CINCINNATI — Being a Cincinnati Reds fan isn't always easy or fun¹.
However, the players seem to be having a good time this year on and off the field, and that fun has brought the team back into the spotlight.
Take Yasiel Puig for example.
The former L.A. Dodger and Cuban-native arrived in Cincinnati in late January during a polar vortex, which had Tri-State natives saying the cold was too much. Puig, on the other hand, took to social-media to let everyone know "It's not that cold," even though the temperatures on his phone showed -16 degrees Celsius².
Once the season started, more players got in on the fun.
After making a running catch against the Atlanta Braves, Jesse Winker thought about celebrating with some ballpark nachos³ with a guy in the stands but decided not to.
Joey Votto and Amir Garrett had a footrace back to the dugout⁴ after an out to close an inning against the New York Mets.
And let's not forget the trust falls. Winker and Votto have both celebrated home runs by trust-falling into each others arms⁵.
The Reds are under .500 for now, but the players seem like they are having fun nonetheless. Hopefully this attitude can translate into a winning season for them.
- Let's be honest though, it hasn't been easy to be a fan of the Reds or the Bengals. Some might call us gluttons for pain, but we know we are just die-hard fans.
- That's about 3 degrees Fahrenheit, which is still really cold. I don't care who you are, single digit temperatures are cold.
- Getting some strong Prince Fielder vibes here. The differences being Winker made the catch and Fielder took a nacho.
- Votto won to the dugout, but he also had a bit of a lead on Garrett from the jump so this is not a definitive outcome. I want a clean race between the two. A clear starting and finish line, a "ready, set, go" to start the race, the whole thing. I'll even volunteer to officiate it.
- As far as home run celebrations go, these are fun but tame. I don't care about the "unwritten rules" of baseball when it comes to hitting a home run. Baseball players are soft if they can't handle a home run celebration. Celebrating is like trash talking. It's a part of all sports.
