Cincinnati Reds Fans Deserve That October Feeling Again

CINCINNATI -- Friday night, I was lying in bed in my hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky. Knowing I wouldn't sleep well the night before I was about to run a half-marathon. Luckily, there were plenty of sports on that night.

At around 9:00, I flipped over to FS1, where Game 5 of the American League Championship Series was being played between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth, when former Red Eugenio Suárez stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. Suárez golfed a 2-2 pitch into the right field seats for a grand slam, igniting a wild celebration at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Mariners went on to win the game 6-2, to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

For as happy as I felt for Suárez and the Mariners, and the Seattle fanbase, I thought about what a moment like Friday night would feel like in Cincinnati. What would it feel like to have a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series?

The Reds have had memorable moments throughout their history, including five World Series titles. In fact, today is the 35th Anniversary of the Reds winning the 1990 World Series. It's their latest World Championship and most recent time playing in the World Series. Further, the Reds haven't won a National League Championship Series since 1990. They were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the 1995 NLCS.

On Monday, if you're a Seattle sports fan, you have a good dilemma. The Mariners play in Game 7 of the ALCS at 8:10 in Toronto. Less than two hours later, the Seahawks play a Monday Night home game against the Houston Texans. It's the first time the Mariners are playing a Game 7 in franchise history.

This is a dilemma I hope someday we get to have as Cincinnati sports fans. A moment like Friday night in Seattle is something I want to experience at Great American Ball Park.

It's been so long since we've had a moment like that as a Reds fan. We've had them as Bengals fans, including the breaking of the curse against the Raiders and the Hubbard Yard Dash. Historically, though, Cincinnati has been a baseball town.

The Reds hold a special place in the fabric of Cincinnati and the Heartland. It's a tradition on Opening Day and throughout the summer. That's fun, I wish we could have it in October when the Reds are playing for championships.

Baseball is a fun game, and it's a metaphor for life. Part of that metaphor is bringing people together. What would it feel like to be with over 40,000 of our closest friends on a Friday night in October, celebrating a go-ahead grand slam and moving to within one win of the World Series? Heck, what would it feel like to experience the suspense of every pitch for 15 innings in a win-or-take-all Game 5 League Division Series game?

With the days getting shorter, the familiar feeling of looking forward to a ball game later that night has come and gone this season. But what if that feeling could carry into October? No matter how cold it gets, there’s nothing quite like knowing there’s a ballgame that night. It’s what gets us through the day, and sometimes, through life itself.

These are all feelings I wish we could experience as Reds fans in Cincinnati. The city, region and fanbase deserve it. As we've been saying after each of the previous 35 seasons; Maybe next year.