New Cincy Fan Zone Bobblehead Page

New bobblehead page is now live on Cincy Fan Zone website at http://t.co/o1Zxf8kkzx! Check it out #Reds #Bengals #bobblehead

— Cincy Fan Zone (@cincyfanzone) July 31, 2014

Larkin is Coming Home…Sort Of

One of Cincinnati’s favorite sons is coming back to the Queen City in the form of a bobblehead. Starting this weekend, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will be giving away bobbleheads of former Cincinnati Reds shortstop and 2012 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Barry Larkin.

The bobbleheads will be free with the purchase of a full price admission to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the month of August starting on Friday, August 1. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens, and $6 for all active and former members of the military. There is a strict one bobblehead per visitor per day rule.

Considering how the Reds gave out Barry Larkin bobbleheads in 2001 and in 2006, I would expect demand for this nodder to be less than that of the Eric Davis nodder that was given out in July. However, Larkin is one of the more popular Reds from the 1990 World Series Championship team, and if you want this bobblehead, I suggest you get to the Hall of Fame and Museum as soon as possible as only 6000 bobbleheads were produced, and the supply might deplete rather quickly.

I have the Barry Larkin bobblehead that the Reds gave out during the 2006 season, so I will not be heading to the Hall of Fame and Museum to get the 2014 edition. Pictures of the 2014 version are online, and it does look like a cool bobblehead, so if you do not yet have a Larkin nodder in your collection, you might want to consider heading to the Hall of Fame and Museum to get one for yourself.

WWE Battleground 2014 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Battleground 2014 and the potential impact of the show on SummerSlam 2014.

Bengals Training Camp is Almost Here

Have you ever wanted to see your Cincinnati Bengals practice for the upcoming season? Now you can as the Cincinnati Bengals 2014 Training Camp starts Thursday, July 24 at 3 p.m.

Most of the practices will take place on the practice fields located to the west of Paul Brown Stadium. The only practices to take place in Paul Brown Stadium are the two “Family Day” events. The first will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, and the other will happen on Saturday, August 9 at 3 p.m.

“Family Day” practice sessions feature things for kids such as face painters and balloon artists among other activities, as well as the opportunity for fans to win Bengal prize packs as well as purchase game tickets. Also, the first 1000 kids at the “Family Day” practices will get a free Cincinnati Bengals give-away item.

Training Camp is also a great opportunity for fans to get autographs of their favorite players. At the conclusion of each practice session, groups of players will be available for autographs for 15 minutes. The best time to get autographs is the “Family Day” practices as the entire roster of players is available to sign autographs once practice ends.

Training Camp is always a lot of fun to attend. You get to see the Bengals practice, and it offers a unique opportunity to interact with the players. I have been to the Bengals’ Training Camp three times, once when it was still held at Georgetown College and twice at Paul Brown Stadium, and all three times have been great. It is a fun way to get pumped up for the upcoming season, and I highly recommend attending at least one session.

Who Dey!

Billy Hamilton Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes the 2014 Cincinnati Reds SGA Billy Hamilton Bobblehead.

Ken Griffey Sr. Bobblehead Review

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews the 2012 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Ken Griffey Sr. bobblehead.

"Teamless" Pete Rose Boblehead Review

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews the 2002 unofficial "Teamless" Pete Rose bobblehead given out at a celebrity softball game that took place at Riverfront Stadium before it was demolished.

Four Reds Shine Bright

What could be better than winning a three-game home series against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers? Being named to the National League All-Star team the very same day.

Aroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier, and Devin Mesoraco will represent the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN, on July 15, as all four of these men were named members of the N.L. All-Star team.

This is the first All-Star appearance for everybody but Chapman as he made the N.L. All-Star team in 2012 and 2013. All four of these Reds are very deserving of this honor, and all but Mesoraco were voted in by the players. Mesoraco was named to the team by St. Louis Cardinals and N.L. All-Star team manager Mike Matheny.

Chapman has bounced back brilliantly from his horrifying spring training injury, recording 17 saves so far this season. Cueto has been the ace of the staff and has a record of 8-6 and a 1.99 ERA. Frazier has rebounded after last season’s slump and currently has a batting average of .291 while driving in 47 runs. Mesoraco is excelling in his first full year as starting catcher, as the Punxsutawney Powerhouse has driven in 42 runs while attaining a batting average of .317.

Congrats to these four players as they will make the Queen City proud during the All-Star break. I hope to see all four, as well as more Reds players, make the N.L. All-Star team next season as Great American Ball Park will be the site of 2015’s MLB All-Star Game. 

