The Reds Hate Their Fans

by Fios on Mar 26, 2008 3:00 PM EDT

Or, at the very least, they don't respect them all that much:

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/03/26/the-unhittable-toyota-at-great-american-ballpark/

the reds started a promotion where they put a truck in the outfield, and if a red hits it during a game, a "lucky fan" wins it. the problem is they put it on top of an elevator shaft and it's totally unreachable. I e-mailed Greg Rybarczyk at hittrackeronline and he got back with me after doing the math and said, basically, that its impossible to hit by any person other than A-Rod or Wily Mo Pena, and even then it would have to be wind-aided (to the effect that only one major league home run was hit last year) and still be lucky enough to go there. Actually, what he said was, "It might as well be on the moon."

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Isn't the Ford truck they place down the LF line at the Jake just about as unreachable? I don't know the actual distance, but the premise sounds the same.

by Voltaire on Mar 26, 2008 3:19 PM EDT reply actions

Apparently not? No-one has replied - did I make this up or something?

by Voltaire on Mar 27, 2008 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Just one more reason to hate the Reds, not that any were needed.

I swear, next year is it.

by Brad D on Mar 26, 2008 3:43 PM EDT reply actions

What's wrong with the Reds?

Actually, if you want to hate the Reds you go right ahead and you don't have to tell me anything about your hatred of the Reds if you don't want to.

I just stopped by from Red Reporter to check out the new SB Nation format/platform (we're supposed to get our new toys sometime tomorrow) and I wanted to take a little test drive and check out my avatar and whatnot.

Feel free to just ignore me. (But please don't hate me.)

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 26, 2008 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I grew up in Dayton as an Indians fan. That should pretty much explain it. I loathe almost all things Cinci. Alot of my friends growing up were Reds fans so the rivalry (and included hatred) kind of comes from there. I do link them to your blog as frequently as I can.

I swear, next year is it.

by Brad D on Mar 27, 2008 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Not totally in your defense, but...

I'm from northern Ohio, but I went to college and now law school in southwest Ohio, so I've been around the Reds and their fans for the last 7 years. I hate, loathe, etc. the Bengals and their fans. Same can be said for Xavier (I'm a UD grad). But, I have adopted the Reds as my National League team to follow and quasi-root for. I like going to games, I've gone to about 10 since I moved to the city. The ballpark is ok, but I think its one of my least favorite of the new style parks. I've visited Red Reporter a few times over the last year, and I think I might actually start posting with this new format.

by Ryan Kelsey on Mar 27, 2008 1:33 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm a Xavier fan myself and I am sorry you feel that way about us. I feel much the same way about the rest of Cinci as you do about X. The fans (rash generalization based only on my own experence forthcoming) tend to be uninformed and obnoxious. I think the Reds are the worst for this actually. I have a friend who keeps reminding me that the Reds have won a WS more recently than the Indians. I think 1990 is a bit of a stretch for bragging rights.

I swear, next year is it.

by Brad D on Mar 27, 2008 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut but...

I grew up near Huntington, WV and the Reds have always been my NL team and the Indians my AL team.

by Deaner on Mar 27, 2008 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

C'mon over.

I think Reds and Indians fans can and should bury the hatchet.

Browns and Bengals fans can keep on doing that caveman grunt-off thing they do.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 27, 2008 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm with you.

I grew up on the Reds, at least a little. When you're 7, it's a relief to get to go to go root for a team that's actually good. For 5,000 days of my childhood, it was the Indians, but for 5-10 days it was the Reds, and that's not the worst thing in the world.

by Jay on Mar 27, 2008 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions

When my dad went into the ministry in 1976, we moved from the Portage Lakes area of Akron to Central Ohio so he could attend seminary. This is, of course, in the middle of the Big Red Machine Era and Columbus was a Reds Town, and I was mercilessly ridiculed by my classmates for remaining a Tribe fan.

