Pat Forde on Cincinnati

by ben nevis on Apr 25, 2007 5:46 PM EDT Comment 76 comments

Espn.com posted an article by Pat Forde today that discusses the unique nature of the city of Cincinnati. Specifically, he considers its rampant conservatism juxtaposed with its rampant affection for rough-and-tumble guys like Pete Rose and Bob Huggins.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2848689&sportCat=ncb& ;lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

I thought it was an interesting read, but I don't live in Cincinnati myself. I actually don't live anywhere near it, but my family has all come from there. I'm curious how some natives feel about the article.

Also, somebody's gotta tell me how to embed html links into text so I don't have to post that long string of a web address.

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Pat Forde is an idiot...

He lives in Louisville and has always felt inferior to Lexington and Cincinnati. As for embedding put what you want the link to display as before the < /a>.

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 5:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

btw

pat forde is definitely not an idiot. i know him, and he's one of the smartest people ive ever met. great writer, too.

i know it's easy to learn a little bit about personalities, especially newspaper columnists, and decide they're idiots, but it's usually not true. in pat's case, it's far from the truth.

as far as him living in louisville and feeling inferior to lexington and cincinnati, i dont know what that means, but i dont think that's the case either.

What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk in Junior's trunk?

by boobs on Apr 25, 2007 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Like I said below

I thought it was one of the better illustrations of Cincinnati that I've read in a while.

by bobestes on Apr 25, 2007 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Links

text

by teb7 on Apr 25, 2007 5:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

D'oh

I didn't think it would actually do that because I didn't actually type in a url. Anyway, go here to learn how to make links.

by teb7 on Apr 25, 2007 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

example...

< a href ="www.whateversiteyouwant.com">Here< /a>

Here will be highlighted...of course you won't use the spaces before the a and /a

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 5:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Here goes nothing

< a href ="www.buffettnews.com">Chandrathan's favorite non-Reds site< /a>

looking California, and feeling Minnesota...

by obc on Apr 26, 2007 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm on there all the time...

It's a great source of information!

I agree with Boobs.

by chandrathan on Apr 26, 2007 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ooh

I want to try

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Apr 25, 2007 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Why didn't that work?

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Apr 25, 2007 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How did you type it?

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think

< a href ="www.mulletsgalore.com">I want to try< a>

without the spaces. Do I need an http:/ in there?

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Apr 25, 2007 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I put a / before the a

at the end.

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Apr 25, 2007 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do it like you did...

with the http://

It will work!

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you need a / before your last a...

I want to try

Also, put the http:// in there.

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 6:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I had the / in there

Let's see if this works

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Apr 25, 2007 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Success!!!!

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Apr 25, 2007 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You probably just had...

...something extra in there screwing it all up.

"I don't get the oooh, aaah, oooh, damn!" ~Ken Griffey Jr.

by Alan on Apr 25, 2007 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Having grown up in Cincinnati

I thought it was a great read. I wouldn't be too quick to disparage it based on the fact that he's from Lullville, I thought he did a pretty good job of explaining the mix of forces that make Cincinnati what it is.

I tell people all the time, sometimes I think I'll move back there tomorrow, sometimes I think I'll never live there again. It's one of the greatest places I've ever lived, and, at the same time, one of the worst.

by bobestes on Apr 25, 2007 6:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn't read the article...

I just think Pat Forde is an idiot.

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

please see above

(or below)

What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk in Junior's trunk?

by boobs on Apr 25, 2007 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not going to argue today...

He's just very biased against UK, and I don't care for his work.

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

doesnt make him an idiot

What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk in Junior's trunk?

by boobs on Apr 25, 2007 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

From now on I'll wait to give an opinion...

until after Boobs has made his public...

Then I'll just say "I agree with Boobs"

It'll save me a lot of headaches.

We're wanted men, we'll strike again...but first let's have a beer!

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh man

im sorry, i wasnt trying to piss you off. it's kind of natural for me to defend a friend of mine when he's called an idiot, though.

i've been in a trigger-happy mood lately, anyway. all this hostility is making me moist. i hope sukr and d put their differences back in front of them soon... tension adds so much to game threads!

What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk in Junior's trunk?

by boobs on Apr 25, 2007 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've got a question..