(On a side-note, I do not have a Devin Mesoraco bobblehead since the Reds have not released one, which is why he is not in the picture. Based on his performance so far this season, I believe the Reds should immortalize him with a bobblehead next season. Make it happen Reds!)

Welcome to Raw is Jericho

The night after Money in the Bank was almost as big as the actual pay-per-view itself. After an almost one year absence, Chris Jericho returned to the WWE on Monday’s episode of Raw.

Y2J‘s Monday night homecoming occurred as the Miz was cutting a promo for his new movie, The Marine 4: Moving Target. After interrupting the former Real World star, Jericho hit the Miz with a codebreaker much to the delight of both the crowd and myself. Just when Jerichoholics thought it could not get any better, WWE showed why they can be masters in both entertainment and surprises.

Following the codebreaker to the Miz, the Wyatt Family entered the ring and stared at Jericho. The intense stare down between the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla and the Wyatts had the crowd chanting, “this is awesome.” The Wyatts then attacked Jericho, setting up what seems to be a great summer rivalry that will culminate at SummerSlam.

I am a big Chris Jericho fan and was thrilled to see him come back on Monday. He is a master of debuts and returns, and Monday’s episode of Raw proved it. I can’t wait to see how this Jericho vs. Wyatt rivalry plays out during the summer months and hopefully, Jericho can work his magic and help take Bray Wyatt to the next level.

Brokenhearted in Brazil

The hearts of American soccer fans broke all over the world yesterday, as Belgium defeated the United States by a score of 2 – 1 in a World Cup thriller.

The match itself was filled with drama as outstanding goal keeping by Tim Howard of the United States held Belgium scoreless during regulation, sending the game into extra time. During the first period of extra time, however, things took a turn for the worse for the Americans.

Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium scored the first goal of the game during the third minute of extra time to give Belgium a 1 – 0 lead. Nine minutes later, Romelu Lukaku scored a goal to make it a 2 – 0 game in favor of Belgium.

During the second extra time period, a glimmer of hope for American soccer fans was provided by the youngest player on Team U.S.A., Julian Green, as he scored at the 107^th minute of the match. The Americans then began attacking the goal at a frantic pace and almost pulled even with Belgium when Clint Dempsey’s shot was stopped by Belgium goalie Thibaut Courtois at the game’s 114^th minute. Belgium was able to hold on for the 2 – 1 win.

This game was the very definition of a heartbreaker, and it had moments of despair and frustration as well as times of excitement and jubilation. It was an unbelievable match to watch, and it really showed how resilient the American team was. The Men's National Team has nothing to be ashamed about, as they were able to capture the heart of a nation with soccer. Based on their performance in the World Cup, things look pretty bright for the American soccer team as they begin looking toward the next World Cup.

Celebrate the 4th with Eric

If you missed your chance in 2002 to get an Eric Davis Cincinnati Reds bobblehead, fear not as Independence Day will give you another opportunity. Starting on July 4, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will release an Eric Davis bobblehead.

The bobbleheads will be free with the purchase of a full price admission to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the month of July. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens, and $6 for all active members of the military and veterans.

There is a strict one bobblehead per visitor per day rule, so if you plan on getting more than one without the help of eBay, plan on attending the Hall of Fame and Museum once a day over the weekend. If you want this bobblehead, make sure you get to the Hall of Fame and Museum as soon as possible as only 6000 bobbleheads were produced with a few of these bobbleheads being reserved for Hall of Fame and Museum members.

I have the 2002 Eric Davis Cincinnati Reds bobblehead as evident by the picture, so I will not be heading to the Hall of Fame and Museum to get the new one. It does look pretty cool though, and it is the third bobblehead in the five-bobblehead series. More details about the bobblehead can be found on the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum website.

WWE Money in the Bank 2014 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone discusses the results and potential fallout of WWE Money in the Bank 2014.

Jim O'Toole Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes the Jim O'Toole Bobblehead, a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum giveaway for June 2014.

Americans Get Win and Revenge

Both victory and revenge can be sweet, and on Monday, the U.S. Men’s National Team got double the sweetness in their World Cup opener. The Americans beat Ghana 2 – 1, avenging their World Cup losses from 2006 and 2010, both of which were at the hands of Ghana.

The action was fast and furious from the start of the match as Clint Dempsey of the U.S. scored 32 seconds into the game. After some nifty moves off a throw in, Dempsey scored by banking the ball in off of the right goal post, becoming the first American soccer player to score in three different World Cups.

Ghana would then go on what seemed to be an all out offensive onslaught that had the Americans playing defense for most of the match. The Americans’ defensive play was able to preserve the lead until a little under 82 minutes into the match when Ghana’s Andre Ayew scored, tying the game at 1 - 1.

Four minutes later, however, American soccer fans all over the world erupted with joy as John Brooks became the first American sub to score a goal in World Cup history, bouncing in a header off a Graham Zusi corner kick to give the Americans a 2 -1 lead. That goal would prove to be enough, as the Americans would hold on for the win.

The game was incredible to watch and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. If you were not able to watch it, you definitely should check out the highlights, as this was a game that American soccer fans will be talking about for years to come. The Americans next take on Portugal this Sunday.

Bring Back the NBA

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone discusses why he thinks the NBA should bring professional basketball back to Cincinnati.

Bittersweet Return for Latos

The long road to recovery finally ended for Mat Latos as he started for the Reds this past Saturday as they took on the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Latos looked like the dominant pitcher he was last year, pitching six innings of shutout baseball. He gave up only two hits and left the game with the Reds leading the Brewers 1 – 0. It looked like Latos would be able to cap off his triumphant return from injuries with a win, but the bullpen’s struggles would cost the Reds another victory.

After the Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, Billy Hamilton’s homerun in the top of the eighth tied the game at two runs apiece. However things took a turn for the worse in the bottom half of the inning as JJ Hoover gave up a two-run homer to Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun to give the Brewers the lead and the win. Hoover’s record dropped to one win and five losses while Latos got a no decision.

Hopefully, Latos will continue to pitch this well throughout the rest of the season. For a guy coming off knee and elbow injuries that required him to miss two months of baseball, a six inning, zero run debut in which he struck out four batters is simply terrific. Latos is scheduled to next pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays when they pay a visit to Great American Ballpark this weekend.

Sparky Anderson Bobblehead Review

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews the 2004 Columbus Clippers SGA bobblehead of Sparky Anderson.

Home Sweet Home

Even though the Reds have not won a World Series Championship since 1990, and the Bengals have yet to win a Super Bowl, there is one sports team in Cincinnati that has won two championships since 2008. That team is the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League, and they are currently battling for a third Kelly Cup Championship, the Stanley Cup equivalent of the ECHL.

Standing in their way with a 2-1 series lead is the Alaska Aces. The Aces came away with a 5-3 win in Game 1, but the Cyclones evened the series in Game 2, winning by a score of 2-1. The Aces responded with a 2-0 victory in Game 3 after scoring twice late in the third period. The Cyclones, however, might be able to turn the tide when they return home this weekend.

The confines of U.S. Bank Arena could help the Cyclones capture another title, as the next three games in the best of seven series will be played on home ice. When the Cyclones won the Kelly Cup in 2008 and again in 2010, they did it in front of a home crowd in the Queen City. Hopefully the familiar home ice and the raucous home crowd can propel the Cyclones to another championship.

Games 4 and 5 will be this Friday and Saturday respectively, and both begin at 7:35 p.m. Game 6, if necessary, will be on Monday, June 9 with a 7:35 p.m. start time.

Go Cyclones!

Smackdown in Cincinnati Tonight

World Wrestling Entertainment will be presenting Smackdown tonight at 7 p.m. from U.S. Bank Arena and judging by what happened at Payback on Sunday and on Raw last night, it could make for a very interesting show, especially for Cincinnati’s favorite wrestling son, Dean Ambrose.

For those who are unfamiliar with wrestling, Dean Ambrose is a Cincinnati born wrestler who currently works for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a member of the faction known as the Shield and was a former WWE United States Champion.

At Payback, Ambrose and his Shield brethren, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, defeated the powerhouse faction known as Evolution, which is made up of Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista, three of the most accomplished wrestlers in WWE. The following night on Raw, Rollins turned his back on the Shield by siding with Evolution before attacking Reigns and Ambrose with a steel chair.

The night should be both fun and wild as Cincinnati is treated to the fallout from last night’s shocking episode of Raw. Also, Bray Wyatt is expected to make an appearance following his loss at Payback to John Cena. Other wrestlers scheduled to appear include Randy Orton, Kane, and the rest of the Wyatt Family.

I have been a big wrestling fan ever since I was a kid and usually try to go every time WWE or TNA is in town, however, the Bowtie Tuesday Reds game tonight was too good of a deal to pass up, so it looks like I will be waiting for Smackdown to be aired on Friday to see what happens. Hopefully, Ambrose will get some revenge and hit Rollins with his signature move, Dirty Deeds.

The Dalton Dilemma

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on the contract dilemma between the Cincinnati Bengals and Andy Dalton.