Recognizing the heroes and zeroes of 2023 | Opinion

It’s time to reveal the third annual winners and losers among Greater Cincinnati people who were in the news in 2023, as chosen by a one-person panel.

The "best ofs" earn the Cincinnatus award for the city’s namesake in ancient Rome; a statesman and military leader who left his farm to quell an invasion and later voluntarily gave up near-absolute power to return home. A That’s So Cincinnati move.

We don’t have a budget yet for Cincinnatus statuettes, but winners can take a free selfie with his statue at Sawyer Point near downtown Cincinnati.

The losers? A free red recycling bin; just ask Rumpke for one.

POLITICS

Cincinnatus: Rising national stars J.D. Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy

Bear with me on this one. It’s not an endorsement of their positions, their unwavering loyalty to Donald Trump, nor of Vivek’s repeated debate rudeness. But the pair of under-40 southwest Ohio natives have emerged as national Republican forces.

In his first year as U.S. senator, Vance has been a leading voice of the latest version of the New Right, and he’s showing up on lists of potential Trump running mates in 2024 or as a potential second Trump administration official.

Ramaswamy’s audacious presidential bid still looks unlikely to succeed, but here we are heading into caucus-primary season and he’s hanging in the race with a lot of energy and an attention-getting style. He, too, likely would get a look for a position in a second Trump administration.

Recycle: Ohio Republican Party endorses Trump

For some reason, the ORP felt the need to make an early endorsement of  Trump’s 2024 presidential bid with a still-crowded primary race going on.

Besides being a slap in the face to Ohio’s own Republican candidate, Ramaswamy, with the state’s primary still three months away, it also seems premature to throw support behind a candidate who’s facing 91 felony charges among other legal issues. And he’s recently been using the language of Adolf Hitler, so the ORP could find itself tied to a convicted felon spouting fascist rhetoric.

CAMPAIGNS

Cincinnatus: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wins reelection

The Democrat ran a reelection campaign based on his first-term record of achievement and the issue of abortion to win the red state for a second time.

Beshear’s leadership on economic development and during natural disasters that hit the state helped build his image. A powerful TV campaign commercial featuring the story of a girl who was impregnated at age 12 by an abusive stepfather brought home his support for abortion access and Republican Daniel Cameron’s opposition to it.

His victory also has drawn national attention and speculation on what might lie ahead for him after his second term.

Recycle: Ohio’s August Issue 1 Campaign.

Future Ohio political history students will look at that Aug. 8 special election and shake their heads.

It’s as if a Cincinnati Bengals opponent was trying to figure out how to stop their talented placekicker. Evan McPherson can consistently hit from 50-plus yards, with a career long of 59. So the opponent might want to move the goalposts from 50 to 60 yards.

That’s what Ohio Republicans wanted to do on abortion, trying to change the passage requirement for the state constitutional amendment in November from a simple majority to 60%.

Voters saw through it, rejecting the referendum by the same 57% of the vote that would approve the abortion amendment in November. The special election cost taxpayers $18 million.

MEDIA INFLUENCERS

Cincinnatus: Brandon Saho’s "Mental Games" highlight mental health

After mental issues that had made him suicidal pushed former WLWT sports reporter Brandon Saho to the sidelines, he decided to utilize his media ability to draw attention to mental health and reduce stigma about it.

His "Mental Game" podcast features athletes, entertainers and other celebrities discussing how they deal with stress, pressure or other mental challenges.

He had 45 episodes in 2023 and plans to kick off 2024 with a 30-state speaking tour. It’s scheduled to begin Jan. 9 in Covington, Kentucky.

Recycle: 700WLW host Cunningham laughs along with Huggins’ slurs

Former University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins twice called Xavier University fans "F-gs” on Bill Cunningham’s afternoon AM radio show last May. Instead of hitting the "dump" button to mute Huggins’ comments, Cunningham laughed along, threw in a "transgender night" comment of his own, and praised Huggins as "the best."

Huggins apologized, was suspended and fined by West Virginia University, and his coaching tenure there ended a month later after a drunk driving arrest.

Xavier University President Colleen Hanycz denounced “the deplorable mischaracterizations and homophobic slurs directed towards our LGBTQ+ and our Catholic communities" as "repulsive and offensive."

WLW apparently rediscovered its mute button, as neither station management nor Cunningham has ever publicly acknowledged the incident. Cunningham has continued to voice his apparent obsession with transgenders.

SPORTS

Cincinnatus: FC Cincinnati builds support for another sport

In a city long associated with baseball, football and college basketball, FC Cincinnati has made a big splash for big-league soccer.

The team won the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best record and packed TQL Stadium with fans. Its "Hell Is Real" in-state rivalry with the Columbus Crew was capped by a disappointing playoff loss, but the team made progress and racked up awards including having three All-Stars and other honors including Coach of the Year for Pat Noonan.

Recycle: University of Cincinnati football flounders

The Bearcats were 3-9 overall, finished last in their first Big 12 Conference season, and also took an embarrassing loss to local rival Miami University at home.

They failed to qualify for a bowl, just two years after then-Coach Luke Fickell led them into the College Football Playoffs semifinals.

Coach Scott Satterfield and his staff have gotten good reviews for their new recruiting class, so they will head into 2024 with high hopes for better seasons ahead.

ENTERTAINMENT

Cincinnatus: UC product Travis Kelce makes a big catch

Being the NFL’s best tight end and winning a Super Bowl wasn’t enough for Kelce, who made a big off-field catch with his budding romance with the year’s music superstar, Taylor Swift.

While Bengals fans were still trying to shake off the AFC Championship game loss to his Kansas City Chiefs, Kelce let Swift know that he thought she belonged with him.

Swift soon became the NFL’s highest-profile fan, and could well be on hand for the Bengals’ visit Sunday to Arrowhead Stadium.

Recycle: Counterfeit concert tickets for "U.S. Bank Arena."

WCPO-TV consumer watchdog John Matarese recently reported a strange concert ticket scam. The Metallica world tour will include August shows at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. That led to ticket counterfeiters offer seats for Cincinnati shows at U.S. Bank Arena.

The heavy metal band isn’t coming here, and the arena has been the Heritage Bank Center for years.

So if you see tickets offered for a Beatles reunion concert at U.S. Bank Arena or Cincinnati Gardens, "don’t waste your money."

Overall Cincinnatus: the Reds’ Nick Krall

What, a member of the Cincinnati Reds front office getting praise? Yes, the club’s president of baseball operations has skillfully turned the team around quickly with a series of trades and a commitment to rebuilding with youth.

While many of his moves the past two years had been painful for Reds fans with the departure of popular players such as Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos, they began seeing the dividends in 2023 as a rookie-laden team competed for a playoff spot.

They fell just short at 82-80. Some fans were frustrated Krall didn’t make any major moves before the trade deadline, but he declined to give up blossoming young players for a veteran rental.

It was still a 20-game improvement from 2022. While the Joey Votto era has apparently ended in Cincinnati, there is suddenly a bright future in the city where professional baseball had its origins.

Dan Sewell is a regular Opinion contributor. Contact him at his personal email: dsewellrojos@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Recognizing the heroes and zeroes of 2023 | Opinion