I liked Solomon. I liked many of the Bengals players and coaches I got to know. And, yes, Mike Brown. They are people. I enjoyed telling their stories. Tim Krumrie showed me the Clint Eastwood poster hanging near the bar in his Wisconsin basement and said he enjoyed an occasional nightcap with Clint.
I sided with the players during the 1987 strike and found more proof why Boomer Esiason is the best player leader I ever saw; he privately offered to help any teammate needing money. Boomer and Cris Collinsworth were candid, smart and accommodating and destined for media gigs. Solomon, too. And I was happy for them.
I am human.
Cincinnati was euphoric over the 1988 Bengals on their Super Bowl run, and I appreciated what this meant for you and my adopted city and a team torn apart a year earlier. Everybody Ickey Shuffled. New fans were Woo-Wooed. Some never left. I was in Miami for Montana-to-Taylor and another crushing loss to the 49ers that still stings you.
I watched the Bengals lose a lot after that. They were always interesting, and access was great, but joylessness could darken the locker room. Though I was not a fan, I grew fond of the Bengals and Cincinnati’s other teams. They were part of my everyday life. Winning was better.
When I left town, my attachment faded, just as my ties to Chicago’s teams continued to lessen. Time and distance can do that. When I left journalism, I freed the fan in me.
I returned to Chicago and reconnected with some of my childhood teams. When I became a coach, I found a way to reconnect with Cincinnati’s through this column.
My goal, though, was to make a difference in your life.
More: Bass column: Bengals instill life in fan who saw patients die alone
I had no idea you would make such an impact in mine.
* * *
You not only adopted me on Twitter, you changed me.
I would ask you how you deal with what nobody ever asks fans, and you would be there for me. You could be open, funny, angry, frustrated, excited or whatever you were, it and was all good. I met some of you at tailgates, and you welcomed me as though I were one of you. I felt like part of your community, even though I was not a Bengals fan.
More: ‘It’s far and away the biggest game of the year’: Bengals prep for big test against Chiefs
The more we communicated, the more we connected. You survived the rise and fall of Joe Burrow in 2020, and now the unpredictable mood swings of a roller-coaster 2021, and I related from a distance. I wanted more. I returned to Paul Brown Stadium to try viewing the Bengals as one of you. Fandom didn’t quite take, or so I initially thought. The Browns won in a blowout, but I felt the discomfort. I needed to feel it. It helped me feel the latest rise.
Now, oh, do I feel it.
The Bengals are 9-6, after 4-12. After 2-14. After a lot of history you know all too well. They have not won a playoff game since I was in town. This season means a lot to you.
Thanks to you, it also means a lot to me.
I am one of you.
More: 'It’s our time': Joe Burrow and the Bengals put the Ravens in the rearview mirror
“Welcome to the club!” @SirGrogshire tweeted.
* * *
A few fans on Twitter had fun with this.
@RickyLittle_tweeted “The Official NFL Bandwagon Transferral Form” to me. And @DaltonSignature tweeted an official acceptance of my fandom, with my tweet in a photoshopped image of me in a Bengals sweater.
“Chicago, Cincinnati native Mike Bass!” @kane21014 tweeted. “Welcome to Who Dey nation! It’s going to be an exciting run!”
The Bears are an NFL afterthought this season, a 10-loss sideshow. I still am a fan, but I know who the Bears are and I lower my expectations to enjoy their games. I see the Bengals as an infusion of hope, excitement and mystery, a taste of my past with a twist. They are Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Mixon and an offense that makes this team and turnaround all the more inspiring.
More: 'This is a big opportunity': Joe Burrow ‘excited’ to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes
“More than welcome to join us Mike,” @slickdog12 tweeted, “but once you're on you can't jump off the ship⚓︎, like some of these other fans.”
One step at a time. I am here to enjoy the rest of this season and, I hope, a postseason. I come with zero expectations for the Bengals, knowing we (yes, we) can easily go on another two-game tailspin to end the season or ride this momentum into the playoffs. Either way, I have no plans to abandon ship after the season, but I am focusing on this one, staying present in the moment and embracing the newfound Who Dey in me.
I knew this would not be enough for some of the diehards, and I understand the sentiment. @Monstakenzo11 suggested I show my Bengals fandom this way: “By jumping off the bandwagon!” “(Expletive) outta here! You don't get to jump on when we rollin!”
You can choose fandom that suits you or someone else, and I choose this. But let’s table that discussion and enjoy a more palatable suggestion.
“Gotta get baptized in skyline chili and Graeter's black raspberry chip,” @Almighty_Almakk tweeted. “At least that's how it went for me.”
Now you’re talking. Frozen Skyline Chili awaits me for dinner. When a Graeter’s opened near me, you know I was there on Day 1, overdosing on double chocolate chip.
“Most of us self medicate,” @BengalsDFW tweeted, “with loads of alcohol.”
How about champagne, to toast the revival?
“Yes!” @BengalsDFW tweeted. “Gotta ride the wave!”
My heart is leading me on this ride. It does not have to make sense to you or to me. I just accept it, appreciate it and feel it. And I thank you for making this possible.
Any other way I can show myself worthy of being a Bengals fand?
“Bend the knee,” @TheSisko89 tweeted, with the “Game of Thrones” GIF.
For Victory Formation. Perfect.
Email Bass at mbass@mikebasscoaching.com or reach out to him @SportsFanCoach1 on Twitter if you want to be included next week. His website is MikeBassCoaching.com.
