Gary the Lion Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an FC Cincinnati Gary the Lion bobblehead. 

Cincinnati Reds 150th Anniversary Ken Griffey Jr. Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds 150th Anniversary Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead.

Ted Kluszewski Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Ted Kluszewski bobblehead. 

FC Cincinnati Retro Bobble Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an FC Cincinnati Retro Bobble bobblehead. 

Kendall Waston Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Kendall Waston bobblehead. 

The 2019 Cincinnati Reds Bobbleheads Are...

With the Cincinnati Reds celebrating their 150th anniversary season this year, the team has announced that they will be giving away seven bobbleheads that represent different eras of Reds baseball. Six of these bobbleheads are of Redlegs legends who have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. So who is being featured as a bobblehead this year? Let's take a look. 

The first bobblehead that will be given out is a 150th anniversary Mr. Redlegs bobble. This will be given out on May 4 against the San Francisco Giants. This is the bobblehead game I am looking forward to the most as Mr. Redlegs is a timeless mascot who is synonymous with the team, and it makes perfect sense that the franchise wants to incorporate him into their 150th anniversary season celebration. 

The second bobblehead of the season is of Ernie Lombardi. This will be given out to fans when the Redlegs host the Dodgers on May 18. While this is the first time the Reds team is giving out a bobblehead of Lombardi, it is actually the second year in a row in which fans can attain a bobble of the legendary player as the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum gave out a Lombardi bobblehead last season. 

Third on the list of Reds 2019 bobblehead giveaways is Joe Morgan. This bobblehead will be given out when the Washington Nationals come to town on June 1. Considered to be one of the greatest if not the greatest second baseman of all time, it is a little shocking that this is only the second Morgan bobblehead the team has ever given out to fans with the first being distributed in 2004. The Reds Hall of Fame gave out a mini bobblehead of Morgan in 2012. I would expect a big crowd for this game as Morgan is a heavy fan favorite in Cincinnati. 

On June 15 against the Texas Rangers, the Reds will give out a bobblehead of local legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. The Reds have previously given out Larkin bobbles three times and the Reds Hall of Fame gave out a bobblehead of Larkin in 2014. The crowd for this game should be large too as Larkin played his entire career with his hometown Redlegs and is a huge fan favorite.

Tony Perez will have his bobblehead given out on July 27 when the Reds play the Colorado Rockies. The Reds gave out a single bobblehead of Perez in 2005, and he was featured as part of a triple bobblehead alongside Sean Casey and Joey Votto in 2017. Considering how scarce Perez bubbleheads are, this could be the hottest giveaway of the season.

On August 17, the Reds will give out a bobblehead of Johnny Bench when the St. Louis Cardinals come to town. I believe that Bench is the player to be featured the most as a bobblehead by both the Reds and the Reds Hall of Fame. Despite that fact, the Big Red Machine is held in high regard in Cincinnati and a bobblehead of Bench is sure to garner a big crowd.

The last bobblehead the Reds will give out in 2018 will be on September 7 when the Reds take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, This bobblehead will feature Ken Griffey Jr. who is not only a popular player in Reds Country but in all of Major League Baseball. The Reds have previously given out bobbles of Griffey Jr. three times with the most recent bobble having been given out in 2016. With Griffey Jr. being inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years ago, this bobblehead could rival the Perez one as most sought after stadium giveaway item for 2019.

Those are the bobbleheads the Reds will give to fans in 2019. All the featured players have already been immortalized as bobbleheads by either the Reds, the Reds Hall of Fame, or both. All of the bobbleheads except for Mr. Redlegs are being given out as two sets of three with each set representing three different eras of Reds history. These eras include the Crosley Field era, the Riverfront Stadium era and the Great American Ball Park era. A cool feature of these sets is that when they are put together, the backdrops will form the 150^thanniversary logo of the Reds.

While I am excited to add these 150^thanniversary bobbleheads to my collection, I am bummed that no current players are being featured. I would have loved to add bobbleheads of Jesse Winker, Amir Garrett, Jose Peraza, and Luis Castillo among others to my collection. The bobblehead I am looking forward to obtaining the most this season is Mr. Redlegs. He is a great mascot, and I love adding different Mr. Redlegs bobblehead variants to my collection. In conclusion, the lineup of Reds legends will make for a highly desirable series of bobbleheads that will make Reds fans happy.

1/29/19 Update:
Today the Cincinnati Reds announced that they will be giving out a bobblehead of newly acquired outfielder Yasiel Puig. Aside from the Mr. Redlegs bobblehead, the Puig bobble is the one I am looking forward to the most. Puig came to the Reds via a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is one of the most popular players in baseball and considering how the Reds currently only have him under contract for one season, having a Puig bobblehead game is a no brainer.

Reds Bobbles vs. Reds Hall of Fame Bobbles 2016

For the past few weeks, I have been going over the bobbleheads that the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and the Cincinnati Reds gave to fans in 2016. Since I got every bobblehead that both the team and the hall of fame gave away to fans, I thought I would compare the lines of nodders and determine who had the better series of bobbles. I will look at the players featured, the appearance of the bobbles, and the overall quality of the nodders in determining which bobblehead series reigns supreme for 2016.

