The evening news, Channel 5 specifically, really blew this announcement out of proportion last night. And they failed to mention anything about the KY side of the river being unrestricted. I'd like to see them cover if street vendors have to be licensed in Newport/Covington and if they allowed to set-up shop on the bridges.

Great points.

Reds pay homage to past with 2015 All-Star logo

 

 

CINCINNATI -- Traditionally, Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities do not just celebrate the stars of today's game. They also present a perfect time to shine the spotlight back on the legends and characters from yesteryear, especially those who once played for the host team.

 

Assuming that will be the case next year, baseball fans are in for some fun. The Reds, baseball's oldest franchise, have housed some of the most decorated players in the game's history. Every decade sprouted stars remembered fondly to this day; some for their career-long heroics, others for isolated moments that added to the franchise's long-standing winning tradition.

 

The Reds' rich history is one of their most endearing qualities, and it has been captured classically and tastefully on the 2015 All-Star logo, revealed Wednesday morning at Great American Ball Park, where the game will be played on July 14.

 

Cont

LOVE the new logo and think it DESTROYS Minne's ...

 

Thoughts, as time approaches do you guys think we should start a different thread just for the All-Star game?

 

There's going to be a lot of changes in and around the core just for this event ...

The Reds are really capitalizing on the whole mustache fad, popularized by hipsters. It's at once historically authentic and contemporary. I approve.

^ the 'staches also go with the fancy cocktails fad, so someone should develop an all-star game related drink too. hmm, what color should it be... :)

 

Molly Wellmann would be happy to come up with an All-Star cocktail. She's the best-known craft mixologist of Cincinnati.

 

I'm sure Moerlein will do an All-Star beer. Possibly other breweries, too.

 

Edit: My 5000th post is fittingly about alcohol. CELEBRATION! :clap: :drunk: _inebriation

 

Molly Wellmann would be happy to come up with an All-Star cocktail. She's the best-known craft mixologist of Cincinnati.

 

I'm sure Moerlein will do an All-Star beer. Possibly other breweries, too.

 

Edit: My 5000th post is fittingly about alcohol. CELEBRATION! :clap: :drunk: _inebriation

 

I wonder if the MLB has rules about the commercial use of the phrase "All-Star Game" like FIFA does with "World Cup" and the IOC does with "Olympics." My guess is yes.

Yeah, I was thinking that, too. But that doesn't stop people from using creative names to get the point across.

 

Moerlein might even try to get a contract w/ MLB.

I wonder if the MLB has rules about the commercial use of the phrase "All-Star Game" like FIFA does with "World Cup" and the IOC does with "Olympics." My guess is yes.

 

"All-Star" is pretty generic, so possibly not.  The NBA has an all star game as well, as do many minor league sports.  World Cup, Super Bowl, and Olympics are a lot more specific.  I'm quite sure we'll find out in the next 11 months or so.

^ I would guess you can't say "All Star Game" Pale Ale, but you could probably say "All Star" Pale Ale or something to that extent. Then again, MLB might not allow it to be sold in the stadium.

There's a Bigfoot that's a Chevrolet because of MLB.

Ground Rule Double would be a good name for a cocktail or a double IPA.

How do you put a massive mustache and hat on a Cincinnati skyscraper? We're about to find out

Erin Caproni - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Major League Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds are leaving their mark on downtown Cincinnati in a unique way leading up to the All-Star Game.

 

Crews began installing panels on the Scripps Center on the riverfront on Tuesday that will make the building look like it’s wearing a Mr. Redlegs-style pillbox hat and mustache.

 

 

Installation of the vinyl wrap, which is made of the same material that is often used to put advertisements on buses, is expected to be complete by the end of the week, Mayerson Co. asset manager Bob Luby told me. The decal was designed by Blue Media, a Phoenix-based company that did similar projects for this year's Super Bowl that was hired by the Reds, and it's partnering with American Installs to have the wrap put in place.

 

Cont

On Wednesday there were around a dozen steel wire lines loosely hung over Freedom Way between Walnut St & Main St. They are bolted to the Current apartment buildings. Unsure what they will be used for but I'm certain it is for All-Star week.

They have strung lights up on these wires.

 

Phil Castellini is currently presenting to a City Council Committee and we should start getting a lot more details over the next 10 days. One highlight so far is a free concert at PBS w/performer(s) to be announced.

^There will also be another vinyl wrap type display added to the side of the Carew Tower.  It will be a ~300' tall baseball player.

 

The performer at PBS will appeal mostly to young women.  Also, the Sunday night Gala which will be held at Union Terminal will include a big name and a light show on the terminal.

