01-14-2022, 09:11 PM
'73 is the first year I can really remember following the Bengals and knowing the players. I was 10 years old in 5th grade. Howard Fest spoke at my Pee-Wee Football banquet.
The first Super Bowl was in my Freshman year of college. The second Super Bowl was in my final year of grad school. Bookends to a really incredible period of my life.
I spent the 90's in Colorado and Tennessee and there was no internet (for me) back then. I followed the team the best I could but had no access to any daily info or local coverage. You may not like me now, but the 1990's Fredtoast would have been in therapy if he had had access to message boards.
I did not search out any message boards until the team started getting good under Marvin. Then I also got Sunday Ticket so I could watch every game.
Did not attend a game at PBS until week 15 of 2007 when we upset the Browns to knock them out of the playoffs. It was only their second winning season since their return in '99. I was 2 rows from the endzone with Joe from Florence.
I attended 1 or two games every year until 2013. I started having some trouble with one of my knees that made it very difficult to walk up and down the stairs at the stadium. The San Diego playoff game was the last game I attended until this year. I went to the Thursday night game and the Browns game with PAjwPhilly. Then I saw the San Francisco game with my nephew who is a Niners fan. Funny coincidence that he and Philly are both about the same age and ex-Marines.
I think I am about to see my first playoff win in 30 years. But I felt the same way in '05, '09, '12, and '13. The '11 team was not really that strong, and they were playing an elite defense. The '14 team was beaten up bad with injurie, and Dalton was missing in '15. Looking back at the '09 team now I see that the offense was actually really bad once we lost Chris Henry. But that season was so magical and exciting I really thought we could win it all. People talk about how this years team thinks it can win every game, but that '09 team really seemed charmed in the regular season.
The first Super Bowl was in my Freshman year of college. The second Super Bowl was in my final year of grad school. Bookends to a really incredible period of my life.
I spent the 90's in Colorado and Tennessee and there was no internet (for me) back then. I followed the team the best I could but had no access to any daily info or local coverage. You may not like me now, but the 1990's Fredtoast would have been in therapy if he had had access to message boards.
I did not search out any message boards until the team started getting good under Marvin. Then I also got Sunday Ticket so I could watch every game.
Did not attend a game at PBS until week 15 of 2007 when we upset the Browns to knock them out of the playoffs. It was only their second winning season since their return in '99. I was 2 rows from the endzone with Joe from Florence.
I attended 1 or two games every year until 2013. I started having some trouble with one of my knees that made it very difficult to walk up and down the stairs at the stadium. The San Diego playoff game was the last game I attended until this year. I went to the Thursday night game and the Browns game with PAjwPhilly. Then I saw the San Francisco game with my nephew who is a Niners fan. Funny coincidence that he and Philly are both about the same age and ex-Marines.
I think I am about to see my first playoff win in 30 years. But I felt the same way in '05, '09, '12, and '13. The '11 team was not really that strong, and they were playing an elite defense. The '14 team was beaten up bad with injurie, and Dalton was missing in '15. Looking back at the '09 team now I see that the offense was actually really bad once we lost Chris Henry. But that season was so magical and exciting I really thought we could win it all. People talk about how this years team thinks it can win every game, but that '09 team really seemed charmed in the regular season.