For players featured, the Cincinnati Reds introduced the bobblehead versions of two players who had not been immortalized as nodders in Zack Cozart and Eugenio Suarez. There were also three repeat player bobbles that had a unique twist to differentiate them from years past. They were nodders of Vottomatic who is the superhero version of Joey Votto, a Cincinnati Reds / Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. double bobblehead, and a Star Wars X-Wing pilot Mr. Redlegs bobblehead. The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum gave out bobbleheads of Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham, Jim Maloney, Lee May, and Pete Rose. For everybody but Rose, this was their bobblehead debut. The Rose bobble was of him being inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame while the other bobbles featured the Reds legends in their playing days. Since the Reds Hall of Fame featured more new players as bobbles than the Reds, I’m giving this round to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

Next we will take a look at the overall appearance of the nodders. The bobbleheads that the Reds gave away looked great. Suarez and Cozart are in traditional Reds uniforms, Vottomatic is in a superhero outfit, Ken Griffey Jr. is featured in both his Reds and Mariners uniform, and the Star Wars Mr. Redlegs bobblehead features the mustached mascot of the Reds in an X-Wing spaceship. The Reds Hall of Fame bobbles feature the players in traditional Reds uniforms based on the era that the players were from with the Rose bobblehead featuring Rose in his red hall of fame induction jacket. Based on the uniqueness of the appearances of the Reds bobbleheads, I’m giving this round to the Reds.

With both the Reds and the Reds Hall of Fame claiming a point apiece, this round will determine which bobbleheads were of better quality as well as who is the bobblehead champion of 2016. The overall quality of the Reds bobbleheads was pretty good. The paintjobs on the players were decent for the most part and the heads bobbled pretty well. However, the paintjobs on the bases could have been better as the lettering for the names of the players looked a little splotchy on some bobbles. Also, the bats that are held in the hands of the Griffey Jr. bobble were pretty loose and would fall out easily. The Reds Hall of Fame bobbles feature quality paintjobs on both the players and the bases. The bat in Lee May’s hands fit snuggly, and Rose’s foot screw into the base to keep the bobble in place. Therefore, the quality round goes to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

Based on a final score of 2-1, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum gave out the better line of bobbleheads in 2016. The players were featured were mostly new, and the quality of the bobbles were topnotch. The Reds bobbles had the better look, but the repeat players and shabby paintjobs on the bases and the loose bats on the Girffey Jr. bobblehead were the factors that gave the title of bobblehead champ to the Reds Hall of Fame. That is not to say that the Reds bobbles are bad as they are in fact really nice, but the Reds Hall of Fame bobbles were just better overall. If you are a Reds fan, I suggest picking up both lines of bobbleheads for your collection.

Go Redlegs!

Cincinnati Reds 2016 Bobbleheads Review

In last week’s post, I wrote about the line of 2016 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum bobbleheads. In this week’s post, I will look at the entire line of 2016 Cincinnati Reds SGA bobbleheads. This was the first time since 2013 that I got every bobblehead that that team gave away to fans. This was a really good line of bobbles that the team gave away to fans, and you will see why I think that in this post.

The first bobblehead the Cincinnati Reds gave out this year was of Vottomatic, the superhero version of Reds first baseman Joey Votto. Had this been another bobblehead of Votto in a regular Reds uniform, I would not have added it to my collection but since he is in a pretty cool superhero outfit, I thought it would make a great addition to my bobblehead collection.

The second bobblehead given out was a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Mr. Redlegs bobblehead. In my opinion, this is one of the coolest nodders the team has ever produced. It features the mascot of the team in an X-Wing, which is an awesome concept. I’m a big fan of both the Reds and Star Wars, and this bobblehead is the best of both worlds.

The third nodder of the year was a Cincinnati Reds / Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. double bobblehead. This was a special bobblehead that was given out during the Seattle Mariners vs. Cincinnati Reds game because of Griffey’s hall of fame induction. “The Kid” is one of my all-time favorite baseball players so adding this bobble to my collection was a no-brainer. It looks awesome and is easily one of the best bobbleheads of Ken Griffey Jr. that I have ever seen.

The fourth bobblehead that the Reds gave away to fans was of shortstop Zack Cozart. Cozart is one of the best defensive shortstops in Major League Baseball today and has been a staple on the defensive side of the ball for the Reds for the past few years. He routinely dazzles with amazing snags, and his bobblehead has been long overdue. Being a defensive star, the Reds obviously chose to have Cozart in a fielding stance. I think the bobblehead is very cool and is a great bobble debut for the Reds starting shortstop.

The fifth and final bobblehead of the year was of Eugenio Suarez. The Reds acquired Suarez from the Detroit Tigers last year and his batting power made him an immediate fan favorite. This past season he was the new starting third baseman and while he struggled in the beginning, he got better as the season progressed and has become a pretty reliable player on the defensive side of the diamond. This bobblehead features him swinging a bat though, and it makes sense considering how his power is what made him known among Reds fans.