If that weren't enough to sour me on the Reds, I had the pleasure of attending graduate school at the University of Cincinnati from 1987 through 1989. I actually had a variation of this conversation, not once, but many times, with local Reds fans who would see me wearing Chief Wahoo:

Reds Fan: "So, you're an Indians fan?"
Me: "Yes"
Reds Fan: "How come?"
Me: "Because I'm originally from the Cleveland area, and I grew up rooting for them."
Reds Fan: "Well, you're in Cincinnati, now. You should like the Reds."
Me: "If you were to leave Cincinnati, would you still root for the Reds?"
Reds Fan: "Of course I would. They're the Reds."
Me: "Well, then you have your answer."
Reds Fan: "But you're in Cincinnati now, and the Indians stink."
Me: "If the Reds stunk, would you still like them?"
Reds Fan: "Of course, they're the Reds."
Me; "So, there you are. They are my team, and I like them even though they stink."
Reds Fan: "But, you're in Cincinnati and you should like the Reds instead."

I like Cincinnati, the city, a lot, and my wife has relatives there and we visit quite frequently and I enjoy myself on those trips. I have enjoyed watching games in Riverfront Stadium (though not yet the new park). However, I reserve the right to dislike the Reds and the parochial attitudes of their fans which I have come in contact with in the past, and, as a resident of Columbus, come in contact with daily.

It has given me great pleasure to watch the next generation of Columbus youth turn their backs on the Reds and become Indians fans because the Indians are winning and the Reds are mediocre at best. I know that it smacks of schadenfreude, but there it is. What can I say?

Free Andy Marte!

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Mar 27, 2008 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Fair enough, I think our different experiences come largely from the different times we lived in Cincinnati. The team is not nearly as well followed as it was in the 70's or even early 90's. They have had something like 3 owners and 5 managers in the last 8 years, and the generic annoying fan has stopped paying attention. What's left is the people that either just love the Reds for baseball tradition or love the young guys like Cueto, Votto, Bruce, Volquez, etc. Like in any city, these fans are a lot more fun to deal with and discuss baseball stuff with.

The annoying, misinformed fans have jumped on the Bengals bandwagon. What is funny, is that I think the Reds are now closer to contending than the Bungles.

I like the city a lot, but I can't wait to move back north.

by Ryan Kelsey on Mar 27, 2008 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Free Marge Schott!

Or at least, free her zombie.

Formerly known as "tribefan stuck in boston"

by BostonWahoo on Mar 27, 2008 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

ironically, during my time in cincinnati i became more infuriated with columbus sports fans.

i'd ask, "since you're from half-way in betweeen, do you root for the bengals or the browns" their response, "BUCKEYES!". "okay, fine, reds or indians?" "BUCKEYES!" "nevermind."

the one thing i can say about the cincy fans i was around is that they're are the only ones that i've witnessed that eclipse cleveland fans with regards to their inferiority complex.

i feel like we've had this conversation before. when some troll came by to tuant us about a homerun phillips hit against us.

by Brick. on Mar 27, 2008 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

good times.

Sizemore-Shapiro 2008. The Official Red Bull of Let's Go Tribe Game Threads.

by Gradyforpresident on Mar 27, 2008 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I lived in central Ohio for 22 years and can say I never experienced anything like this.

by ClarkM on Mar 27, 2008 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

well, that either means you're a buckeye fan and don't notice it, or i just had the good fortune to run into the handfull of guys who thought that way. what really drove me bonkers was when they rooted against the school they attended and for osu

by Brick. on Mar 27, 2008 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Buckeye fan, and I find some Buckeye fans to be quite annoying.

I was responding to the suggestion that people in central Ohio don't root for either Cleveland or Cincinatti. It's either one or the other, and most people would tell you pretty quickly which one it was.

by ClarkM on Mar 27, 2008 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions

As that famous Cincinnati philosopher Sam Wyche once said, "(woody) you don't live in Cleveland you live in Cincinnati!"