I don't sense the enthusiasm for the game compared to 1988.  Unfortunately I think it's a symptom of the demise of the popularity of baseball.  Back in 1988 a lot of people still didn't have cable and so there were only 2-3 other things to watch when the Reds were televised. 

I disagree. My friends and I are really excited. I imagine the added festivities/events are going to blow the 1988 one out of the water.

I don't sense the enthusiasm for the game compared to 1988.  Unfortunately I think it's a symptom of the demise of the popularity of baseball.  Back in 1988 a lot of people still didn't have cable and so there were only 2-3 other things to watch when the Reds were televised. 

 

I don't see where you get this. This game is soo much bigger than in 1988. In 88 they had the HR Derby in the afternoon on Monday and the game the next day. Monday was a rainy day and the Derby was essentially a soggy affair. THe events did not spread out downtown,  and it was only in the stadium area. It was a big deal for the game but there was little spillover outside of the stadium.

 

I think what you see is that back then you could get a ticket to the game by standing in line or having season tickets. Now, you cannot get tickets locally because they are controlled by MLB. Essentially 80% of the people in attendance at the game now are going to be out of towners vs in 1988 80% of the people were local.

I think what you see is that back then you could get a ticket to the game by standing in line or having season tickets. Now, you cannot get tickets locally because they are controlled by MLB. Essentially 80% of the people in attendance at the game now are going to be out of towners vs in 1988 80% of the people were local.

 

Season ticket holders still get access to purchasing tickets. And where do you get the 80% figure from? I don't know how accurate that is. In 2013 there were 13,000 season ticket holders. Their goal was to increase that number for 2014 and 2015. I wouldn't be surprised if there were over 20,000 season ticket holders this year (I know a few people who have purchased 1/2 season ticket packages just to get the chance to buy All Star Tickets). Most of whom are likely going to the game. And plenty of the resale tickets are probably being purchased by locals. I would venture to guess close to 50% are going to be from Greater Cincinnati.

I was just using that figure to show that there are less tickets available. Season tix holders will have access to tickets this year but again in the 88 game the tickets were like $60 now they are a few hundred ( much more than the 3x markup they were in 88). Also, while season ticket holders will get the opportunity, they will not have the opportunity to get as many as they did in 88. Finally, my point was that there is less opportunity for the local fan this year because of the role MLB plays now in the game (which started in the late 90s) and you couple that with a stadium that seats 15,000 less people too.

The All-Star Game is only getting 1/3 the TV viewers that it got in 1988, even though the country's population has marched steadily upward:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/asgtv.shtml

 

Also, nobody in Cincinnati born after about 1985 remembers what a singular focus The Reds were for this city for decades.  There hasn't been an exciting team since 1999.  The Castellini-era teams have been okay, but the players themselves aren't compelling individuals. 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/02/02/here-s-how-reds-fans-can-get-all-star-game-tickets.html

 

More than half of Great American Ball Park's 42,271 seats will go to fans through season tickets or these individual sales through the random selection, Bourne said. The rest go to MLB, the 30 teams and sponsors. Those include ticket strips that MasterCard, an MLB sponsor, is making available to its cardholders through a special pre-sale opportunity on May 4.

 

 

Each All-Star Game ticket actually comes as part of a strip of tickets. Fans buying tickets need to buy the whole strip, which includes a ticket to the All-Star Game on July 14, the Home Run Derby on July 13, the All-Star Futures Game and Celebrity Softball Game on July 12, and T-Mobile All-Star FanFest at the Duke Energy Convention Center July 10-14. The ticket strip also includes an All-Star Game program.

 

The All-Star Game is only getting 1/3 the TV viewers that it got in 1988, even though the country's population has marched steadily upward:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/asgtv.shtml

 

Also, nobody in Cincinnati born after about 1985 remembers what a singular focus The Reds were for this city for decades.  There hasn't been an exciting team since 1999.

 

I would argue that the 2012 team was more exciting than the 1999 team.

 

The Castellini-era teams have been okay, but the players themselves aren't compelling individuals. 

 

That's pretty subjective.

The 1994 strike was devastating for Cincinnati.  The Reds were going to win the World Series but there ended up not even being a World Series.  The frustration over the strike caused Reds fans to turn their backs on the team when play resumed in 1995.  The Reds failed to sell out two of the 1995 playoff games -- in fact they didn't even come close.  They had over 10,000 empty seats for all to see on national TV.  Now that was the year when Cleveland made it to the Series, so an all-Ohio World Series would have been HUGE for the longtime lore and allegiances of Reds and Indians fans. 