In conclusion, the 2016 Cincinnati Reds SGA line of bobbleheads is awesome. It features new players and unique twists on players who have already had bobbles. I hope the Reds continue this trend of either adding a unique feature to a player who has already had a bobblehead or by issuing nodders of players who have never had a bobblehead. Based on this year’s series of bobbles, the Reds are heading in the right direction.

Go Redlegs!

Ken Griffey Jr. Double Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an SGA Cincinnati Reds / Seattle Mariners double bobblehead of Ken Griffey Jr.

Bobblehead Page Update

Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/7szAEAxyiu With a New #Reds/#Mariners Nodder#JrHOF #CINvsLAD #MLB #sports pic.twitter.com/yoWWPYVSBx

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) May 25, 2016

Photo Page Update

Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/yzF6TznxxM With #SEAvsCIN Pics#JrHOF #Reds #Mariners #MLB #NBA #NHL #baseball pic.twitter.com/6RSApOYAan

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) May 22, 2016

Honoring the Kid

It's rare that a team gives away a double bobblehead. It is even rarer for a team to give out a bobblehead that features another franchise. The Cincinnati Reds will do both of these in one evening when they give out a double Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. Bobblehead on May 21, 2016.

With Griffey Jr. being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, it was pretty obvious that the Reds were going to capitalize on his induction. I figured they would simply give out another regular bobblehead of him, but I was blown away when they announced it would be a double bobble.

The double bobble makes perfect sense in that it displays Jr’s time with the Mariners, which was unquestionably the best playing days of his historic career, while also showing that he was a Red for nearly a decade. The bobblehead looks awesome, and I consider it different enough from my normal Reds Griffey Jr. bobblehead. I have my tickets, and cannot wait to add it to my collection.

Griffey Jr. was without a shadow of a doubt the best baseball player of my childhood, and his swing was nothing short of legendary. He thrived as a Mariner, returned home to Cincinnati to play for the Reds, and was an incredible reminder of how natural talent could easily outshine the controversy of the PED era in baseball. He was one of the few players who accomplished his home run milestones without the help of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, and his induction into the hallowed halls of Cooperstown is very much deserved. I can honestly say that the Kid is one of my all time favorite players, and I cannot wait to get one more bobblehead of him.

Congrats Jr! Go Redlegs!

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!

2016 Cincinnati Reds Bobbleheads So Far

Even though Opening Day is not for a few months, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum are already promoting what bobbleheads they will be giving out to fans this season. At the time that this post was written, the Reds have announced four of the bobbleheads that they will give away and the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum have announced two of the bobbleheads that will be given to fans with the price of admission. In this post, I will share my thoughts on the nodders that have been revealed.

Let’s start with the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum bobbleheads. The bobblehead that will be given out during the month of April will be of legendary Reds pitcher Jim Maloney. This is an awesome choice for a bobblehead. Maloney had a great career as a Red and is more than deserving of his own bobblehead. I definitely plan on stopping by the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum to pick up this nodder.

The other bobblehead that the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum has announced is of Lee May. “The Big Bopper” is another fantastic choice for a bobblehead as he was a great player who helped the Reds reach the 1970 World Series, and he helped lay the foundation for the Big Red Machine that would dominate baseball throughout the 1970’s. This bobblehead is a must have for my collection.

The Reds have announced four bobbleheads that they will be giving out with the first one being a superhero bobblehead of Joey Votto. While I do find this bobblehead to be underwhelming as there are tons of Joey Votto bobbleheads in the world, I do plan on attending the game so that I can get it. Odds are that the bobblehead will be of Votto in some sort of superhero outfit instead of the typical Reds uniform, so I consider it to be different enough to add to my collection.

The second bobblehead that will be given out will be a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Mr. Redlegs bobblehead. This sounds awesome. Even though I have three variations of Mr. Redlegs nodders in my collection already, a Star Wars Mr. Redlegs bobblehead is too good to pass up on so I will definitely be heading to the game to get it.

The third bobblehead the team will give out is a dual Cincinnati Reds/Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead. This bobblehead is another cool nodder that I will be adding to my collection. With “the Kid” most likely taking his rightful place in the Hall of Fame this year, it makes perfect sense for the Reds to capitalize on it and produce a nodder of him. The fact that it will feature him as both a member of the Reds and the Mariners is a cool idea, and I cannot wait to get it.

The fourth bobblehead is of shortstop Zack Cozart. I am excited about this bobblehead as it features a solid player on the team who has yet to be immortalized as a Reds SGA nodder. Cozart is an amazing defensive shortstop, so my guess is that the nodder will portray him making a great defensive play.

Those are the six Reds bobbleheads that have been announced, and aside from the Votto nodder, they all have me pretty excited. It is pretty much assumed that the Reds, who are currently in rebuild mode, will suck in 2016, so the need for awesome promotions to help drive fans to the games is at a high level. Based on the bobbleheads they have announced so far, they are on the right track.

Go Redlegs!