Reds Rockin' 150

The Cincinnati Reds are in the midst of their 150th Anniversary season and to celebrate, they will be throwing a party on July 5 that will be sure to rock the Queen City. The Redlegs will host Reds Rockin' 150 at Great American Ball Park. The event is a combination open house, concert, fan fest, and fireworks show to celebrate the first ever professional baseball franchise.

Doors to the stadium will open at 5:00 pm and the event is scheduled to conclude at 11:00 pm. At 8:00 pm, a concert featuring Phillip Phillips, X Ambassadors, and Three Doors Down will start and will be followed by a fireworks show to close out the event. There will also be other live music options before the main concert starts including a performance by the Bronson Arroyo band.

Aside from the music and fireworks, fans will also have the opportunity to meet Reds players and alumni, run the bases, take a few swings in the Reds batting cages, and check out exclusive areas of the ballpark. Mascots and circus performers will also be scattered throughout the stadium for additional entertainment. Available concessions in the stadium will be 50% off as well. 

Tickets to this event are free, and at the time that this post was written, are available on the Cincinnati Reds website. I think this is a great way to celebrate the very first professional baseball franchise in history, and the fact that it is free should be more than enough reason for every member of Reds Country to try and attend. There will be live music, current and former Reds greats, fireworks, and 50% concessions. Kudos to the Reds for hosting this event and further cementing Cincinnati as a baseball town.

A.J. Green Flathlete Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Bengals A.J. Green flathlete. 

Shaking Things Up

FC Cincinnati might only be in its fourth year of existence and first year in Major League Soccer, but the young franchise is not afraid to pull the trigger on making big moves. Following the team's loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, FCC dismissed head coach Alan Koch and named assistant coach Yoann Damet as interim head coach.

Under Koch FCC attained a record of 2 wins, 2 draws, and 7 losses totaling only 8 points in the MLS eastern standings through their first 11 games. The club had gone winless in their last seven matches in a row and had not scored in their previous five.

Signs of Koch's dismissal were pretty apparent. After the team's fell to the Philadelphia Union in a Wednesday night match, Koch said he needed additional players in order to win. The comments essentially threw FCC's front office and roster under the bus. Following the team's next loss to the Earthquakes, a few players such as Fanendo Adi voiced their frustrations with Koch's coaching style and lack of team identity. The club released a statement saying that Koch was dismissed because of "a series of recent issues and a team culture that had deteriorated."

At the time that this post was written, FCC had only played one match with Damet at the helm. The team earned a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Impact as Allan Cruz ended the club's 528 minute scoreless streak early in the first half. Fatal Alashe scored his first goal of the season in the second half. It is still early, but the team looked very different under Damet. They were passing the ball more and creating more opportunities on offense. Whether or not that is a result of Damet's style or a lack of film on it remains to be seen but for now, everything seems to be copacetic in the Queen City.

Will Damet be the permanent coach for FC Cincinnati? Let's see him coach a few more games first. Rumors are that Gerard Nijkamp has been hired by the club to be the new general manager, and he will make the final decision as to who the next head coach of FCC is. If Damet can actually turn the team around and string together some wins, then I could definitely see FCC naming him as head coach. If not, then I really hope the team conducts an international search and brings in the best coach possible that can lead this team to a future MLS Cup victory.

Bobblehead Collection 2018

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone recaps the 2018 additions to his bobblehead collection. 

USMNT to the 513

Nippert Stadium has been the home of FC Cincinnati since their inaugural United Soccer League season in 2016. Fans saw the team host Crystal Palace F.C. in 2016, the memorable Open Cup victories over the Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire in 2017 were under the Nippert Stadium lights, and FCC’s first win in Major League Soccer was in front of a packed home crowd on St. Patrick’s Day 2019. This Sunday, another memorable soccer moment will happen as the United States Men’s National Team will play Venzeula in the team’s final preparation match before the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. 

The game is set to begin at 2 PM on Sunday June 9 and marks the first ever visit to the Queen City by the USMNT. It will be broadcasted nationally on FOX and will further show why Cincinnati is Soccer City, USA. Tickets are currently on sale via ussoccer.com.

In my opinion, this is one of the coolest sporting events to come to Cincinnati. The players on the USMNT are supposed to be the best that America has to offer and getting to see them play in my own backyard is incredible. I bought tickets to this game a few weeks ago and have been counting the days until kickoff. 