 

But look up the stats (and baseball is all about stats) -- World Series TV viewership is down 50% since the Reds swept the A's in 1990. 

 

I don't sense the enthusiasm for the game compared to 1988.  Unfortunately I think it's a symptom of the demise of the popularity of baseball.  Back in 1988 a lot of people still didn't have cable and so there were only 2-3 other things to watch when the Reds were televised. 

 

I think the real difference is that in 1988 we were also celebrating the Cincinnati Bicetennial.  Those were some pretty awesome firworks they were shooting off the roofs of all the downtown office towers!!

The 1994 strike was devastating for Cincinnati.  The Reds were going to win the World Series but there ended up not even being a World Series.  The frustration over the strike caused Reds fans to turn their backs on the team when play resumed in 1995.  The Reds failed to sell out two of the 1995 playoff games -- in fact they didn't even come close.  They had over 10,000 empty seats for all to see on national TV.  Now that was the year when Cleveland made it to the Series, so an all-Ohio World Series would have been HUGE for the longtime lore and allegiances of Reds and Indians fans. 

 

But look up the stats (and baseball is all about stats) -- World Series TV viewership is down 50% since the Reds swept the A's in 1990. 

 

 

The Reds were not even the best team in the league in 1994.  The strike hurt in Cincinnati, no doubt, just as it did everywhere--but no fan base should be more upset than the Montreal Expos fans.  Best record in the major leagues at the time of the strike (74-40; the Reds were 66-48, which also trailed the Braves in the NL) with a roster loaded with young, great talent that would all eventually leave the Expos (including Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, Ken Hill, John Wetteland, and Cliff Floyd).  That team was really, really good.  The strike ending that season and the Expos trading away players because of their salary limitations was the beginning of the end for baseball in Montreal, sadly. 

What will they do about the Royals? It seems most of the team will be starting this game. It happened with the Reds before. But the commissioner at the time took 2 Reds out of the starting lineup.

They should "start" all of the Royals who get picked, bat them all last, and then sub them out in the middle of the first inning. That'll teach 'em!

The better record of the Expos doesn't really mean anything since anything can and does happen in the playoffs.  The Reds crushed the A's in the 1990s World Series, after all.  People forget how stacked the Reds were in the mid-90s, with Barry Larkin the league MPV plus dominant bats like Kevin Mitchell, solid all-around guys like Reggie Sanders, and of course Dion Sanders.  The Braves had the best starting pitching in the league during that era, but if one of those guys had gone down with an injury and with some help from that 1990 magic The Reds could have been world champs in 1990, 1994, and 1995.  The 1999 team was also very good and very fun. 

^Yes they were good, but you said they were "going to win the world series" as a factual statement.  Obviously anything can happen in the playoffs, but that Expos team was the best in MLB that year.  To say that the Reds were somehow destined to win it all makes no sense. 

 

And those bats like Kevin Mitchell, and Ron Gant, and Greg Vaughn were all actually cast-offs from other teams that the Reds took on as reclamation projects.  Yes, those projects paid off, but it got the Reds into a mode of thinking that they could take cast-offs and turn them into solid major leaguers, which led to Reds fans (including me) suffering through way too many starts by pitchers like Jimmy Haynes.  1995 is really, in my mind, the beginning of the end (until the mid-2000s).  They went with the Jim Bowden route of all offense, no defense; they really struggled to develop players (especially pitchers) in the farm system; they made some incorrect choices in personnel decisions (I love Sean Casey especially as a personality and he had some solid years, but the Reds kept Casey and traded Paul Konerko when they had them both, which in the long run clearly was not the right call); and while they caught lightning in a bottle in 1999, that was not a young team built to win for years.  It's not a surprise that their period of sustained contention (which seems to have closed as of last year) coincided with homegrown products like Votto, Bruce, Cueto, Leake, Frazier, etc. making it to the majors. 

I don't sense the enthusiasm for the game compared to 1988.  Unfortunately I think it's a symptom of the demise of the popularity of baseball.  Back in 1988 a lot of people still didn't have cable and so there were only 2-3 other things to watch when the Reds were televised. 

 

I'm with ryanlammi.  I think the buzz is huge.  I feel like baseball has regained its popularity plus some since then.  The Reds are averaging +30,000 per game (less than 2,000/game off their all time high in 1976) after a low of 22,000 post-strike in 1997.  Yes, I know 2009 was even worse but that was more about franchise discontent than MLB problems.  National League attendance is up almost 46% (1995-2014).

