Lance McAlister of WLW 700, discussed a New York Times article that ranked the top cursed teams by city. The article ranked Cincinnati at twelve and Cleveland at one.
Cincinnati has two professional sports teams—the Bengals and the Reds. Although the locals cheer for the Bengals, the Reds have veteran status since they have been playing since 1869 (Cincinnati Red Stockings). The Bengals made their pro football debut on September 6, 1968.
With the Bengals season over, local fans can look forward to a new baseball season. Unfortunately, the Reds don’t have a championship caliber team because they are rebuilding, which is a nice way of saying that fans shouldn’t expect a World Series Championship anytime soon.
The Reds haven’t won a championship since 1990, and the Bengals have never won a championship. Although Cincinnati isn’t fielding world champions, they have had several close calls with greatness. Here are the latest Reds and Bengals playoff results:
2005 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – Steelers)
2009 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – NY Jets)
2010 Reds 1st round playoff exit (L – Phillies)
2011 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – Texans)
2012 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – Texans)
2012 Reds 1st round playoff exit (L – Giants)
2013 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – Chargers)
2013 Reds 1st round play-in game (L – Pirates)
2014 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – Colts)
2015 Bengals 1st round playoff exit (L – Steelers)
As bad as it is for Reds and Bengals fans, it could be worse. If you travel north on interstate 71, you will land in Cleveland, which has the Browns, Cavaliers and the Indians. The Browns and Cavaliers have sniffed championship glory, but haven’t won anything.
Unlike the Browns and Cavaliers, the Indians won championships in 1920 and 1948. The only Ohio team that has a realistic chance of winning a championship might be the Cleveland Cavaliers. Browns and Indians fans may have a better chance of winning the lottery before seeing their football and baseball teams win a championship. On the positive side, Ohio cannot place its loss of championship titles on a smelly goat.
In 1945, during game three of the last Cubs World Series game, a local pub owner named Billy Sianis and his goat were tossed from the game. Security removed the pair after other fans complained about the smelly goat.
The removal angered Sianis enough that he sent a telegram to Cubs’ owner Philip Wrigley. The telegram stated the Cubs would never win another World Series. The Cubs went on to lose the 1945 World Series and have not won a World Series since 1908. Cincinnati and Cleveland may have made it on the most cursed list, but at least they weren’t cursed by a smelly goat.
Marc is a grandfather and longtime Clermont County resident. Visit his author page at lifewithgrandpa.com and blog at wisegrandpa.com.