I believe that we will win!

Wally Post Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds bobblehead of Wally Post. 

Just Play Ball

Baseball has a set of codes that players usually follow. It's the only sport I can think of that pretty much governs itself. Players and coaches should act certain ways and if they don't, expect some sort of retaliation. To me, that is unbelievably stupid.

When the Cincinnati Reds played the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh for the first time this season, Derek Dietrich blasted a home run out of the ballpark and into the Allegheny River. He stood there at home plate and watched it sail out of the stadium. Apparently that broke one of baseball's unwritten laws and his next time up to bat, Pirates pitcher Chris Archer threw a ball high and behind Dietrich as a way of retaliation. The umpire issued a warning to Archer and both benches. This upset Reds manager David Bell who came charging out of the mound and was complaining that the Reds can't retaliate against the Pirates. A big brawl broke out after that and players from both teams were ejected and suspended. Is this Major League Baseball or Little League?

Baseball is a game. It is supposed to be fun. I had no problem at all with Dietrich watching his ball fly into the river. I would have done it also. If Chris Archer didn't like Dietrich admiring his home run shot, then Archer shouldn't have thrown a pitch that Dietrich could power out of the stadium. Also, Archer is notorious for celebrating strikeouts and has even moon walked off the mound. What is the difference between watching a home run and celebrating a strikeout? If you can celebrate a K without retaliation, you should be able to celebrate a home run without retaliation.

The whole retaliation aspect of baseball is stupid in my opinion. I watch the sport of baseball because I love the game. I want to see players celebrate when they do something great. What I do not want to see is a petty retaliation that makes everybody involved looked childish. It can seriously hurt a player, and brawls, ejections, and suspensions usually occur as a result. That ruins the game in my opinion as it takes away the opportunity for fans to see some of their favorites play. Just get rid of retaliation and play ball.

Redlegs the Snowman Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Redlegs the Snowman bobblehead. 

Double or Nothing 2019 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW Double or Nothing 2019.

Mox is Back

Dean Ambrose's contract with World Wrestling Entertainment appeared to expire on April 30, 2019. Around midnight on May 1, his twitter account,which is notorious for its lack of activity posted, a video of him breaking out of a jail cell, climbing over a barbwire fence, escaping through a city, and training inside a wrestling ring. At the end of the video, the word Mox appears and suggests that Dean Ambrose is no more, and Jon Moxley has returned. 

For those who are unaware, Jon Moxley was Ambrose's name before he joined WWE. He made a name for himself on the indie scene as one of the best talkers in the wrestling industry and was known for his violent and hardcore matches. The fact that he would reuse the Moxley moniker makes sense as he is no longer a WWE employee. What has people excited and adding fuel to the fire on whether or not he joins All Elite Wrestling are the subtle messages hidden within the video. 

Many people claim that Moxley breaking out of the jail cell is symbolic of him breaking free from the "Ambrose Asylum" and WWE. Others are also saying that the pair of dice with the numbers 2 and 5 that are painted on a wall he runs by is a subtle nod to AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view which will be held on May 25 in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is also where Moxley currently resides. 

Whether or not these subliminal messages are hinting at an AEW debut remains to be seen. Some wrestling fans are even speculating that this is a big storyline from WWE which oddly does make sense. The production value of the video is top notch, and WWE uncharacteristically gave Ambrose a nice exit from the company. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the return of Jon Moxley has shaken up the wrestling industry and generated an enormous amount of buzz. So where will Moxley end up once he finally decides to return to the ring? We will have to wait and see. 

All Elite Wrestling Shirt Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an All Elite Wrestling shirt. 

Money in the Bank 2019 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Money in the Bank 2019.

2019 Cincinnati Reds Themed Bobbleheads

For the past few years, the Cincinnati Reds have been teaming up with various companies to produce special themed giveaway items that are exclusive to certain ticket packages. Some of these items are bobbleheads and have featured characters from Star Wars, Peanuts, and Marvel among others. So who will the Redlegs team up with this season and what unique bobbleheads will be distributed? Let's take a look.