The 1994 strike was devastating for Cincinnati.  The Reds were going to win the World Series but there ended up not even being a World Series.  The frustration over the strike caused Reds fans to turn their backs on the team when play resumed in 1995.  The Reds failed to sell out two of the 1995 playoff games -- in fact they didn't even come close.  They had over 10,000 empty seats for all to see on national TV.  Now that was the year when Cleveland made it to the Series, so an all-Ohio World Series would have been HUGE for the longtime lore and allegiances of Reds and Indians fans. 

 

But look up the stats (and baseball is all about stats) -- World Series TV viewership is down 50% since the Reds swept the A's in 1990. 

 

 

But you could also point out that the Game 3 vs. Dodgers had an attendance in a 52,952 capacity Riverfront Stadium of 53,276.  Odd.

I think the explanation for lower TV viewership is due to a few things. One is that virtually every game is only shown on cable, and the number of households with cable has been decreasing since 2000. Anecdotally, I consider myself a big Reds fan and have only watched one game this year (Opening Day), and have maybe caught parts of others at various bars. I listen on WLW or just keep track of scores/stats on my phone. There’s no good way to track online interest, but I’d wager there are millions of people who don’t watch games, but still participate online as a fan in some fashion.

 

What MLB really needs to do is get rid of the blackout restrictions on MLB.tv, and broadcast games themselves. The cable deals are obviously worth much more than MLB thinks they could make selling subscriptions themselves, but as cable viewership continues to decline, they won’t be. MLB.tv could also make millions selling commercials during breaks – the last time I saw a game on MLB.tv they just showed a black pause screen between innings.

 

IMO, MLB should release 5 names for each position that fans can vote on starting June 1 for the All Star Game. The players with the most votes get to start. Then MLB/managers decide who gets the remaining spots.

I really like this. It's perfect. I took this from Smale Riverfront Park yesterday afternoon.

 

also this-

Really surprised Basketball didn't see a bigger spike in the 80s and 90s than it did.

EXCLUSIVE: Great American Ball Park will bloom for All-Star Game with living wall

Steve Watkins - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

When fans arrive at Great American Ball Park for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, they’ll be greeted by an enormous floral display that will look like something out of the Rose Parade.

 

Evans Landscaping, a Cincinnati Reds sponsor, is installing nearly 10,000 flowers that will cover the metal gates at the main entrance, creating a living wall. The floral display will transform the white metal grates that surround the main entrance into a colorful extravaganza.

 

The flower displays will be designed to look like the All-Star Game logo and to spell out “All-Star Summer,” Evans field supervisor Adam Clifton told me. Evans has been custom-growing these flowers since mid-April.

 

Cont

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/06/19/mlb-cancels-60-million-all-star-votes?xid=si_social

^Good. Hopefully that actually results in fewer Royals starting.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s how Roebling Suspension Bridge will get decked out for All-Star Game

Steve Watkins - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, one of Greater Cincinnati’s most prominent landmarks, will have a new nighttime look in time for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.

 

The committee in charge of the bridge’s lights and flags is replacing lights on its signature towers, Henry Peters, president of the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee, told me on Wednesday.

 

“The bridge will be brighter at night and stand out more than it has in the past,” Peters told me. “Especially when they show the night views, what stands out is the lights.

 

“The goal is to have an All-Star bridge for the All-Star Game.”

 

Cont

“I heard they’ll be selling merchandise on this spot,” Barnes said. “That’s not going to happen. If they do that, I’ll push it right into the street.”

  :roll:

 

I personally have no problem with MLB's restrictions. Vendors pay $400 a year for annual permits. They aren't losing access to any of the normal 81 home games. Plus the City was able to get vendors the right to sell peanuts and water. Maybe the vendors forget that they generally illegally park/stop to unload their vehicles during weekday rush hour traffic and CPD doesn't give them any grief... 

 

 

Reds vendors getting boot from All-Star Game

Steve Watkins - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

A lot of the vendors you see hawking Cincinnati Reds hats and T-shirts won’t be there during the week of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and many are none too happy about it.

 

“I’m mad about the whole situation,” said Robert Barnes, a vendor selling Reds and All-Star Game merchandise as well as peanuts and water from a stand at the corner of Second and Walnut streets, a block from Great American Ball Park. “This is my job, and they’re taking away my job.”

 

MLB takes control of merchandise sales at its biggest events, such as the All-Star Game, scheduled for July 14, and surrounding events. There will be plenty of stands for fans to buy official merchandise outside the ballpark, but if it’s within about a mile or so, those stands will be run by MLB’s vendors. The regular local vendors won’t be able to sell anything except peanuts and water.

 

Cont

Yeah kind of silly to be complaining that you can't sell during an event that wouldn't be here without the restrictions.

 

If Cincinnati didn't have the All Star Game, they wouldn't have any work during the time period anyway. At least they can sell north of 7th Street or in Covington/Newport.

 

Interesting tidbit I didn't know about the vendors:

 

Vendors pay the city $400 a year for annual permits. A lottery in March determines which location each vendor gets.

More love notes for Cincinnati will be lit up for the All-Star Game

Erin Caproni - Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Cincinnatians’ love for the Queen City is going to be evident for baseball fans visiting for the All-Star Game and festivities in the coming weeks.

 

In addition to excerpts from a love poem to Cincinnati being displayed near Great American Ball Park, ArtWorks is partnering with Brave Berlin to create a unique display at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center.

 

A light installation using architectural projection mapping technology like what is used for Music Hall’s Lumenocity will debut on the CAC – located at Sixth and Walnut streets – on Friday night and remain on display for a month. It will animate more lines of the poem “Seven Hills and a Queen to Name Them.”

 

Cont

Beyond idiotic articles in the Enquirer, who is freaking out? We recently held the World Choir Games which drew 3-4 times as many people as the ASG will and handled it just fine without incident. Nobody is actually freaking out, the Enquirer is trying to stir up controversy where there is none in its typical fashion.

 

The whole city has been talking about the All Star Game basically non-stop since it was awarded to us! There's a countdown clock on Fountain Square, incessant references to finishing projects in time for it, news coverage talking about the 'massive crowds that will be descending on downtown!' for weeks, he'll, even someone here commented that work on the 580 building possibly stopped because of the ASG!  As if everything else should stop just because we happen to have an out of the ordinary event going on. 

 

And bringing up the World Choir Games kind of reinforces my point. Sure it was a lot of people, but who has actually heard of the World Choir Games outside of Cincinnati? Who in Cincinnati had heard of them before they came here? The fact that we treat any large event held in the city as if it's our one time to shine makes us seem small time. People should be excited, and it's always good to put on a good face for increased national attention, but the media coverage and general obsession that the city has with events like this make it seem like we've got nothing else going on. You know the saying, "act like you've been there before."

Meh, I honestly disagree with basically everything you just said. Literally every city publicizes big events and treats them as huge deals. I was just reading about the craziness of figuring out how to get a seat at Bryant Park for summer movie nights. If NYC can have actual NY Times articles about 10,000 people watching a movie then we can get excited about the ASG or the World Choir Games which brought 200,000 visitors.

 

The ASG is one of the most publicly known annual events due to the sport's popularity in basically every part of the country. People ARE going to be watching and judging how the event goes so making sure everything goes smoothly is important. But the reality of the situation is that most people outside of some articles in the newspaper or some worrying citizens just haven't given it second thought.

I'm with you jmicha.  I consider this on par (maybe one step below) with something like the Super Bowl or the Final Four.  Saying cities that host those events don't do the same is naive.  Sorry.

 

To put this in perspective, this is the highest profile sports event (and arguably event, bar none) that Cincinnati has hosted in most people's lifetime or ever.  I don't think this is an exaggeration.  What else is close?  World Series? That was 1990 and certainly not a fan fare like this.  1988 ASG?  It was a microcosm of what it is now.

 

And as far as Cincinnati's size?  I think what can be forgotten is how the urban core straddles the river.  We have basically three CBD's (Cincy, Covy, NP).  Try doing a walking tour of them and see if Cincinnati feels small. Taken together, I'd be curious how the footprints compare with peer cities.

^ lol the MLB All Star Game usually draws about 10-12 million viewers. The Super Bowl has about 125 million. Not even close.

 

And as for the comparison to the NY Times article about getting a seat for movie nights in Bryant Park, I think that is a total false equivalence to what I'm talking about. New York has such large events all the time that they simply couldn't be bothered to devote so much energy to fret over one event. When I lived in LA I noticed the same thing. There are huge events there all the time that draw the eyes of the world and many attendees, and while the city obviously tries to put on a good appearance for them, you never got the impression of "this is it! We have to show people how cool/urban/cosmopolitan we are!".  Obviously it's unfair to compare Cincy to LA or NY, but the point remains the same about the mindset of communities that aren't shocked or overwhelmed by national attention and exposure.

 

Whatever. Not really worth debating. I've been feeling kind of over Cincinnati for a while now. I've found myself less and less tolerant of the provincialism and small town mindset that's so pervasive here. Probably time to move on...