As a life long Cincinnati Reds fan, I’ve heard the stories; I know what this franchise has accomplished, what it stands for, and the deep impact it has left on the citizens of southern Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and scattered points unknown.
However, here’s the problem: as a 28-year old, many of those historical moments happened long before I was a gleam in my mother’s eye.
That, or I was simply too young to really remember them, such as the 1990 World Series champion Cincinnati Reds.
Like other hardcore Reds fans, I know the names.
I can easily name off the starting lineup for the aforementioned 1990 team.
However, I only have a basic awareness of their existential struggles, the day-to-day occurrences, and how they stood in comparison to the rest of their competition.
Besides, no amount of baseball back then was going to get in the way of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Fast forward 20 years to the current season. For us younger fans, this is our first real taste of what it’s like to follow a good baseball team.
Dreams of October, for once, aren’t limited to other teams and their respective fanbases.
Barring a major collapse, in roughly a month from now, the wide screen of FOX will be on a chilly, packed, towel-waving Great American Ballpark crowd.
Maybe 10-20 years from now, people will remember Hernandez/Votto/Phillips/Cabrera/Rolen/Gomes/Stubbs/Bruce and be able to quickly fire off the lineup, just like that.
Maybe they will talk about Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto with the same reverence in which they discuss Jose Rijo and Tom Browning.
Can Miguel Cairo be the next Billy Hatcher, a.k.a. the “unsung hero?”
Who knows what the final legacy will be with this squad?
However, I’m just thankful for what this season has been up to this point, and perhaps us younger generation fans have a Reds team of our own that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
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