Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Cris Collinsworth Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Bengals Cris Collinsworth bobblehead. 

Reds 2018 Special Ticket Package Bobbleheads


 Like the Captain America Cincinnati Reds bobblehead I wrote about in a previous post, the team is giving out a few other bobbleheads only available through special ticket packages. In this post, I will talk about the different special ticket package bobbleheads that the team plans to give to fans.

On April 25, the Reds will be giving out a bobblehead of the legendary painter Bob Ross. The Reds will be taking on the Atlanta Braves in a 6:40 p.m. game. Aside from the bobblehead, fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a ticket package that not only includes the bobblehead, but admission to the “Joy of Painting” VIP painting class.

In May, there will be three special ticket package bobbleheads. On May 4, the Reds and Star Wars are teaming up to distribute a bobblehead of Chewbacca. This lines up very well for Reds and Star Wars fans as it is both a Friday and “Star Wars Day.” On May 7, the Reds will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the “Flying Pig Marathon” by giving away a Flying Pig bobblehead. For those of you who are unaware, the “Flying Pig Marathon” is Cincinnati’s trademark race and the Flying Pig has become a mascot for the city. On May 20, the Reds will be giving out a bobblehead of Snoopy. I believe last year’s Peanuts bobblehead was Charlie Brown so Snoopy is the next logical choice.

June will feature three special ticket package bobbleheads. First up is Captain America on June 8 which I already discussed in a previous post. Second is the Fiona the Hippo bobblehead that will be given out on June 19. Fiona became a global superstar after the Cincinnati Zoo documented her treatment and recovery after her premature birth. Like the Flying Pig, she has become a mascot for Cincinnati and I believe that this will be a very popular bobblehead. On June 29, Cincinnati parrot heads will be flocking to Great American Ball Park. The Reds will team up with Margaritaville to distribute a Shark bobblehead to fans who purchase the ticket package.

Two special ticket package bobbleheads will be given out in July. On July 22, the Reds and Sony Pictures Animation will give out a bobblehead of Mavis from the new “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” movie. On July 27, the Reds will celebrate the King of Rock and Roll by giving out a bobblehead of Elvis.

August will feature the last ticket package bobblehead of the year. The 17th of the month will be “Grateful Dead Night.” To celebrate, fans can purchase a special ticket package that will net them a bobblehead of Uncle Sam.

Those are all the special ticket package bobbleheads that the Reds plan to give away during the 2018 season. It is a cool way for bobblehead collectors to snag some unique additions for their collections, and it is also a great way to introduce non-baseball fans to America’s pastime. If any of these bobbleheads caught your interest, head on over to Great American Ball Park to get these ticket packages so you can add the bobbleheads to your collection.

Go Redlegs!









Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Bobblehead Collection Update 2017


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shows the 2017 additions to his bobblehead collection.

Captain America for America’s Pastime


 For the second consecutive year, the Cincinnati Reds and Marvel are teaming up to bring fans a unique bobblehead. Last year, the Reds gave out bobbleheads of Iron Man and Rocket Raccoon. For the 2018 season, Captain America will be making his Reds bobblehead debut.

This bobblehead is only available to fans that buy a special ticket package to the June 8 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. There are three different ticket packages available for fans to purchase. View level seats are $25, field box seats are $59, and infield box seats are $85.

I purchased ticket packages for both the Rocket Raccoon bobblehead game and the Iron Man bobblehead game. Both bobbles are fantastic. Being a fan of both the Reds and Marvel, I was very pleased that the bobbleheads showcase two of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” with a little touch of the Redlegs. I plan on going to the Captain America game this year to add the bobblehead to my collection. If you love Marvel and the Reds, I suggest you get your hands on some tickets to the game.

Go Redlegs!






Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Wrestlemania 33 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. This week’s post will look at the Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 33.

Aside from watching Wrestlemania 33 live on television when it aired in 2017, 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 33 is presented on a 16:9 or a 4:3 television.