"the most vehement Yankee-hating guy I know" - Jay

by mauichuck on Mar 27, 2008 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

I can understand...

your opinions of Cincy and people from there. It's a very insular / backwards town.

by Deaner on Mar 27, 2008 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

The Royals do a similar think with a Dodge Truck in LF.

by Deaner on Mar 26, 2008 4:38 PM EDT reply actions

502 feet away and 60 feet off the ground. No way in a game. I remember Ryan Howard hitting something in a homerun derby though...

by Bernie19Kosar on Mar 26, 2008 5:18 PM EDT reply actions

I've heard 450 or 460 is about the limit a human being can hit a baseball at sea level with a wooden bat, unassisted by the wind.

by fleerdon on Mar 26, 2008 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Bridgekeeper: Hee hee heh. Stop. What... is your name?
King Arthur: It is 'Arthur', King of the Britons.
Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?
King Arthur: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
King Arthur: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?
Bridgekeeper: Huh? I... I don't know that.
[he is thrown over]

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Mar 27, 2008 1:53 AM EDT up reply actions

To be fair, the article from the Red's propaganda department on it's site at MLB.com admits that it would take some sort of monster shot to hit the truck.

The article also says:

If a Reds player hits the truck during a home run, one randomly selected lucky fan will take home the $31,000 vehicle.

(emphasis added)

Does that mean that contact between the ball and truck need not happen on the fly? One good bounce that brings the two together could lead to some interesting litigation. (Especially if Ohio's Consumer Fraud Act is like the one I deal with in N.J. - with treble damages and counsel fees to the victor.)

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Mar 26, 2008 5:27 PM EDT reply actions

There is treble damages the Consumer Sales Practices Act, but I'm not positive it would apply in this situation, interesting possibility though, I kind of hope it happens now.

by Ryan Kelsey on Mar 27, 2008 1:28 AM EDT up reply actions

N.J. courts are so liberal, I'm sure our consumer fraud act would apply.

Hell, our Appellate Division just held a bar liable for not stopping a drunk patron from driving away and killing his passenger ... even though it didn't serve him a drop of alcohol. They said the bar had a common law duty to keep him from driving.

(We're calling that decision the Liquor Liability Defense Attorneys' Full Employment Act.)

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Mar 27, 2008 1:58 AM EDT up reply actions

Over here a guy tried to sue a betting shop for not stopping taking his bets after he became addicted and told them not to take them...even though he kept going in there and doing it. Thankfully the court threw it out on the basis that they didn't cause his loses, he just would have gone elswhere, but somehow I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen him win in the US.

http://www.on-the-bench.blogspot.com - an irreverant take on EPL football (that's soccer!)

by Luis (Tribe Fan in London) on Mar 27, 2008 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions

I think there's a fair case to be made that the courts are sometimes run amok, but also that lack of corporate responsibility and ethics has also run amok. Those are the two sides of the coin.

And I suggest we drop the subject right there, as it is already verging on politics.

by Jay on Mar 27, 2008 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe because it's what I do everyday and the fact that the judiciary branch is supposed to be above politics that I didn't see this going into a verboten area, but fair enough, Jay. I'm punching out of this topic.

God, I can't wait for next Monday and real baseball!

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Mar 27, 2008 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Given that every presidential candidate of the past 20+ years has promised to apply some kind of let's-pretend-it's-not-a-litmus test to every single judicial appointee, it's pretty much totally wishful thinking that the judiciary is above politics. Would you not agree?

Hey, that reminds me ... Andrew ... have you seen my damned gavel around here? I haven't seen it since the move ...

by Jay on Mar 27, 2008 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't really think about the Supremes or some federal court judges who you hear about being appointed. I tend to think of the shulbs I usually appear in front of in state court who are just other lawyers in black robes.

I don't regard how they rule on an issue of civil law (where I usually practice) about who's liable for what, etc. - like my original post here - getting into politics.

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Mar 27, 2008 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Some of my friends were borrowing it:

by afh4 on Mar 28, 2008 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions

This reminds me, has anyone watched Judge Joe Brown and came away from a ruling thinking "Umm...what in the hell kind of legal logic did he just use there?? " I'll admit I've only seen the show like three times but it happens every time.

Funny related link [here. http://www.theonion.com/content/node/31033]

by supermarioelia on Mar 28, 2008 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions

It took me months to figure out that HTML and now I'm lost again.

by supermarioelia on Mar 28, 2008 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually the "legal logic" for just about every couirt ruling in the US - TV, the Supremes, Traffic Court - leaves me wondering the same. I still haven't figure the whole OJ/Ito "logic" out or the Rodney King cops or the 2000 election. It's all a mystery to me.

"the most vehement Yankee-hating guy I know" - Jay

by mauichuck on Mar 28, 2008 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions