopefully there are many more exciting Open Cup runs for FCC that end with them being crowned as champions. For now though, FCC fans will look back at the 2017 Open Cup as the stage that cemented Cincinnati as America’s soccer city.

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Honoring the Legends

With the Cincinnati Bengals celebrating their 50^th anniversary, the team will be honoring some of the legends that helped make the franchise what it is today. There will be halftime ceremonies during the first two games of the year, and the list of former Bengals being honored is quite impressive.

Players being honored at the home opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 10 include Ken Anderson, Isaac Curtis, Ken Riley, Lemar Parrish, Louis Breeden, Mike Reid, Ross Browner, Ken Avery, Al Beauchamp, Solomon Brannan, Gary Burley, Turk Schonert, and John Stofa. The next ceremony will take place four days later during the Septpember 14 Thursday night game against the Houston Texans. Players being honored include Chad Johnson, Cris Collinsworth, Max Montoya, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Bill Bergey, Rich Braham, Ken Blackman, Neal Craig, Jonathan Fanene, Corey Mays, and Shaun Smith.

This is the first time that the Bengals are really acknowledging the past and thanking the players of yesteryear. I grew up watching guys like Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and it is awesome that they will be honored by the Bengals. Hopefully the team takes the next step by creating a team hall of fame or a ring of honor so that the contributions these players made to the franchise will never be forgotten.

Who Dey!

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e with a new Bobblehead#FrostyFrog #bobblehof #BobbleheAddicts pic.twitter.com/8bIqiWdiVI

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) September 4, 2017