The fan experience is pretty decent. There's a lot of baseball history in Cincinnati and even when the team isn't great, it still permeates. And when the team is exiting like it is now, the city is abuzz.
Ownership had a severe case of foot-in-month disease a couple of years ago that soured a lot of people on them. But they aren't as bad as most people on here say. It's a small market so they need to be deliberate about how they spend. They do have a history of opening the purse strings a bit when a window opens (recently 2020, which backfired because of COVID, and this past off-season), but they'll never compete financially with the big-brand teams.
As far as locking up Elly, there's no way to know for a while. His agent is Scott Boras, who is known for trying to extract as much money as possible (even to the point of hurting his clients, as he did for most of them this off-season). It's been reported that he wants to hit free agency, or at least wait until closer to free agency to sign. I'm sure they'll try to extend him (maybe with a contract similar to Bobby Witt Jr. or Julio Rodriguez), but if he reaches his potential he might be too expensive. The team could opt to sign multiple good players (a few of McLain, Friedl, CES, Marte, Lodolo, Abbott) instead of giving all of the money to one guy. We'll just have to wait and see how the next 4 years go.
Maybe we'll get lucky and they pull off something like this. Holding out is a gamble for Elly. He might not get a better deal than what the Reds offer him. I mean if they offer him enough money to allow his family to be rich as hell for life than the safe bet might be the better option. The good thing about this deal is that he locks in all your millions and millions and still will be able to play for LA or NY if he turns out to be as good as we know he "can' be.
https://www.si.com/mlb/reds/analysis/royals-give-reds-blueprint-for-long-term-extension-with-elly-de-la-cruz
Being a Reds fan has its highs and lows. The way I can explain it is: The highs are pretty high, and the lows are REALLY low. You have to have a lot of tolerance for a team that struggles every now and again, or be headstrong and optimistic to root for the Reds.
…this highs are pretty high? Oh man I wish I was as optimistic as you are lol.
I’m 35 and the Reds have done *nothing* in my lifetime. Technically I was alive for the ‘90 WS win but otherwise there definitely haven’t been any “highs” that are “pretty high.”
They’ve won the division or a wild card spot a few times, but literally everytime been immediately put in their place in the playoffs. There are few big four league teams that have been as inept as us over the last few decades… the highest “high” we’ve had was getting to the divisional series *twelve years* ago and we got EMBARRASSED right away.
Unless you’re 50+ years old and saw the BRM in the ‘70s, the Reds truly have one of the worst fan experiences of all major teams, I don’t know how that’s questionable.
Imagine you wake up and get kicked in the nuts everyday. But then after a while there are random days where you don't get kicked in the nuts, and another while after that you start to miss the kick in the nuts on those random days you don't get one.
Its to be a fan of an organization that has a history that can rival anyones. The Big Red Machine can go toe to toe with the 27 Yankees. 9 WS appearances with 5 wins.
However recent history has been a bleak and desolate wasteland of unrealized potential. Where high draft pics are traded away with mediocre numbers only to become some of the best in the game and lead other teams to World Series success.
And currently it is to watch a team that has something like 4 or 5 of baseballs top prospects on the field at the same time (some guys are hurt) and they CANT CATCH A DAMN BALL, THROW A DAMN BALL, OR NOT GET PICKED OFF IN THE 8TH INNING WHEN THEY AREN'T EVEN A BASE STEALING THREAT.
We have HOF level young talent with Tee Ball level fundamentals. Its seems, every. freaking. year.
I'm a new fan. I was unaffiliated like you and decided to get back into baseball as an adult. My dad worshipped the Cardinals, but I couldn't stand them. I live in Illinois, but can't stand Chicago. I'm exactly 317 miles from Chi-town and from Cincinnati equally so I started looking there. My AL team ended up being Detroit and my NL team the Reds. I did this, obviously not for band -wagoning, but for who I had fun rooting for. I'd pick a random team, root for them through the game, and think on my experience after the game. The Reds are fun, the sub-reddit is decent, the stadium is beautiful, and the games are great to watch. People are upset right now because they do tend to lose a lot, but I would rather be a fan of a losing team the first year than a winning one. You can't be accused of being a fair-weather fan that way.
I feel the same way! Obviously the old fans seem to think it's insanity to root for the Reds as a new fan... but honestly I just haven't had a lot of fun rooting for other teams. Was watching the Phillies, but honestly being too elite can be boring, the Cubs have been boring... Feel like the Reds at least have some soul and electricity that makes it fun, but time will tell.