With people complaining about the length of Wrestlemania 32, Wrestlemania 33 seemingly said, “hold my beer.” When including the two hour kickoff show, Wrestlemania 33 clocked in at about 7 hours and fifteen minutes. However this event was much more enjoyable than the 2016 edition of Wrestlemania, so watching it straight through is not as bad. The length caused the event to once again be split up across two discs. The first disc contains most of the Wrestlemania 33 card. It starts with Tinashe performing “America the Beautiful” and ends with the announcement a new Citrus Bowl attendance record. Also included on the first disc are the “Total Bellas” segments that showcase the Miz and Maryse mocking John Cena and Nikki Bella.

The second disc features the Wrestlemania 33 main event that saw Roman Reigns challenge the Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match. It also features the entire 2017 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony that featured a stacked class of inductees. New hall of famers included Diamond Dallas Page, the Rock ‘N’ Roll Express, Beth Phoenix, Rick Rude, and Kurt Angle among others. This is easily one of the best hall of fame classes of all time as the inductees truly left an impact on the professional wrestling industry. This ceremony is must see TV for wrestling fans. There is no additional content on the second disc.


The packaging for Wrestlemania 33 is great. The front features the Wrestlemania 33 logo and a collage of wrestlers in front of a roller coaster track. The back looks really cool as well as it too has a nice collage of wrestlers as well as a paragraph highlighting the event’s biggest matches. Also included is a listing of hall of fame inductees.


The inside packaging looks good as it features a wide shot of the Citrus Bowl with fireworks.

In conclusion, this is a good home video version of Wrestlemania 33. I say good because it does not include the three kickoff show matches. The Cruiserweight Championship match, the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and the Intercontinental Championship match all took place on the kickoff show. To me, not including these on the Blu-ray home video version of the event is unacceptable. Due to the lack of those matches, the event is much shorter than when it originally aired. Despite the absence of those matches, Wrestlemania 33 was still a solid event that featured some great matches. The return of the Hardy Boyz, AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon, the Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg, and the possible curtain call of the Undertaker make this event worth watching.

Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 34 Blu-ray review!













Tuesday, April 3, 2018

"Vintage" Mr. Redlegs Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2017 "Vintage" Mr. Redlegs bobblehead from the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. 

Wrestlemania 32 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. This week's post will look at the Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 32.

Aside from watching Wrestlemania 32 live on television when it aired in 2016, 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 32 is presented on a 16:9 or a 4:3 television.

This Wrestlemania has the infamous distinction of being considered one of the worst and one of the longest Wrestlemanias of all time. Clocking in at just under seven hours when adding in the two hour kickoff show that aired prior to the main card, the event had to be split up on two Blu-ray discs. The first disc contains most of the Wrestlemania 32 card. It starts with Fifth Harmony performing “America the Beautiful” and ends with the Rock coming to the ring to address the crowd. Also included on the first disc are the three matches that took place on the kickoff show.

The second disc features the Wrestlemania 32 main event that saw Roman Reigns challenge Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I also features the entire 2016 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony that featured a very good class of inductees. New hall of famers included the Godfather, the Fabulous Freebirds, and Sting. Obviously Sting was the headliner for this class as he is undoubtedly one of the greatest stars in the history of professional wrestling. I loved his epic battle with the New World Order in 1997 as he became the silent vigilante for World Championship Wrestling. His induction alone is enough to make this ceremony worth watching. The last feature on disc 2 is a Blu-ray exclusive titled “Fighting for a Legacy.”


The packaging is not really eye-popping. The front features the Wrestlemania 32 logo and the wrestlers that were involved in the biggest matches. The back is very similar to that of the Wrestlemania 31 set as it features a few pictures from the event’s biggest moments. It also a small paragraph that discusses the matches and lists the bonus content as well as the 2016 hall of fame inductees.


The inside packaging is pretty bland as it features a wide shot of a lukewarm crowd response to the WWE title win of Roman Reigns.

In conclusion, this is a really good home video version of Wrestlemania 32. Despite the event definitely not being one of the best of all time and being classified as mediocre, the Blu-ray version does contain every match and the entire hall of fame ceremony. The women’s championship triple threat match, the Intercontinental Championship ladder match, AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho, and seeing Shane McMahon channel his inner Mick Foley in the Hell in a Cell match against the Undertaker are definitely the highlights of this event. If you are a diehard fan of professional wrestling, I’d pick up the Blu-ray version.

Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 33 Blu-ray review!