Oh, to be a Cincinnati Sports Fan

Beautiful Cincinnati

Things are looking up in Cincinnati! Now, I know what you’re thinking, a new Skyline Chili downtown? King’s Island is re-opening the Son of Beast? Maybe the Cincinnati Zoo is getting a panda? Nope. Things appear to be heading in the right direction for both of Cincinnati’s major professional sports teams. Let that wash over you for a moment. You heard me right, the perennially hapless Cincinnati Bengals and numbingly mediocre Cincinnati Reds seem to be set up for a period of success.

It is difficult to be a Cincinnati sports fan. The Bengals have won a grand total of one playoff game in my 22 years on this earth. By comparison, the Reds seem like world-beaters having won a World Series when I was 10 months old and having gone to the NLCS when I was five. I don’t remember a single pitch or touchdown from any of those games so I have not been able to enjoy those summer days at the ballpark or Sunday afternoons in the fall like many people have. 

Joey Votto, the Real Deal

With this in mind, optimism in Cincinnati must always be experienced cautiously. We know it’s just a matter of time before Carson Palmer blows out a knee or Al Leiter shuts down the Reds to win the Wild Card. However, it appears that for the first time in a long time, both the Reds and Bengals will be relevant. Both franchises have an exciting crop of young talent that figure to contend in their respective leagues for years to come.

The Reds turnaround started in 2008. A team that went 74-88 hardly seems like something to remember, but 2008 was the year Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Johnny Cueto became everyday players. Led by Votto’s MVP season, the 2010 Reds went on to win their first division title since 1995. After a mediocre 2011 season, this year’s version of the team appears poised to recapture the division crown and make run in the playoffs as Jay Bruce continues to improve, Johnny Cueto becomes a bona fide ace, and Joey Votto continues to be Joey Votto. 

Billy Hamilton is so fast, it is amazing we found a picture of him in motion

The scary thing for the rest of the league is the Reds look like they could be getting even better. The Reds have already locked up Votto, Bruce, and Gold Glove second baseman Brandon Phillips long term. Rookies Zack Cozart, Devin Mesoraco, and Rookie of the Year candidate Todd Frazier will be solid contributors to the team for some time. While the Reds farm system isn’t deep after the trade for Mat Latos, it appears to have just the players the Reds need to fill some holes on their major league roster. Tony Cingrani, who made his major league debut Sunday throwing 3 innings and striking out 5, appears to be the top of the rotation left-handed starter the Reds have coveted for so long. He should pair nicely with Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos to make a formidable trio of starters. Reds farmhand Billy Hamilton could become one of the most exciting in the Majors in a few years. Splitting time in A and AA ball this season, Hamilton set a minor league record stealing 155 bases while sporting an on-base percentage of .410. He should fit nicely at the top of the Reds order. Fans in the Queen City think the Reds could be contending for World Series like the days of the Big Red Machine over the next handful of years.

Last year Green was a HUGE fantasy sleeper for me, So good, I hope he can duplicate this season

The Bengals have long been the laughing stock of the NFL. The Bengals players became more well know for spending time in the Hamilton County Jail than playing meaningful games in December. The Bengals have shown signs of life beginning off and on since 2005 but have never put together good seasons. Things are changing for the better, though, with the additions of Andy Dalton and AJ Green. Bengals fans are hoping for a Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison type relationship for the young stars. The offense should continue to make strides this year after lagging behind a top-10 defense the last few years. Key to the Bengals success has been finally stringing together a few solid drafts. Aside from the Green and Dalton picks, the Bengals have added key contributors like DT Geno Atkins and DE Carlos Dunlap in later rounds.

This incarnation of the Bengals inspires a much more positive vibe in Bengals Country. As much as players like Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson/Ochocinco contributed to the franchise, they were part of a losing culture that needed to go. These young players have brought in a new era of Bengals football. Assuming, and this is a big assumption if you follow the Bengals, that they continue to draft well, the team should ascend into the ranks of their division’s best the Ravens and Steelers.

Smart money will be to take all I just said with a grain of salt. It’s entirely possible the Bengals are picking in the top 5 of next years draft and the Reds continue to play second fiddle to the St. Louis Cardinals. Such is the life of the Cincinnati sports fan. For the time being, however, days are a little sunnier in the city by the river.

-Andy