For me, it’s frustrating being a Reds fan. I first started following baseball when I was in my early teens. The 1975 Reds were the first team I followed. The Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976 with arguably two of the best teams to ever set foot on a baseball diamond. In a 15 year span, I witnessed the Reds win 3 World Series (they won in 1990 as well). The Reds have only had a handful of winning seasons since then. They occasionally show signs of being competitive and then they’re in rebuilding mode. This team has promise but they are not performing as well as expected this year. The owner isn’t particularly popular and tends to be on the cheap side when it comes to payroll. I personally do not like the current manager (and batting coach) and think they are part of the problem. I don’t expect much from this franchise and haven’t for a long time.
Oh man. I got in in 1968 and the pain of 70 and 72 scarred me. Baltimore was great and those Oakland A's were as good as we were. But the players were charismatic as hell. I loved Bench, Perez and Concepcion. Pete had so much intensity I didn't like him. I get it now. But then we got Joe Morgan and Jack Billingham...then Free Agency screwed us over.
Here’s a non jaded perspective: it’s one of the most community oriented teams and fanbases in the country. I’ve lived in a bunch of places, and there are not many (if any) fanbases that feel as much like a family as the Reds do. The team does a ton of community outreach, has the best kids club program in the league by a huge margin, and people here *love* players that play well and want to be here. It’s a small market so it’s always going to take a bit of a perfect storm for the team to break through, but there is no better place to be when the team is winning. Also, we’ve got 4-5 more years of team control of Elly De La Cruz, and regardless of whatever happens afterwards it’s going to be fun as hell watching him develop.
I'll try to keep this short and simple.
The community is awesome.
The announcers are fantastic, smart witty, funny, professional, and respectful. (Except for LeClure this week, but he normally doesn't do color commentary)
The team is awesome. So much potential.
The owners are absolute trash. They don't "open the purse strings" they stand back at a distance and toss coins to the homeless guy on the curb. They make enough money off the team they don't care if you're in the seats.
The stadium is great. There are probably 3 bad seats in the house. View level is very affordable and provides a fantastic view.
Watching the games you can't get to in owrson kinda sucks. Bally Sports can kick rocks.
The season usually ends around July and you start waiting for the Bengals. Ownership won't sign anyone to help and relies on prospects and dirt cheap castoffs. We sometimes get a good player or two but we end up trading them because of money.
Basically, it sucks.
Games are incredibly fun to go to. Great baseball town.
However, preparing yourself to move onto football season in late May has become all too real the last 12 years. Playoff games are incredible, but so few and far between for so long. Here’s hoping they figure it out someday
It can be fun and exciting at times because they cycle through some really good players. However, its mostly frustrating because they never win anything, and the players end up traded or signing elsewhere. Eventually, apathy sets in, which sucks. Elly De La Cruz is arguably the most exciting player in baseball right now, but I just can't find a reason to care. I still follow their progress and consider myself a fan, but I rarely go to games or even try to find them on TV. Hell, I barely even listen to the radio broadcasts anymore. I guess 30+ years of a rinse and repeat formulation of losing will do that.
To be fair, though, it's not entirely the Reds' fault. MLB doesn't care about financial or competitive balance, so teams like the Reds wallow in mediocrity or worse unless they can catch lightning in a bottle for chance to make a playoff run and win the World Series.
Sorry for the long, winded, and potentially discouraging response. It really has been tough being and remaining a Reds fan.
I have lived in Cincinnati for 25 years. In that time they have failed to win a single playoff series. The franchise has been plagued with two ownership groups who love to cry poverty and haven’t really tried to win. Much of the fan base believes their lies and cuts them way too much slack. Teams in their division with similar demographics (St Louis, Milwaukee) routinely outperform them. So it isn’t really that much fun.
Ballpark experience is solid and lots of great players have donned the Red and white however.
In a few years, Elly will be traded for more prospects. I've been a fan of the Reds my entire life. Other than the Walt Jocketty era, they've been bad a long time. Haven't won a playoff series since 1995. They were in first place last year at the trade deadline, they did almost nothing (Moll doesn't really count).. Since they got no help, they predictably collapsed and missed the playoffs. Do not chose the Reds as your favorite team. There's plenty of other exciting players besides Elly.
Id say there is a 15-20% chance that ownership gives elly a big contract. Ordinarily I’d say lower than that, but they did give Joey a big deal. The trouble is, Elly is a Boras client, and Boras has suggested that he wont sign one of these cheap team friendly extensions like what the braves gave acuna. Reds will never be a big market team, especially with current ownership. If anything, they give out one big contract extension at a time. So far, of the young core.. only Hunter Greene got an extension.
Lmao shut up!
Have You ever had laugh, poop and throw up and sneeze at the same time. Feels like that every season
I can not update this enough!