..and I am simply curious (meaning: I do not intend this question to "stir the pot" or cause any tension or flare-ups)..

Which Red Reporters have a history that pre-dates RedReporter.com? I realize that many of ya'll have gotten together and met in person over the past two years (or more?) but are there any two or three or four people here that were buds before they were bloggers?

Is there a family tree in the wiki?

"I don't get the oooh, aaah, oooh, damn!" ~Ken Griffey Jr.

by Alan on Apr 25, 2007 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I knew RHM (Amanda)

who I know technically isn't a Red Reporter, but who can be seen around here occasionally, before I ever came here, and I had talked to Daedalus through her site. Everyone else, I've met through RR.

by Ash on Apr 25, 2007 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree a bit...

With his insinuation however that Cincinnati fans going ga-ga over Hamilton but being down on Chris Henry is about race.

He writes: "So why the radically divergent attitudes in the city? Why is the white baseball player embraced and the black football player scorned? 'This is a totally different deal,' Daugherty says. 'One guy admitted he messed up and is trying to change his life. The other guy has not showed any remorse.'"

In a caption under a picture of Hamilton, Forde continues, somewhat sarcastically: "The city seems to have embraced the Reds' Josh Hamilton, maybe because he's expressed contrition for his past problems."

Oh come on...just go ahead and say the city is racist, why don'tcha?

I think the point is idiotic, regardless of whether Forde as a person is an idiot or not. It has very little to do with contrition, because Chris Henry has, in fact, apologized (which implies that Paul Daugherty's point was idiotic, by the way). It has far, far more to do with which team each one was on when they did the screwing up.

Josh Hamilton screwed up his life when he was a Tampa Bay Devil Ray. The Reds organization was not hurt one bit by that screw-up and in fact benefitted from it. The Reds were not the ones who invested a #1 overall pick on him and have nothing to show for it. Instead, they got a #1 overall pick for cash and a PTBNL because he screwed-up, and now he is redeeming himself and helping our team. What's not to love about it?

Chris Henry, on the other hand, screwed-up while he was a Bengal. Because of his failings, the team has become a national laughingstock, the team found it harder to win in 2006 because he has not been available, and the team will find it harder to win in 2007 without him for eight games, not to mention the fact that the team may wind up with nothing to show for their third round draft pick if he screws up again. What's not to hate about it?

I'm not going to say that the difference between Cincinnati's reaction to Hamilton and Henry has no racial component to it. I'm trying to debate that. However, Forde makes an idiotic insinuation that it's really about race, when it's mostly about being a sports fanm, which means wanting good things for your team and not wanting bad things for it.

Don't mind me...just thinking positive and pitching to contact, that's all...

by Paul Householder on Apr 25, 2007 7:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Excellent distinction!

by Brendanukkah on Apr 25, 2007 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i interpreted that

as him questioning whether there was a race element to it instead of stating that there was.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 25, 2007 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

I think it's perfectly valid to ask the question whether Chris Henry gets labeled as a thug compared to Hamilton being the prodigal son.

I guess I read it as asking the obvious question when comparing the two situations.

by bobestes on Apr 25, 2007 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's valid to ask the question...

Not so valid to insinuate that the answer is that it's a racial issue.

He could have easily written the caption under Hamilton's picture as follows, and it would not have changed the meaning:

"The city seems to have embraced the Reds' Josh Hamilton, maybe because he's expressed contrition for his past problems (yeah, right)."

I merely added the parenthetical. It adds no content that wasn't there before.

Don't mind me...just thinking positive and pitching to contact, that's all...

by Paul Householder on Apr 25, 2007 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Henry should..

..work with Hamilton's advisor.

"(I) stunk pretty much," Saarloos said.

by Alan on Apr 26, 2007 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jesus runs the option?

And what kind of kid tries to tackle Jesus? That's just asking to get sent to Hell.

2007 Reds Threat Level is Yellow

by Slyde on Apr 26, 2007 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can try...

Jesus knows that he's just about invincible on the gridiron. Stupid kids.

by bobestes on Apr 26, 2007 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But no helmet!?

I guess his Dad's not worried about head injuries?

