Best Cincinnati Sports Moments Of 2013

Now that 2013 is over it is time for the best Cincinnati sports moment of the past year. Sure some sites have already done this and maybe we are late to the party but 2013 wasn’t over yet. What if the Reds made some huge move and signed Masahiro Tanka? That would move easily to #2 on the list. But that didn’t happen so we are here.

Being a Cincinnati sports fan is painful we all know that, but every now and then there are some bright spots.

1. Homer Bailey tossed his second no hitter on July 2nd 2013 agains the San Francisco Giants. Bailey had a perfect game going until he walked Gregor Blanco to leadoff the seventh inning leading to his infamous “I just fu#king walked a guy” quote. This was Homer’s second no hitter and in back to back seasons.

2. Cincinnati Bengals AFC North Champs come in at number 2. The Bengals have had high expectations for the last two     seasons but being one and done in the playoffs the last two seasons they look to go past the wild card round this season. Led by third year quarterback Andy Dalton Cincinnati enters the playoffs with an 11-5 record and the #3 seed in the AFC. They will face the San Diego Chargers this Sunday at 1:05 ET on CBS.

Dec 29, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones (24) pumps up the crowd during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

3. The Louisville game. The Cincinnati Bearcats football team entered the 2013 season with high expectations, the team and the university fully expected the Bearcats to be undefeated going into the Louisville game at the end of the season, it was viewed as a defacto AAC championship game. Unfortunately the Bearcats were faced with more obstacles than any team should ever have to face this season they dropped two games early to Illinois and USF. Entering the Louisville game the Bearcats still had a shot at the BCS bowl. Having played their hearts out all night forcing Louisville to overtime the Bearcats lost 31-24. The game though will still go down as one of the best of the season, thanks in part to the rowdiest student section since the 2009 season and the performance of quarterback Brendon Kay who was beat and bruised all night.

4. Dusty Baker. After 6 seasons and three playoff collapses the Cincinnati Reds finally made a change and fired Manager Dusty Baker after a first round loss in the Wild Card round of post season. Baker led the Reds to three post season appearances in 2010, 2012, and 2013 but never made it past the divisional round. In 2012 up two games to non the Reds returned to Cincinnati to lose the next three in an epic collapse. Baker went 509-463 during his time as Reds manager, he did take the Reds to the playoffs, Dusty got us here now Bryan Price just needs to capitalize.

Sep 28, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker (12) in the dugout during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

5. And now the hipster pick, the obscure, the I’m sure you didn’t see this coming. The 2013 University of Cincinnati men’s soccer team had one hell of a game against the IUPUI Jaguars, a game that saw a fight and a last second goal. In what can only be described as a mental lapse by IUPUI, Cincinnati capitalized on a corner kick with 5 seconds left as Ben Keen netted the game winning goal with 1 second left.

6. The Comeback. The Cincinnati Reds trailed the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 going into the 9th inning on September 20th. They would leave the 9th inning tied 5-5 with the Pirates. The Reds offense was dormant much of the game but then in the 9th but then a throwing error from the Pirates allowed Ryan Ludwick to score and Todd Frazier to reach second. Devin Mesoraco then came to the plate and scored Frazier and speedster Billy Hamilton on an infield single. Joey Votto went yard in the 10th for a go ahead home run and a Reds win. This game gave Reds fan hope that the offense was back and this team could come back, they however were mistaken.

Sep 20, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier (left) and pinch runner Billy Hamilton (6) celebrate after both players scored to tie the score against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Cincinnati Reds won 6-5 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

7. Billy Hamilton. The young Reds prospect known for his insane speed on base made his major league debut on September 3rd against the Cardinals and Hamilton didn’t disappoint, immediately stealing against arguably the best catcher in the game Yadier Molina. Hamilton would go on to steal 14 bases in his time up with the club. His speed excited the fan base, Hamilton became sort of a myth in the month of September. Reds fans will be seeing a lot of Hamilton in 2014.

Sep 18, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton (6) slides safely into second base during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

And with that there is our top five list of the best moments of 2013. Honorable mentions include Brandon Phillips’ defensive play every night, we could have made a list of just that. The Cincinnati Cyclones also made a deep run into the ECHL playoffs in 2013. If you think we missed anything or think there were other big moments comment or tell us @RiverFrontBall. Happy New Years everyone, here’s to a Cincinnati championship in 2014.