Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

This notion of a fan-friendly Bengals training camp is new only because it's training camp. The team used to practice in front of its fans every day. Of course, down at Spinney Field during the Lost Decade of the 90s, there weren't as many fans, and they weren't as friendly.

They'd stand atop the 8th Street Viaduct and offer their encouragement, as only shattered Bengals fans could. They lobbed wisdom like pipe bombs. It began with "You'' and ended with "suck.'' Occasionally, school buses would rumble across the span. Young scholars would lean out the bus windows, to offer similar encouragement, in unison.

Back then, the viaduct leaked milky, white ooze from its ancient underbelly. If you parked your car beneath the viaduct - and heathen media hacks did just that - you had to be vigilant regarding the ooze. If the stuff landed on your vehicle and was allowed to fester for more than a few hours, it would peel your paint.

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