Heartbreaking Reflections

Cincinnati sports and heartbreak have seemingly been joined at the hip for my entire life. My two favorite professional sports teams, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals, have let down the city of Cincinnati numerous times over the past few years. When it seems like the Reds could make a run at the World Series or the Bengals could finally capture a Super Bowl championship, the cruel hand of fate intervenes and seemingly bounces both teams from the first round of the playoffs of their respective sports year after year. The most heartbreaking playoff losses that I have seen are the 2012 postseason collapse of the Reds and the 2015 implosion of the Bengals. Both of these losses had the entire city of Cincinnati hang its head in disappointment, and they caused many sleepless nights for fans of the queen city’s sports teams. Which one of these was the most depressing? Although it pains me to do this, I feel that it will be therapeutic if I write about both of these losses before picking which one of them was the worst for Cincinnati sports fans.

Let’s start with the 2012 Cincinnati Reds playoff collapse. 2012 was my favorite year as a Reds fan. The team was loaded with talent and put together one of the hottest runs in recent Reds history by winning 10 games in a row which resulted in Hall of Fame Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman shaving his head for charity. Homer Bailey also pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates in September, and the team rolled into the postseason as National League Central Division Champions with a record of 97-65. After going to the west coast and attaining a 2-0 division series lead over the San Francisco Giants without their ace pitcher Johnny Cueto, the Redlegs came home to Great American Ball Park needing to only win one more game to advance to the National League Championship Series. What happened next was unfathomable. The Reds dropped the next three games to lose the division series to the Giants as the fun and memorable 2012 season of the Reds came to a horrendous end that left members of Reds Country with a feeling of heartache.

Fast-forward three years to 2015. This was easily my favorite year as Bengals fan. The Bengals started the season out in scorching fashion by winning their first eight games in a row. They were victorious over their all three of their division rivals and had dramatic down to the wire wins over teams such as the San Diego Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks. They had a roster loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and entered the playoffs as AFC North Division Champions with a record of 12-4. After splitting the regular season matchups with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the two teams faced off in a rubber match in the wildcard round of the postseason. After being shutout for the first three quarters, the Bengals came roaring back and took a 16-15 lead off an A.J. Green touchdown catch that sent Who Dey Nation into a frenzy. A few plays later, Vontaze Burfict came up with a pick that seemingly clinched the game for the Bengals as Paul Brown Stadium exploded with cheers. It seemed that 25 years of prayers were finally being answered and a playoff win draught that lasted a quarter of a century was finally coming to an end. But then the Bengals’ own worst enemy, the Bungles, appeared at the worst possible time. Bengals running back Jeremy Hill fumbled the ball and a few plays and two horrendous penalties later, the Steelers kicked a game winning field goal and kicked the Bengals out of the playoffs again. It was the worst possible way to end what had been a fantastic season.

Those are my two tragic tales of Cincinnati sports. My two favorite teams having the best seasons I have ever witnessed imploded when the games mattered most. Both are heartbreaking, and they bring up feelings of disgust, anger, sadness, and depression when called to mind. Out of the two though, the Bengals 2015 playoff loss is the worst for me. The Bengals have not won a playoff game in my lifetime, and the fact that they had victory in their clutches only to give it away to the football team I hate the most, the Pittsburgh Steelers, makes me sick. I’m still a fan though. The Reds and the Bengals are the two teams I will always root for and hopefully one day I will be able to witness a Reds World Series Championship and a Bengals Super Bowl Championship.

Go Redlegs and Who Dey!

PO’ed: Poorly Officiated

January 9, 2016, is a date that I and many other fans of the Cincinnati Bengals would like to forget. After trailing the entire game, my beloved Bengals fought and clawed their way back into the game and took a 16-15 lead over their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a little under two minutes left in the game. It looked like the Bengals would finally win in the playoffs and end a 25 year postseason victory draught that dates all the way back to the 1990 NFL season. Unfortunately, the Steelers escaped with an 18-15 win over the Bengals after two stupid penalties cost the Bengals 30 yards. While the Bengals ultimately cost themselves the game, the officiating definitely played a role. Now I am not saying that the officials are the reason why the Bengals lost the game. I am saying that the officiating was so bad that the game essentially turned into a fight, and the lack of control by the referees played a key role into how violent the game became.

The head referee for this game was the same referee who officiated the second Steelers versus Bengals game. In that contest, the two teams got in a fight before the game even started. During the game, Steelers player Mike Mitchell laid a hard shot into Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert that resulted in Eifert leaving the game with a concussion. The tension only escalated from there and the officiating crew was heavily criticized for how they handled the game.

Fast forward to the playoff game for Steelers versus Bengals part three. For some stupid reason, the NFL has the same head official from the previous Steelers versus Bengals game referee the playoff game. Apparently the NFL told both teams before the game that they would not tolerate the same kind of violent play that characterized their previous meeting and at first, it looked like the officials had control of the game. Both teams were playing hard and other than an incident involving one of the Steelers coaches and Bengals safety Reggie Nelson, the game was going on without a hitch although it was a hard-hitting matchup. The officiating took a nosedive after an incident involving Ryan Shazier of the Steelers and Giovani Bernard of the Bengals.

Bernard caught a pass and took two steps before being knocked out by Ryan Shazier’s helmet-to-helmet shot that was horrific to watch. Bernard was motionless on the ground for a few minutes. Apparently the play was legal, but it was no doubt a dirty and vicious hit that could have seriously injured both players. To make matters worse, Shazier, in a display of the poorest of sportsmanship, celebrated the hit on the sideline. Things escalated quickly.

Both teams appeared to be hitting each other harder and the fans even started throwing trash onto the field. Toward the end of the game, Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict laid out Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown with a shot to the head from his shoulder that floored Brown. It was reminiscent of the hit Shazier placed on Bernard. That was called a penalty. However, the play also led to another scrummage between the two teams. This time though, Steelers coach Joey Porter was on the field and jawing with Bengals cornerback Adam Jones. There was absolutely no reason for Porter to be on the field. He is a coach and should have stayed on the sideline. Had that play in which Shazier knocked out Bernard been handled better, then perhaps Brown would not have suffered that hit and the game would have not turned into a fight with fans throwing debris onto the field. The game was poorly officiated as the referees lost control. In my opinion, the NFL has a lot of explaining to do. 

I could go on and on about how bad the officiating was, but I am still disgusted with how the game ended. It was a poor display of sportsmanship from a few coaches and players on the field and an embarrassment for the NFL.