"(I) stunk pretty much," Saarloos said.

by Alan on Apr 26, 2007 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's the son of God

He doesn't need no stinkin' helmet

by bobestes on Apr 26, 2007 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

what kind of football is that?

i mean, what team is jesus on? he's out of uniform.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 26, 2007 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's "all-time" QB.

He called it.

And it's his yard.

And his Dad can beat up your dad.

"(I) stunk pretty much," Saarloos said.

by Alan on Apr 26, 2007 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

I've always wanted to write that article. It perfectly describes that city.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 25, 2007 7:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pat Forde

I'm sure he's not an idiot, but he sure as hell is a shitty writer. Nothing in the article is anything more enlightening than you could find in any Wiki-type post on Cincinnati. I know, because I've lived here my entire life. He did do an adequate job of one thing: stating the obvious. Nice work jumping on the Bengals vs. the law and Cincinnati racial issues bandwagons..very timely. He fits right in with the rest of the horrible stable of writers employed by ESPN. Oh, and anyone who implies that the majority of Cincinnatians aren't OSU fans is sadly misinformed. That's a fact.

by brewerjy on Apr 25, 2007 7:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

you've lived there your entire life

but the article is for a national audience, most of whom don't know anything about cincy.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 25, 2007 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: you've lived here your entire life

No shit. That's why the poor quality of the piece is even more unacceptable. I'm used to horrendous writing on a local basis (i.e. Enquirer); that's not the point. I would bet you that most of these people that you claim "don't know anything about Cincinnati" are in fact aware of the Bengals issues with the law as well as our city's well-documented so-called racial strife. The fact that both of these points contributed in large part to the subject matter of his article, even though neither is "news" by any stretch, is what I am holding up as (most recent) examples of Mr. Forde's lack of imagination and writing skills.

by brewerjy on Apr 25, 2007 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He does also say

that Cleveland is the largest city in Ohio, when Columbus is bigger by over 200,000 people. Although Cleveland does have the larger metro area.

I thought it was pretty funny that Cleveland was being classified as an East Coast city too. I don't see that at all.

by Brendanukkah on Apr 25, 2007 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you know what's funny?

just last week i was talking to a guy from cleveland (in a bar watching the nats game) and we were talking about the differences between cleveland and cincy, and you know what the guy said? "cleveland is more like an east coast city." i laughed at the time, but when i read that i wondered if there are more people who think that.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 25, 2007 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cleveland is the most depressing place on earth...

Ugly Ugly town...

I agree with Boobs.

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You been to Dayton?

I have a fondness for both Cleveland and Dayton though. To everyone else, they're ugly, but I've got deep personal connections to both of them, despite a lack of obvious charms.

Although "Charm City" - Baltimore - or Detroit rank pretty highly on my "Worst/Ugliest" cities in America.

by Brendanukkah on Apr 25, 2007 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've never been to Dayton...

But on the other hand, I'd like to nominate Indianapolis as one of the nicest cities in the nation...

I agree with Boobs.

by chandrathan on Apr 25, 2007 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i like cleveland

i agree, baltimore is about the worst city i've ever been to on earth. aside from camden yards waterfront area, there is nothing good there.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 25, 2007 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I dunno

I'll nominate Oxford. Land o' the zombies.

; )

looking California, and feeling Minnesota...

by obc on Apr 26, 2007 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Say what you will about Miami

Or OU for that matter, but Oxford had WOXY, the single greatest radio station in the country.

"97X - BAM! - The future of rock and roll!"

by Brendanukkah on Apr 26, 2007 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

at least oxford

doesn't smell like puke and have halloween decorations up year round.

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 26, 2007 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Like that's a bad thing..

"(I) stunk pretty much," Saarloos said.

by Alan on Apr 26, 2007 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if that had on a green hat

it'd be perfect!!!

