Paranoia about the Columbus market

[redsfan1966]

Just read REDREAD's post about the Reds Columbus Caravan stop in the ORG. Not a very good response from what I read. Of course, I am just as guilty---forsaking my hometown to chase the Caravan in Lima and Dayton. I also happened to notice the Dispatch had no article the following day about the caravan; while the week before the Indian's caravan was covered. With the Clippers about to become the Tribe's AAA affiliate--could the Reds concede Columbus to the Indians??

Throw in that the C-Bus affiliate (1230 AM) basically runs on auto-pilot and didnt promote the carvan at all---even Lima had a live on-air show during the caravan's appearance...it makes me a little nervous...any thoughts from others in the capital city???

[Ghosts of 1990]

I live here in Columbus, I found out about it from a friend who had read an article in the Dispatch about it. I heard nothing about it beforehand, the Reds did not do a good job pushing it to anyone in the city. I'd have been there.

[jnwohio]

Might be a little hard to get Reds fever stirred up in Columbus when for the first time ever the BlueJackets are looking like legitimate playoff contenders.

I'm in Dayton and over the last several years I have just sort of fallen into watching the Jackets because they come on FSN at the end of baseball season. However now I am realizing I am becoming a true fan, i.e. having the same types of feelings, good and bad, depending on the outcome, following the Jackets games as I do after the Reds games. And I even loathe the off days between games like with the Reds.

Don't get me wrong, the Reds are still #1 (except maybe for Buckeye Football) but right now every morning I find myself going to the Disaptch BlueJackets coverage ahead of looking for what the Enquirer or C.Trent have to say about the Reds off season of inactivity.

I guess maybe the true test will come if the Jackets are still playing once the Reds start; and, they are bumped off FSN in Dayton for Reds games. (I have already been checking out the price of the Center Ice package on our cable).

[reds1869]

I lived in Columbus for five years. IMO the problem with Columbus is that so many people are from somewhere else. As with any growing city, a lot of people have moved from somewhere else and still have their old loyalties. For example, I had a Brooklyn native on one side of my house and a Philly native on the other. They bought Extra Innings and continued to follow their hometown teams. Of the born and bred Columbus natives, I found a shocking number of Yankee fans, probably due to the Clippers' long affiliation. The town always seemed to shade a little more toward Cleveland when it came to Ohio teams. I think the days of it being a key part of Reds Country are long gone.

[redsfan1966]

jnwohio---I am the opposite of you when it comes to the Jackets, even with the current playoff push. I am and always will be a Reds fan number one, but when the Jackets came into being---I was stoked, I was pumped that Columbus finally was awarded a major league franchise (albeit the NHL). But after many losing seasons and watching the team quit late in the past few seasons---in addition to Doug MacLean's snakeoil salesman act---I gave up on them. I'll peek in now and then; but havent watched a complete Jackets game (with the exception of a game where I got good seats free early this season) for over a season and half....

[Ghosts of 1990]

Jackets stink. They are not interesting or good hockey. I'd rather spend my money to drive 4 hours in baseball season and see a Reds game

[mlh1981]

Whenever I'm up in Columbus and I happen to be at one of the bars, I never find a shortage of people who are paying attention to the Reds games being shown on the TV screens.

[Captain Hook]

I've lived in Columbus my entire life and have ran my families sports bar/pizza place for about 10 years now.I can say that there are more Indian fans then there was 10 years ago but it is still a Reds town by far.I was a bit surprised over the demand for the STO network when the Tribe left FSN.

[jnwohio]

I used to be in a business that took me to Columbus about a dozen days a year for meetings which involved folks from all over the state. This was in the period from the late 80's to late 90's. So I can't say about before or since then. My sense was that the Columbus area became Indians country with the rise of that org in the 90's. By the late 90's that fervor had cooled quite a bit as the Indians fell off in performance but other than '99, the Reds weren't doing anything themselves to win the fans back.

Not sure to what extent this is the place to say this but.... To those of you burned out on CBJ, I can understand. Although I have never been a Bangals fan, I live around a lots of folks who are and who have lived with the same type of over hype, under performance, and lack of organizational response. All I can say is that I think just based on the 3 or 4 years of my experience, this time they really have turned a corner. 3 NHL rookie of month awards won in the first 3 months of the season says a lot about that (althoiugh Brassard is now out for the year). And one of those rookies (Mason) is seriously being talked up for the Venzia. There is an outstanding young core in place and in the pipeline along with a coach with a system and a new GM with a plan to support that system. Regardless of what happens this year, locking down Rick Nash to a career type deal is huge down the road; but I think the hope is legit at last.

And doesn't it say so very much about the Reds lack of activity that we are even having this discussion??????

[Ghosts of 1990]

I've lived in Columbus my entire life and have ran my families sports bar/pizza place for about 10 years now.I can say that there are more Indian fans then there was 10 years ago but it is still a Reds town by far.I was a bit surprised over the demand for the STO network when the Tribe left FSN.

agreed it is a Reds town.

What part of town is the Pizza located :D

[gedred69]

Winners draw fans, period. Therefore, 90's belonged to the Tribe, even though they weren't able to attract fans in Cleveland prior. There was even a movie made about how pitiful attendance was, until they started winning, (Major League). Now, it's the Reds turn to draw Central Ohio back in. If the Farm System is as good as so many have indicated, it will happen! (Wouldn't hurt to see some Ohio boys develop for the Reds, aka, O'Neill, Larkin). Consistently good teams in Dayton would be a big boost.

[jnwohio]

I've lived in Columbus my entire life and have ran my families sports bar/pizza place for about 10 years now.I can say that there are more Indian fans then there was 10 years ago but it is still a Reds town by far.I was a bit surprised over the demand for the STO network when the Tribe left FSN.

See my post above. The Indians fans I ran into during my business forrays in Columbus were always loud and blatant. If they were the type of guys and gals I ran into, a dozen of them could probably convince the cable execs the world would end if STO wasn't carried.