The fan experience is pretty decent. There's a lot of baseball history in Cincinnati and even when the team isn't great, it still permeates. And when the team is exiting like it is now, the city is abuzz. Ownership had a severe case of foot-in-month disease a couple of years ago that soured a lot of people on them. But they aren't as bad as most people on here say. It's a small market so they need to be deliberate about how they spend. They do have a history of opening the purse strings a bit when a window opens (recently 2020, which backfired because of COVID, and this past off-season), but they'll never compete financially with the big-brand teams. As far as locking up Elly, there's no way to know for a while. His agent is Scott Boras, who is known for trying to extract as much money as possible (even to the point of hurting his clients, as he did for most of them this off-season). It's been reported that he wants to hit free agency, or at least wait until closer to free agency to sign. I'm sure they'll try to extend him (maybe with a contract similar to Bobby Witt Jr. or Julio Rodriguez), but if he reaches his potential he might be too expensive. The team could opt to sign multiple good players (a few of McLain, Friedl, CES, Marte, Lodolo, Abbott) instead of giving all of the money to one guy. We'll just have to wait and see how the next 4 years go.
Maybe we'll get lucky and they pull off something like this. Holding out is a gamble for Elly. He might not get a better deal than what the Reds offer him. I mean if they offer him enough money to allow his family to be rich as hell for life than the safe bet might be the better option. The good thing about this deal is that he locks in all your millions and millions and still will be able to play for LA or NY if he turns out to be as good as we know he "can' be. https://www.si.com/mlb/reds/analysis/royals-give-reds-blueprint-for-long-term-extension-with-elly-de-la-cruz
Being a Reds fan has its highs and lows. The way I can explain it is: The highs are pretty high, and the lows are REALLY low. You have to have a lot of tolerance for a team that struggles every now and again, or be headstrong and optimistic to root for the Reds.
…this highs are pretty high? Oh man I wish I was as optimistic as you are lol. I’m 35 and the Reds have done *nothing* in my lifetime. Technically I was alive for the ‘90 WS win but otherwise there definitely haven’t been any “highs” that are “pretty high.” They’ve won the division or a wild card spot a few times, but literally everytime been immediately put in their place in the playoffs. There are few big four league teams that have been as inept as us over the last few decades… the highest “high” we’ve had was getting to the divisional series *twelve years* ago and we got EMBARRASSED right away. Unless you’re 50+ years old and saw the BRM in the ‘70s, the Reds truly have one of the worst fan experiences of all major teams, I don’t know how that’s questionable.
like realizing there is no toilet paper immediately after unloading
Imagine you wake up and get kicked in the nuts everyday. But then after a while there are random days where you don't get kicked in the nuts, and another while after that you start to miss the kick in the nuts on those random days you don't get one.
ITS ASS. I wish it easy to just switch teams but if you’re a “real” fan you know that’s not possible, even if you tried.
I regret it all the time, but it’s my hometown team so what are you gonna do?
Its to be a fan of an organization that has a history that can rival anyones. The Big Red Machine can go toe to toe with the 27 Yankees. 9 WS appearances with 5 wins. However recent history has been a bleak and desolate wasteland of unrealized potential. Where high draft pics are traded away with mediocre numbers only to become some of the best in the game and lead other teams to World Series success. And currently it is to watch a team that has something like 4 or 5 of baseballs top prospects on the field at the same time (some guys are hurt) and they CANT CATCH A DAMN BALL, THROW A DAMN BALL, OR NOT GET PICKED OFF IN THE 8TH INNING WHEN THEY AREN'T EVEN A BASE STEALING THREAT. We have HOF level young talent with Tee Ball level fundamentals. Its seems, every. freaking. year.
I'm a new fan. I was unaffiliated like you and decided to get back into baseball as an adult. My dad worshipped the Cardinals, but I couldn't stand them. I live in Illinois, but can't stand Chicago. I'm exactly 317 miles from Chi-town and from Cincinnati equally so I started looking there. My AL team ended up being Detroit and my NL team the Reds. I did this, obviously not for band -wagoning, but for who I had fun rooting for. I'd pick a random team, root for them through the game, and think on my experience after the game. The Reds are fun, the sub-reddit is decent, the stadium is beautiful, and the games are great to watch. People are upset right now because they do tend to lose a lot, but I would rather be a fan of a losing team the first year than a winning one. You can't be accused of being a fair-weather fan that way.
I feel the same way! Obviously the old fans seem to think it's insanity to root for the Reds as a new fan... but honestly I just haven't had a lot of fun rooting for other teams. Was watching the Phillies, but honestly being too elite can be boring, the Cubs have been boring... Feel like the Reds at least have some soul and electricity that makes it fun, but time will tell.