Blessed be Baseball

by Daedalus on Apr 26, 2007 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I loooooooove Charm City

I lived in Federal Hill for a year. Great town.

by Brian B on Apr 26, 2007 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great Diary Post

If anyone bothers to look at the other sports blogs, I'd have to say Red Reporter has the best discussions. Where else can you post a diary about the Queen City, only to have a lesson in URL short-cuts and two good friends airing out a disagreement in public?!
To that end, as for the latter, I like the fact that Boobs sticks up for his friend - we should all be so lucky to have a friend like that; but on the other hand, Pat Forde is very much a public figure - like a politician. He posts his stuff to get a rise - one way or the other - out of the populace. As a casual visitor to Cincinnati - and one who loves the place - I thought the article was very mediocre and more negative than anything else. And I'm not a big Pat Forde fan. Which I have to believe is o.k. with Pat.
Can't wait to visit this summer!

Upstate New Yorker, life-long Reds fan.

by NYRed on Apr 26, 2007 7:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

For the Record

who here actually lives in the Cincy metro and who does not??

I do not, and I know a few of you don't-- D in D.C., NYRed, BubbaFan, JD, JinAZ,

by rose2hall on Apr 26, 2007 9:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I do...

I agree with Boobs.

by chandrathan on Apr 26, 2007 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope

I'm in Boston.

OK I had to try it.

by ben nevis on Apr 26, 2007 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm so pumped about html.

by ben nevis on Apr 26, 2007 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Now that you've been there and done it...

..get the t-shirt.

"(I) stunk pretty much," Saarloos said.

by Alan on Apr 26, 2007 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh yeah?

Then it sounds like you're ready for xhtml and css, my friend.

by bobestes on Apr 26, 2007 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I do

NKY, which may as well be in OH.

"Hey, that's hillWILLIAM to you!"

by jch24 on Apr 26, 2007 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Check out

the Wiki

by ken on Apr 26, 2007 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

On the whole, it was a fair article

There was at least an attempt to understand Cincy. He acknolwedged that it was a complex thing, instead of the typical CINCINNATI -- BAD stuff you normally get from big publications. E.g., he acknowledged that Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in Cincy. In my view, the city does have some racial issues, however that it needs to deal with.

Interestingly, though I was born and raised in Cincy, and have lived in a few other places. I've lived in NY (Queens and Long Island) for the past eight years and have heard at least, if not more, racist and anti-semitic comments as I did in the 25 years I lived in Cincy.

The bad: The part about Cleveland being an "east coast town" was bizarre. And the comparison between Hamilton and Henry was ridiculous. As far as we know Hamilton has been clean for about a year and a half. Henry committed his crimes while he was on the team, over and over, and most of all, Henry's behavior was more dangerous to society (i.e. brandishing a firearm) than Hamilton's.

Concepcion. Look at the numbers.

by blindfish on Apr 26, 2007 10:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

For future reference

I've added creating links to the Wiki. You know, so we have it.

2007 Reds Threat Level is Yellow

by Slyde on Apr 26, 2007 10:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

well.....

Hamilton did some drugs and got some tattoos. Henry pulled a gun out in the middle of Orlando.

I think that's enough of a difference right there.

Cincy loves it's "dirty shirts", but most people respect Munoz far more than Rose/Huggins. And rumour has it Tony Perez remains the only Cincy Red not booed in Riverfront Stadium. Oscar is kinda like a porcupine socially, and he has been known to pull the ol' Johnny Bench on fans who approach him.

Cris Collinsworth went to law school in the offseason. And he was a really, really fun person to be around. Boomer Esiason is the definition of the word LEADER. Eric Davis is my favorite Cincinnati Red ever, and he's a pretty decent guy. Barry Larkin never once got into trouble, but he probably knew to avoid Le Foxx in Le Covington(I havent even been there, and that's saying something gang)

Cleveland's downtown has it all over Cincy's. But it only feels like an east coast city because of Lake Erie. Go 10 miles south and it feels like anywhere else Ohio.

I could go on and on.....but this rant is making me thirsty.

looking California, and feeling Minnesota...

by obc on Apr 26, 2007 4:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

These pretzles are making me thirsty

2007 Reds Threat Level is Yellow

by Slyde on Apr 26, 2007 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

favorite line

"I know Chris," Katie says. "I walk into Chris' house, take my shoes off, get in his refrigerator."

not only do strippers feel free to come and go at Chris Henry's house, they are welcome to anything in his refrigerator. Athletes live hilarious lives, and I am sure it is more than his fridge she is welcome to get into

by Ben10 on Apr 26, 2007 10:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs