I can’t say I’ve ever been asked this question. Favorite team, favorite player, favorite baseball card…sure. But favorite baseball season? I had never even thought to answer this unasked question.
But the answer is an easy one for me. 1988. Hands-down, without a 
doubt. This was the first year I really paid attention to baseball. I had been collecting baseball cards for a few years before this, but besides watching a few Reds games on television and in person, I never really took notice of the game as a whole. In 1988 that all changed, with the emergence of some exciting rookies: Ron Gant, Mark Grace, and the eventual Rookie of the Year and still one of my favorite players, Chris Sabo. The excitement of the 1988 season continued in the postseason for me as I watched Kirk Gibson pull off the unthinkable pinch-hit home run off Dennis Eckersley in the World Series as the Dodgers went on to beat the Bash Brothers. I don’t care if you love or hate the Dodgers, that World Series was fun to watch.
The other two seasons that come to mind, but neither comes close to 
1988 in my mind, are 1990 and 2010. 1990 saw the Reds go wire-to-wire, sweeping the Oakland A’s in the World Series behind the bat of Billy Hatcher and the pitching of Jose Rijo. It was a great time to be a Reds fan.
2010 was an exciting year as well, watching Joey Votto rise up as the next superstar produced by the Big Red Machine, seeing Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs endure adversity and mature at the plate, and following the progress of the young pitchers, Mike Leake, Sam LeCure, Matt Maloney, and of course, the Cuban Missile Aroldis Chapman. Yes, the season ended on a sour note due to the manager’s foolish decision to start an injured shortstop in a playoff game, but it was a fun ride.
So what are your favorite baseball seasons, and why?
The Writer's Journey 
1978 is a favorite because it was the first year I really paid attention to the whole season from beginning to end. Lots of memories about particular games that year. It was also the first year I saw a game in person. The season ended badly though for me as a Dodger fan.
1988 was great, too. But I only remember the postseason because I was too busy that year to focus on baseball. I also had a great deal of fun in 1986 (except for the end again). It seemed like EVERYONE loved baseball that year.
Good question.
The blogs are on fire today with another great question… it took me about 30 seconds to come up with my answer. 1989.
The Battle of the Bay or The Bay Bridge Series… whatever you want to call it… it was a classic.
It may have turned friends into enemies… or even broken couples up (my buddy and his high school girlfriend broke up because she teased him too much about the Giants)… but at the same time… it brought a whole community together… turning casual fans into fanatics.
What are the odds that both teams from the San Francisco Bay Area make it to the World Series in the same year… AND a major earthquake takes place on national television. Last, but not least… to top it off… my favorite team (the Oakland A’s) end up winning the World Series by sweeping the San Francisco Giants in four games.
It’s a story I’ll be passing down to future generations… one that would be difficult to believe had I not lived through it myself.
The earthquake was one of those moments in my life where things froze… you know what I’m talking about… it’s where you can remember all of the small details even though it took place over 20 years ago (kind of like watching the planes crash into the World Trade Center).
Honestly… the only thing that will top this World Series is having my two favorite teams face off against each other. However… it’s not likely that the A’s will be facing the Padres anytime soon.