Reds Recap 2017

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone recaps the 2017 season of the Cincinnati Reds. 

2017 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Bobblehead Recap

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum bobblehead season has come to a close. Seven bobbleheads were given out throughout 2017, and I managed to add all of them to my bobblehead collection. Below is a brief recap of the bobbleheads that the Reds Hall of Fame gave away in 2017.

First up is Crosley. This is a retro themed bobblehead that has been given out by the Reds Hall of Fame ever since March. The funds received through the sale of the bobbleheads were used to help pay for the Pete Rose statue that the Cincinnati Reds unveiled during the season. It has a vintage bobblehead look and a luster that really makes it stand out from the other bobbleheads given away this year.

The second bobblehead given out was of Leo Cardenas. Given out during April, Cardenas was the first official bobblehead of the 2017 Reds Hall of Fame series. He is featured in the classic pinstripe uniform that the Redlegs sported during the 1960s and is arguably the best looking bobblehead the Reds Hall of Fame gave to fans in 2017.

The third bobblehead of the year was of Tommy Helms. This was given to fans during the month of May and is a relatively simple bobblehead as it features Helms getting set to field a ball. It is a good-looking bobblehead of a player that helped set the foundation for the Big Red Machine.

The bobblehead for June was of the “Hit King,” and it featured Pete Rose batting as a bobblehead for the first time. It is by far the best bobblehead of Pete Rose as a member of the Reds that has ever been given out and it flew out of the Reds Hall of Fame in record time.

July’s bobblehead was of Ron Oester. The longtime Redleg debuted on the main roster in 1978 before retiring at the end of the 1990 World Series Championship season. The bobblehead features Oester stepping on a base and getting ready to throw a ball.

 

The sixth bobblehead of the year was Dave Parker. Known as, “The Cobra,” Parker was a huge fan favorite among Reds fans, and this was the first bobblehead of Parker that the Reds and the Reds Hall of Fame have ever given out to fans. It was long overdue and was the bobblehead I was most excited for from the Reds Hall of Fame.

 

The seventh and final bobblehead of 2017 was of George Foster. This was the second bobblehead of Foster that the Reds Hall of Fame has given to fans as they gave a mini Foster bobblehead to fans in 2012. The 2017 version is a regular sized bobblehead though and features Foster with his 1977 MVP award.

 

In conclusion, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum gave out a very good line of bobbleheads in 2017. The quality is top of the line, and the players featured are all very memorable figures in Reds history. Hopefully the 2018 series is just as good.

Go Redlegs

Save the Derby

Early last week, it was reported that Columbus Crew SC might be leaving the state of Ohio for Austin, Texas, at the end of the 2018 season. This stunning announcement not only affects the Crew and their fans, but it may also affect FC Cincinnati and their bid to become a Major League Soccer expansion team. In some ways it can benefit the franchise, but the Crew’s potential exodus may also hurt FC Cincinnati.

The obvious reason that the Crew heading for Austin would hurt FC Cincinnati is that the budding instate rivalry between the two Ohio teams would be no more. The “Hell is Real Derby” had its first installment this past year during the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans of both franchises packed Nippert Stadium and created an atmosphere that was nothing short of electric. The action on the field was intense, fans were talking trash in the stands, players were jawing backing and forth on the field, and the first match of the “Hell is Real Derby” became an instant classic. FC Cincinnati fans celebrated the 1-0 victory, and Crew fans dreamt of vengeance on the pitch. With the Crew possibly leaving Ohio, the first chapter in the rivalry might be the only chapter. Due to that lack of an instate rivalry and the amazing atmosphere it created, MLS might pass on accepting FC Cincinnati’s expansion bid.

Just as obvious as the Crew’s possible Ohio exit could hurt FC Cincinnati’s MLS chances, it is also very obvious how it could be beneficial to the Cincinnati soccer squad. Should the Crew leave, MLS would not have a team in the state of Ohio. Many people think that this would clear the way for FC Cincinnati to join the league. Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports soccer expert Grant Wahl thinks the Crew’s exit all but assures that FC Cincinnati and Detroit attain MLS bids.

Personally, I want the Crew to stay in Ohio. The first match of the “Hell is Real Derby” was one of the best sporting events I have ever attended. The atmosphere was electric, and the sports hate between the two opposing Ohio soccer teams was pure and full of vitriol. It was an incredible way to introduce a possible flagship MLS rivalry to the soccer world. If FC Cincinnati does get into MLS, I do not want it to be because Columbus lost their team. It sucks when sports franchises leave a city and essentially desert their fan base. Even though FC Cincinnati and the Crew are rivals, I do not want Crew fans to have to lose their team. Hopefully the Crew can sort out their stadium situation and stay in Ohio allowing the “Hell is Real Derby” to continue should FC Cincinnati attain an MLS expansion slot.

WWE TLC 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE TLC 2017. 

Ickey Woods Bobblehead Review

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews an unofficial Cincinnati Bengals Ickey Woods bobblehead.

Release the Hounds

Sierra

Hotel

India

Echo

Lima

Delta

SHIELD.

Three years ago, the most dominant faction in WWE history imploded as Seth Rollins slammed a chair into the backs of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. The Shield was destroyed and each man embarked on a successful singles career. All have been WWE World Heavyweight Champion and all became triple crown champions with Amrbose being the only member so far to become a grand slam champion. Despite that success, many people felt that that the “Hounds of Justice” broke up too soon. They were easily one of the hottest factions in professional wrestling and were coming off an epic rivalry with Evolution. Instead, they went their separate ways and had off and on battles with each other over the next three years.

However, WWE always dropped hints of a potential Shield reunion. Ambrose in Reigns teamed together quite often, Rollins and Reigns worked together toward the end of 2016, and all three briefly reunited at Survivor Series 2016 for an epic triple power bomb. A reunion finally began to take shape when Ambrose and Rollins, bitter enemies during the post Shield era, reunited in time for SummerSlam 2017 in route to capturing the Raw Tag Team Championships. Fast forward two months and Roman Reigns is having issues with the both the Miztourage and the Bar, two factions that played a key role in reuniting Ambrose and Rollins. The tag champs were having a problem with Braun Strowman, a huge rival to Reigns during the early months of 2017. Their paths finally crossed and on October 9, 2017, in the same city where they were destroyed form within, they reunited and sent wrestling fans around the world into a frenzy.

It didn’t take them long to find their old footing as a unit as they crushed the Miztoruage, the Bar, and Strowman in the same night. This led to a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at the TLC pay-per-view between the Shield and the team of the Miz, Strowman, and the Bar. I cannot wait to watch this match as Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns have tremendous chemistry together and routinely put on fantastic matches during the Shield’s first run. I expect them to continue that trend during their second reincarnation.

I just have one question about this reunion. How long will it last?  I initially thought that the Shield would not get back together for a long time as I thought that Ambrose would turn heel on Rollins which would lead to a Wrestlemania 34 bout and that Reigns would challenge Lesnar for the Universal title. That could still happen, but would it be worth reuniting the Shield? Wrestlemania is about 6 months away and if the Shield were to break up before then, why have them reunite for such a short period of time? I also thought the reunion was going to be a one night only event at TLC, but with WWE selling brand new Shield shirts, it appears that is not the case either. Hopefully WWE allows the Shield to have a lengthy run together. They are my favorite faction and I would love to see them destroy everything in their path once again. It felt like they had unfinished business and now that the hounds are together again, nobody in WWE is safe from their wrath.

Believe that.

My Terrible Bengals Pro Shop Expereince

This past Saturday, I attended an autograph signing featuring Bengals legends at the Cincinnati Bengals Pro Shop. It was by far the worst autograph signing I have ever attended. I wrote an email to the Pro Shop that voiced my displeasure with the signing and overall terrible experience. Below is that email.

Good Afternoon,

I am writing to you about an unpleasant experience I had at the Cincinnati Bengals Pro Shop today. I arrived at the Pro Shop around 11:20 AM for the 12:00 PM autograph signing featuring the Bengals legends. My girlfriend and I were walking to the back of the line when a man who I later learned was the manager stopped us and told us to “stand here.” We stood there as more people arrived at the store and another long line formed behind us.

We patiently waited for our line to join with the back of the other line for the autograph signing. A security guard was at the end of the first line, and eventually the lines merged as the security guard left the end of the first line. We thought we were going to get autographs from the Bengals legends as the two separate lines had finally become one. A few minutes later, the security guard came back and said that my line was not allowed to get autographs and cut off the line splitting it back into two separate lines. An employee, not the manager, came back to tell us that we would not be getting autographs, and that the line had been cut off when it reached the wall at the end of the clearance section. Needless to say, this made the entire line mad as we were essentially told to wait for autographs when the manager knew that we would not be getting autographs.

I am not mad that I was cut off from receiving autographs. I am mad that we were not told from the beginning that we would not be getting autographs and wasted over an hour of our time standing in line for nothing. As I said earlier, the manager told us to “stand here.” He did not once say that the line had already been cut off. He did not even have the decency to come tell us himself that the line was cut off after the two lines had already merged. On top of that, the signing started late.

So to recap, the manager told us to “stand here” despite knowing the line was already cut off. The lines merged and a security guard and an employee, not the manager, told us that we would not be allowed to get autographs because of the cut off. The manager did not even attempt to talk to us or explain the situation to us at all.

I would like to know why we were told by the manager to “stand here” when he clearly knew we would not be getting autographs. This was easily the WORST autograph signing I have ever attended. There was little to no communication from the staff or manager to the attendees, no explanation as to why we were told to wait for no reason, and it started late. Needless to say this was a terrible experience. Please explain to me how this is considered acceptable by the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Bengals Pro Shop.

Sincerely,

Ryan Cahill

I want to clarify that I am not mad that I was cut off. I am mad that the manager did not tell myself, my girlfriend, or the massive line behind us that we had been cut off and would not be receiving any autographs from the beginning and had us wait over an hour for nothing. It was a huge waste of time. If you plan on attending a Bengals Legends autograph signing, be prepared for a very unpleasant experience if the Bengals Pro Shop does fix this problem.

WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Hell in a Cell 2017.

Kazuhiro Hatakeyama Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Kazurhiro Hatakeyama bobblehead.

KO vs. HHH?

Kevin Owens is the latest wrestler to enter a feud with a McMahon as he is set to do battle against Shane McMahon at the Hell in a Cell event in October. While Owens currently has his sights set on Shane O’Mac, is a future match with the Game on the horizon?

If I’m not mistaken, the last two times an attack on Vince McMahon was a major factor in a WWE storyline Triple H got involved. When Randy Orton targeted the entire McMahon family, Triple H defeated him at Wrestlemania 25. When Brock Lesnar dropped Vince with an F5, Triple H pinned the beast at Wrestlemania 29. Kevin Owens just Vince’s head open and squashed him with a frog splash on SmackDown after which Stephanie McMahon came to the ring to both help her father and show her anger toward Owens.

While the feud could end at Hell in a Cell between Owens and Shane McMahon, there is the possibility that it will continue and evolve in to Owens vs. the McMahons as opposed to Ownes vs Shane. Should it turn into a family affair Triple H will likely get involved, and the story would seemingly make no sense. Here’s why.

When Shane returned in 2016, Vince was not happy and had him face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 in a hell in a cell match. So why is Vince all of a sudden on Shane’s side? Stephanie and Shane also feuded for control of WWE with Shane being granted control of SmackDown and Stephanie being granted control of Raw. So why was Stephanie at SmackDown when Vince was hurt? The last time Stephanie was on television, she was a heel. By going up against Owens, does that make her a face?

Perhaps I am looking to far into the storyline, but it does not make sense form a logical standpoint. Things will be even more illogical if Triple H gets involved as he essentially handed Owens the Universal Championship last year. Are fans supposed to forget that happened? Also, Owens and Samoa Joe teamed up for a little bit during Wrestlemania 33 season to do some of Triple H’s dirty work making a possible Owens vs. Triple H feud is a head scratcher.

Hopefully Owens just sticks to Shane O’Mac. The storyline would be simpler, less contradicting and a win over the SmackDown general manger at Hell in a Cell could cement Owens as the biggest heel on the blue brand. A battle with Triple H would not be needed in order to establish that. I understand that wrestling is fake, but I do not want my intelligence insulted when I watch it. A Kevin Owens vs. Triple H feud would do just that.