More Stuff From the Scrapbook!

As I work on trying to figure out my next card post, I wanted to share some more items that were in my old scrapbook that I found last weekend. So here is a bunch of random stuff from the scrapbook that I though would be of interest. Enjoy!

 

 

First up, we have a scorecard from 1995. Looking at the front of it, I think I was a little ambitious thinking the Reds would win the pennant. Perhaps I was thinking of the NL Central pennant as I know the Reds got swept in the NLCS that year by the Braves. The inside is blank so I'm not sure which game this is but the Dodgers were the visiting team. Also, take a look at the September 1st promotion under the "Riverfront Happenings" section ... yes, National Packtime Baseball Card Night featuring a free collectors set from each of the six major card companies. Wait, there were six major card companies? Topps, Upper Deck, Donruss, Score and Fleer are the ones I can think of ... would Pinnacle be the sixth?

This is a program from Brian Pillman Memorial Show I went to back in high school. For a few years in the late 90s and early 2000s, our local wrestling organization, HWA, put on a memorial show and fundraiser for the family of Brian Pillman, a former Bengals players and pro wrestler who passed away at age 35 in 1997. These shows would always feature talent from the three top national companies (WWF, WCW, and ECW), local and regional outfits such as HWA and Ohio Valley Wrestling, and retired stars from different regions. This particular program was signed by local wrestler Shark Boy. There is another copy of this program that I have framed and hanging on my wall that has autographs from a number of people who appeared on the show such as Ricky Steamboat, Sean Casey from the Reds, referee Scott Dickinson, and Race Steele. 

A completely random team picture of the 1996 Cincinnati Bengals. I'm not sure why I have this, where I got it from, or why it was folded into quarters. I've only been to one Bengals game in my life so I'm guessing that's probably where it came from. Some of the players I remember on this team are Jeff Blake, Carl Pickens, Doug Pelfrey, Ki-Jana Carter, Joe Walter (who has an awesome sandwich named after him at Izzy's), Darnay Scott, and Dan Wilkinson. 1996 was also Dave Shula's last year as head coach as he was canned about halfway into the season after a 1-6 record in favor of Bruce Coslet who lead the team to a 7-2 record the rest of the way. 

Finally, a couple newspaper clippings to close this out.

The Reds getting Ken Griffey Jr. in the trade from the Mariners in February 2000 was one of the biggest news stories in the last 20 years. Hard to believe that was over 15 years ago and Griffey had one good year in 2000 before injuries started getting the best of him. The article above is from our local newspaper at the time, the Middletown Journal. Interesting to note though too that Griffey's jersey is number 24.

Finally, one of the biggest things to ever happen to the local mall, an autograph signing featuring WWF stars Jeff Jarrett, Owen Hart, and Debra. This was when wrestling was at its peak in the late 1990s and these three were doing this appearance right before the matches that night in Cincinnati. I'm in that picture somewhere, in the mass of humanity at the back. I remember pulling up to the mall from the main road and seeing the autograph line wrapped around it twice. Going in, standing by the record shop, the place was just jammed with people and I could barely see anything but I was able catch a quick glimpse of the wrestlers. Sad to think that a month after this, Owen Hart died in a tragic accident during a live pay-per-view broadcast. Currently, this mall is a ghost town with only a few stores remaining in the mall itself. However, on the bright side, new anchors are opening up in the mall and will hopefully help it start to come back.

I wonder, does anyone else out there have a scrapbook like this? If so, what do you have in it? If not, and you were to start one, what would you put in it?

Oh, and Happy October to everyone! It's the most awesome month of the year, filled with playoff baseball, horror movies on TV, haunted attractions, and fall festivals! Go out and make the most of it while you can.