One of my prized hats is my Cincinnati Reds Baseball cap. It is technically called the “Batting Practice” cap, but I love the simple color variation.
But why Cincinnati?
I grew up in South Carolina. I have never been to a Cincinnati game. Atlanta was strong when I was developing my love for baseball. So why Cincinnati?
It is tied to my first love for radio. I love listening and working with radios and have enjoyed listening to far off radio stations, even when I was young. When I was growing up, I listened to a faraway radio station named WLW on the AM dial at 700. I later learned that in the golden age of radio 700WLW was given the distinction of being a “Clear channel” radio station, which means that no one else could be on the same frequency. This rule, I understand, was later modified to designate certain power wattage in the evenings. This enabled the large “National” radio stations to reach a broader audience. So late at night, I could listen to the broadcasts of baseball from the city of Cincinnati.
It was from the Cincinnati Reds baseball broadcasts that I fell in love with baseball. And Cincinnati was my home team. This bias toward Cincinnati carries on to this day and I still-in some ways-prefer baseball on the radio more than on TV. There is something special about listening to a game on the radio because you must use your imagination to fill in the blanks about what is going on in the ballpark, in the dugout, and on the field. My Cincinnati reminds me of this every time I see it.