For me, it’s frustrating being a Reds fan. I first started following baseball when I was in my early teens. The 1975 Reds were the first team I followed. The Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976 with arguably two of the best teams to ever set foot on a baseball diamond. In a 15 year span, I witnessed the Reds win 3 World Series (they won in 1990 as well). The Reds have only had a handful of winning seasons since then. They occasionally show signs of being competitive and then they’re in rebuilding mode. This team has promise but they are not performing as well as expected this year. The owner isn’t particularly popular and tends to be on the cheap side when it comes to payroll. I personally do not like the current manager (and batting coach) and think they are part of the problem. I don’t expect much from this franchise and haven’t for a long time.
Oh man. I got in in 1968 and the pain of 70 and 72 scarred me. Baltimore was great and those Oakland A's were as good as we were. But the players were charismatic as hell. I loved Bench, Perez and Concepcion. Pete had so much intensity I didn't like him. I get it now. But then we got Joe Morgan and Jack Billingham...then Free Agency screwed us over.
Here’s a non jaded perspective: it’s one of the most community oriented teams and fanbases in the country. I’ve lived in a bunch of places, and there are not many (if any) fanbases that feel as much like a family as the Reds do. The team does a ton of community outreach, has the best kids club program in the league by a huge margin, and people here *love* players that play well and want to be here. It’s a small market so it’s always going to take a bit of a perfect storm for the team to break through, but there is no better place to be when the team is winning. Also, we’ve got 4-5 more years of team control of Elly De La Cruz, and regardless of whatever happens afterwards it’s going to be fun as hell watching him develop.
I'll try to keep this short and simple. The community is awesome. The announcers are fantastic, smart witty, funny, professional, and respectful. (Except for LeClure this week, but he normally doesn't do color commentary) The team is awesome. So much potential. The owners are absolute trash. They don't "open the purse strings" they stand back at a distance and toss coins to the homeless guy on the curb. They make enough money off the team they don't care if you're in the seats. The stadium is great. There are probably 3 bad seats in the house. View level is very affordable and provides a fantastic view. Watching the games you can't get to in owrson kinda sucks. Bally Sports can kick rocks.
The season usually ends around July and you start waiting for the Bengals. Ownership won't sign anyone to help and relies on prospects and dirt cheap castoffs. We sometimes get a good player or two but we end up trading them because of money. Basically, it sucks.
pain
Games are incredibly fun to go to. Great baseball town. However, preparing yourself to move onto football season in late May has become all too real the last 12 years. Playoff games are incredible, but so few and far between for so long. Here’s hoping they figure it out someday
It can be fun and exciting at times because they cycle through some really good players. However, its mostly frustrating because they never win anything, and the players end up traded or signing elsewhere. Eventually, apathy sets in, which sucks. Elly De La Cruz is arguably the most exciting player in baseball right now, but I just can't find a reason to care. I still follow their progress and consider myself a fan, but I rarely go to games or even try to find them on TV. Hell, I barely even listen to the radio broadcasts anymore. I guess 30+ years of a rinse and repeat formulation of losing will do that. To be fair, though, it's not entirely the Reds' fault. MLB doesn't care about financial or competitive balance, so teams like the Reds wallow in mediocrity or worse unless they can catch lightning in a bottle for chance to make a playoff run and win the World Series. Sorry for the long, winded, and potentially discouraging response. It really has been tough being and remaining a Reds fan.
I have lived in Cincinnati for 25 years. In that time they have failed to win a single playoff series. The franchise has been plagued with two ownership groups who love to cry poverty and haven’t really tried to win. Much of the fan base believes their lies and cuts them way too much slack. Teams in their division with similar demographics (St Louis, Milwaukee) routinely outperform them. So it isn’t really that much fun. Ballpark experience is solid and lots of great players have donned the Red and white however.
Disappointed, frustrated, angry, confused...just like being a teenager.
Our bar is low but we love this team so unbelievably much
In a few years, Elly will be traded for more prospects. I've been a fan of the Reds my entire life. Other than the Walt Jocketty era, they've been bad a long time. Haven't won a playoff series since 1995. They were in first place last year at the trade deadline, they did almost nothing (Moll doesn't really count).. Since they got no help, they predictably collapsed and missed the playoffs. Do not chose the Reds as your favorite team. There's plenty of other exciting players besides Elly.
I never really expect to be great but am grateful tickets are cheap and you can bring food and closed drinks in so I can go to as many games as I want
Id say there is a 15-20% chance that ownership gives elly a big contract. Ordinarily I’d say lower than that, but they did give Joey a big deal. The trouble is, Elly is a Boras client, and Boras has suggested that he wont sign one of these cheap team friendly extensions like what the braves gave acuna. Reds will never be a big market team, especially with current ownership. If anything, they give out one big contract extension at a time. So far, of the young core.. only Hunter Greene got an extension.
If you were an unaffiliated fan and could choose any team, this would not be the one. Pick a popular bandwagon, there's plenty of those.