Tetsuto Yamada Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Tokyo Yakult Swallows Tetsudo Yamada bobblehead.

An Update to My Terrible Bengals Pro Shop Experience

 A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on how the Cincinnati Bengals Pro Shop badly botched an autograph signing that featured legends from Bengals teams of the past. To summarize, I was part of a group of about 30-50 people who were told to wait in one part of the store for autographs. We waited for over an hour only to be told that we were not allowed to get autographs. Needless to say, a lot of angry people left the Bengals Pro Shop that day because of the lack of communication from the employees to the fans and the overall disorganized feel of the event.

The other time I was at a Bengals legends autograph signing, fans were forced to do laps through the stadium and pro shop to get autographs. It was chaotic, made no sense, and was the oddest way of conducting an autograph signing I have ever seen, and it appeared that the Bengals had no idea what they were doing. That is not true though as I had personally experienced an organized Bengals autograph signing at the pro shop in April.

John Ross and Jordan Willis signed autographs at the Bengals Pro Shop after they were drafted. The store limited the signing to the first 100 people with tickets. Once all the tickets were handed out, nobody else could get autographs. It made sense, it was organized, and most importantly, it WORKED. Why the Bengals decided to ditch that formula in favor of a race around the stadium one week to splitting the autograph line in half another week is beyond me.

After the fiasco that saw a near riot of angry Bengals fans leave the pro shop, I sent the team an email voicing my frustrations and displeasure with how the autograph signing was handled. I received a response the next day. The email apologized for how the autograph signing was handled, and said that a different approach was being taken for the next autograph session.

The approach the pro shop took was the same onme they took for the Ross and Willis signing. They gave 100 tickets to the first 100 people and stopped the autographs once all the tickets were given to fans. It made sense, it was organized, and it WORKED. The entire operation was smooth and people were moving through the autograph line at a decent pace. Props to the Bengals Pro Shop for acknowledging the problem and fixing it so that it was a more enjoyable experience for Bengals fans.

Another Successful Season

The 2017 season of FC Cincinnati came to a close as the lads fell in their first round playoff match to the Tampa Bay Rowdies by a score of 3-0. While the early postseason exit was a disappointing way to end the year, there is no denying that FCC’s second season of existence was one that that the city of Cincinnati will never forget.

Numerous attendance records were shattered, thrilling soccer unfolded in front of raucous crowds at Nippert Stadium, and there was the amazing run in the Open Cup that became the summer sports story in Cincinnati. FCC made it all the way to the semifinals before falling to Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls 3-2 in extra time. Before that loss however, FCC took out two storied franchises of MLS in Columbus Crew SC and the Chicago Fire. They defeated their in state rivals in the first ever “Hell is Real Derby” by a score of 1-0. They followed that up with a nationally televised victory over the Fire that came down to penalty kicks. When most fans think of the 2017 FCC season, they will most likely think of the Open Cup run.

Not everything was good about the season. FCC struggled mightily on the road and lost almost every match they played outside of Nippert Stadium. Mitch Hildebrandt regressed and was a step below his 2016 form. There was coaching turmoil that resulted in a change of leadership right before the season started. There is also the argument of how to fund and where to build a soccer specific stadium should FCC attain an expansion bid from MLS.

Despite those negatives, there is no doubt that 2017 will be remembered fondly by soccer fans in Cincinnati. FCC bolstered their MLS bid with record setting crowds, they played three MLS squads and defeated two of them, and they firmly established themselves as a big time player in the Cincinnati sports scene. Hopefully they hear good news from MLS in December and have continued success in 2018.

WWE Survivor Series 2017 Thoughts

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

Bengal Graphs 2017 Part 2

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shows the different autographs he has gotten throughout the 2017 season of the Cincinnati Bengals.

A Really Stupid Requirement

If you have been following FC Cincinnati’s attempt to attain a Major League Soccer expansion bid, then you know all about the argument dealing with where to build FCC’s proposed soccer specific stadium and who should pay for it. It is arguably the biggest sports story of the year as FCC’s fate as a potential MLS expansion team could live and die on whether or not the franchise can cement a stadium plan. In my opinion, the fact that MLS prefers soccer specific stadiums is really stupid.

As far as I know, they are the only American professional sports league that has a stadium requirement. Major League Baseball and the National Football League have shared stadiums and the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League share arenas. I know for a fact that some MLS teams have played in NFL stadiums. For example, Atlanta United FC shares Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and had over 70,000 fans in attendance for a match.

I realize that during the early days of MLS, teams often played in very empty football stadiums which probably prompted MLS to prefer soccer specific stadiums as they are smaller. What I do not think MLS has realized is that the sport of soccer in America has grown. Kids all over the country grow up playing it and both domestic and international matches are shown on television pretty frequently. The world’s game has become a bonafide American sport. So why would MLS want to hamper its rise by containing teams in smaller stadiums?

As a diehard FC Cincinnati fan, I want the team to finalize a soccer specific stadium plan and get an MLS bid. I don’t care how its funded or where it’s built, just as long as a plan is in place and MLS commissioner Don Garber names FC Cincinnati as an MLS expansion club. From a logical standpoint though, I cannot help but think that the requirement of a soccer specific stadium is outdated, does more harm than good, and is really stupid.

Bengal Graphs 2017 Part 1

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shows the autographs he has gotten throughout the 2017 season of Cincinnati Bengals.

Cyclones in a Half Shell, Hockey Power!

 On Friday November 17, 2017, the Cincinnati Cyclones will host the Toledo Walleye on “Nickelodeon Night featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” If you are a turtles fan, a hockey fan, or a bobblehead fan, then this is one game you definitely do not want to miss.

The game will feature an appearance from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and both the Cyclones and the Walleye will wear TMNT themed jerseys. The Cyclones will have jerseys representing the turtles and the Walleye will wear jerseys representing Shredder. Both teams’ jerseys will be auctioned off later.

They Cyclones will also be giving out a TMNT themed bobblehead of their mascot. Based on the picture the Cyclones have promoted on their site, Twister will be wearing a mix of his Cyclones uniform and Michelangelo’s ninja gear. The base is a sewer lid, and Twister will be armed with a hockey stick.

In conclusion, the Cyclones will play host to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the players will wear TMNT themed jerseys, and a TMNT themed bobblehead of Twister will be given away to the first 3,000 fans in attendance. Pizza slices will also be available for $1 all night long. I already have my tickets for the game, and I cannot wait to add the bobblehead to my collection.