Gangnam Style has just passed 2 billion views on YouTube. Luis Suarez just bit Giorgio Chiellini. NASA confirmed the presence of water on Mars, and the Marvel Universe was just beginning to gain steam - each of Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ranked among the Top 10 grossing movies worldwide.
We were blissfully unaware of how things would unravel in so many ways back in 2014, especially here in Cincinnati Reds-land. The brilliance and crushing collapse of 2012 was still very fresh in mind, but the club had still won 90 games in 2013 and tied down Joey Votto to a contract that would make him a Red for life, and there was a glimmer of optimism still permeating, even if Dusty Baker had been unceremoniously forced out.