The first themed bobblehead of 2019 is a Game of Thrones Queen Rosie bobblehead. Last year the Reds and Game of Thrones gave out a King Redlegs bobblehead, and it was a very good looking bobble. The Queen Rosie bobble looks just as good and will make a fine addition to anybody's bobblehead collection. This will be given out during the 5/15 game against the Chicago Cubs.

The next themed bobblehead is of Woodstock. He is the little yellow bird from the Peanuts comic strip and cartoon. The previous years have seen the Reds give out bobbleheads of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. This bobble will be given out on the 5/19 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It wouldn't be baseball season without a Star Wars themed giveaway, and the Reds are teaming up with the juggernaut movie franchise on 5/31 against the Washington Nationals when they give out a bobblehead of Darth Vader. The bobblehead features Vader standing on a Reds baseball and continues the partnership that Star Wars and the Redlegs have had for the last few years.

The fourth themed bobblehead giveaway of the year is the one I am looking forward to the most. For the third straight year, the Reds and Marvel are teaming up to distribute a bobblehead with the 2019 season featuring a Black Panther bobble. This will be the fourth Marvel bobblehead the Reds have given to fans with the previous three being Rocket Raccoon, Iron Man, and Captain America. Im a big super hero fan and have all three in my collection, and I will definitely be getting tickets for this game. It will take place on 6/14 when the Texas Rangers come to town.

The fifth bobble is of All-Star-Sam, the bald eagle. This is a joint promotion bobblehead between the Reds and the Cincinnati Zoo. Last year's zoo themed bobblehead was of Fiona the hippo. This will be given out during the 6/18 game against the Houston Astros.

The next themed bobblehead game is on 7/19 when the Redlegs take on the St. Louis Cardinals and ties in Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. In honor of the 30th anniversary of "Off to See the Lizard," this bobblehead will be of the Lizard.

The last themed bobblehead the Reds will give out in 2019 will be in conjunction with the Grateful Dead. Members of Reds Country who are also Deadheads will get a kick out of this bobblehead as it will be of the Dancing Bear. This will be given out on 8/16 when the Reds host the Cardinals.

Those are the themed ticket package bobbleheads the Reds will give out during the 2019 season. Ranging from Star Wars to the Zoo, there is sure to be a bobblehead that will capture the interest of every Reds fan. I'm looking forward to the Black Panther bobblehead the most. More information on these bobbleheads can be found the Cincinnati Reds website.

Harry Wright Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2018 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Harry Wright bobblehead.

Double Video Weeks

This is a quick update on the Cincy Fan Zone website. If you are a frequent visitor of my website or my YouTube channel, you know that I publish one video a week. This has been the case ever since I first started Cincy Fan Zone in 2014. I thought having one video a week and one post a week supplied the Cincy Fan Zone website with ample content, and it was easy enough for me to manage. However, there will be a few times this year in which there will be two videos a week. 

I enjoy making wrestling pay-per-vew review videos for WWE shows such as the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Those are published the night of the pay-per-view. Other videos are usually published on Tuesdays. With WWE slowly releasing their pay-per-view schedule this year, I have had to rearrange and reschedule various videos on my website every time a new pay-per-view was announced. For a one-man crew, it is a very time-consuming process. At the time that this post was written, WWE just released the rest of the pay-per-view schedule for 2019, and if I were to keep up with the one video a week schedule, it would have required a massive reshuffling of videos. 

Bobblehead unboxing videos would have been pushed back even more, and the bobblehead collection recap video would most likely not have been published until August or September. That would have thrown 2019 bobblehead unboxing videos further down the schedule as well. To save myself time and to ensure that the 2018 bobblehead recap video actually gets published before 2020, there will be a few weeks in which Cincy Fan Zone will have two videos published. To compensate for that, there might be a few weeks in which no new content is published. This is to provide balance and not overwhelm frequent Cincy Fan Zone visitors, and it is also a way to give myself a break.

Thank you for your understanding and for continuing to visit the Cincy Fan Zone website. 

Los Rojos Eugenio Suarez Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2018 Los Rojos Eugenio Suarez bobblehead. 

What Paul Brown Can Learn From Lucas Oil

I love going to Cincinnati Bengals games. Getting to watch professional football live and in person is one of the best sports events that all fans of the National Football League should try to experience. The atmosphere is phenomenal, the action on the field is usually constant, and getting to watch the game with a bunch of fellow football fans is always fun. Until this past season, I have only watched NFL games at Paul Brown Stadium. I always have fun cheering on the Bengals, and Paul Brown Stadium is a fine place to watch a game. However, my eyes were truly opened when I went up to Indianapolis to watch the Bengals take on the Colts in their 2018 season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium.

