September 2017
Photographs and short stories from September 2017 that didn't necessarily fit into larger narratives or posts.
Cincinnati & The 86th All-Star Game
For the first time since 1988 (and the fifth time overall), Cincinnati hosted a Major League Baseball All-Star Game. For the 86th rendition of the "Midsummer Classic," the city was transformed as the best players in all of baseball converged on the Queen City.
To "The Good Land" and Back
"In fact, isn't 'Milwaukee' an Indian name." asked Pete.
"Why yes, Pete, it is," replied Alice. "Actually, it's pronounced 'mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for 'the good land.'"
![[Suburbia Lost] "Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" Chevrolet - Montgomery](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d8a25db85a54c4d64fe76/1606365330755-X106QV81CABNWYRNRPDW/image.jpeg)
[Suburbia Lost] "Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" Chevrolet - Montgomery
Just north of Cincinnati in the city of Montgomery, Ohio there's an abandoned car dealership. Its vast, wide lot is devoid of cars and inside there's no salespeople to be found. Good deals aren't the only ghosts left behind on the moldy showroom floor; there's also the ghost of a Cincinnati legend - Marge Schott.
![[Views of Cincinnati] #56 - 58 Ballpark Views](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d8a25db85a54c4d64fe76/1606368492737-TLQP5A6EA7RMO4RJH6P4/image.jpeg)
[Views of Cincinnati] #56 - 58 Ballpark Views
Three frames made at Great American Ballpark.
![[Views of Cincinnati] #47 - 52](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f4d8a25db85a54c4d64fe76/1606368962582-MI42PHH5XZWZM0IBETEI/image.jpeg)
[Views of Cincinnati] #47 - 52
From the walls of the Freedom Center, to the reflections in the grid of 312 Elm, a gritty view from the west, fireworks over the river, abandoned streets and a tribute to the memory of Bob Saget - six new photographs in the "224 Views of Cincinnati" series.
An Atypical View at an Atypical Time: Great American Ballpark
A frustrating day - ready for baseball, so I took a walk around the ballpark. Different perspectives of the ballpark taken during a different time than when most people see it.
Rally at the Square, Reds October and an Open Letter to Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
On the morning of October 20, 1990, then Reds owner Marge Schott addressed a large crowd gathered at Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. "We won this for the fans, God love ya," she said.
Steel City Discovery
Like Cincinnati's cut-in-the-hill view on North 75 in Kentucky, Pittsburgh features a dramatic entrance. Cars crowd through suburban countryside and into the Fort Pitt Tunnel (seen above) into a mess of traffic and yellow light before emerging into a striking view of the Pittsburgh skyline.
A Blimp in the Sky.
My head hurt from a long day of drinking and a long week of working as our designated driver drove us out of the comfort of downtown to the the typical suburban bar that we usually gather at after work. A beer there, some excedrin from the gas station next door and we eventually found ourselves near the Indiana border and I-74 at a party filled with high school kids. A "solid bro" named Ray wanted to fight me for making out with his cousin. I wasn't familiar with Ray or his cousin, nor had I made out with anybody.
Opening Day 2010
Last year's opening day the visiting New York Mets shalacked Aaron Harang and the Reds in the 38 degree rain. This year the weather was much better, but Harang got shalacked again and the pitchers who followed him didn't really help anything. Despite being alive and living in the Cincinnati area since one year before the last Reds World Series victory and attending a few opening day games, I've never been to the Findlay Market Parade. This year I changed that.