I have seen Lucas Oil Stadium on television multiple times but being there in person was a breathtaking experience. The Colts have a gorgeous stadium. From the Peyton Manning statue that greets fans outside the main entrance to the championship banners that hang from the ceiling, Lucas Oil Stadium is a palace when compared to Paul Brown Stadium. The stadium pays tribute to the city’s racecar heritage with various NASCAR and Indy Car models and it blends together nicely with the Colts décor that fills Lucas Oil Stadium to the brim. It was a cold and rainy day in Indianapolis so the roof was closed, and I believe that helped make the stadium louder. The retractable roof structure of the stadium also allowed the team to shoot off pyro and fire off streamers every time the Colt scored a touchdown. Lucas Oil Stadium was truly an experience that I wish Paul Brown Stadium could replicate.

I know that stadiums in Cincinnati is a touchy subject considering how the Reds and Bengals stadium deals are regarded as some of the worst of all time, and FC Cincinnati’s bait and switch and three site rotation stadium saga was nauseating. However, should the Bengals decide that they need a new stadium, I would hope they model it after Lucas Oil Stadium. I love Paul Brown Stadium, but Lucas Oil Stadium is without a shadow of a doubt much better. A new Bengals stadium could feature statues of franchise legends and also pay tribute to the city’s heritage. A retractable roof would be nice during the winter and for whenever it rains during a game and having orange fireworks go off whenever the Bengals score would be awesome. 

Those are just some of the things that I think the Bengals could implement into a new stadium should one be built. It would greatly enhance the game day experience, and the franchise could host a lot more events. Final Fours, College Football Championship games, state championship football games, concerts, Super Bowls, and WrestleMania among other events could all emanate from a new Bengals stadium that followed the Lucas Oil Stadium model. Maybe one day a new state of the art Paul Brown Stadium will see the Bengals not only host the Super Bowl but win it as well. 

Who Dey!

Redsfest 2018 Commemorative Ornament Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Redsfest 2018 Commemorative Ornament. 

My Reds and Marvel Bobblehead Wish List

Once again, the Cincinnati Reds and Marvel are joining forces to give away a themed ticket package bobblehead of a super hero. This year's bobble will feature Black Panther. This is the third consecutive year in which the Redlegs and Marvel have teamed up to give out a bobblehead. 2017 saw the Reds give out bobbleheads of Rocket Raccoon and Iron Man, and Captain America was given out last year. With an entire Marvel Universe of characters to feature as bobbleheads, who should the Reds immortalize as a bobble next? Here are my top five choices.

Let's start with the mighty Thor. The Asgardian god of thunder would make for an excellent bobblehead. Have him stand at the plate with his hammer instead of his bat and you've got an awesome crossover bobble that would make Odin proud.

Fourth on my list is Thanos. The ultimate villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would look awesome as a Reds bobblehead. One hand could have the infinity gauntlet and the other could feature all five Reds World Series Championship rings.

Third on my list is Wolverine. He has always been my favorite X-Men character and is one of the toughest characters in the history of Marvel. I'd love to see him in either his traditional blue and yellow gear or in a red and white themed Redlegs outfit.

Second is the Incredible Hulk. The big, green rage monster has been one of Marvel's most popular characters and has been featured as a bobblehead by a few different teams already. A bobblehead of him smashing through Great American Ball Park would be epic.

My number one choice for a Marvel Reds bobblehead is Spider-Man. Not only is he my all time favorite super hero, but he is one of the most popular super heroes in the history of comics. He could also be featured in a variety of styles such as his Venom costume, the Miles Morales outfit, or his traditional red and blue gear. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

That's my list of Marvel characters I'd like to see featured as Reds bobbleheads. I've collected every one the Reds and Marvel have given out so far, and I already have my tickets for the Black Panther game. If this partnership between Marvel and the Reds continues, you can bet that I will be heading to Great American Ball Park to assemble my collection of Marvel and Reds bobbleheads!

Jonny Gomes Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2011 SGA Cincinnati Reds Jonny Gomes bobblehead.