Game Notes:
Just after I get done ranting about corporate sponsorship I find myself arriving at the “Great American Ballpark” to catch a game. How “great” is that!? “Wladyka Field” doesn’t have a ring to it but maybe I could name my park the “Awesome United States Field” or something like that, no? Bottom line, the stadium only opened a few years ago and it hasn’t yet given in to corporate sponsorship pressures. Kudos.
PLEASE STRIKE OUT THE LAST PARAGRAPH IN YOUR MINDS. I JUST DID SOME RESEARCH TO MAKE SURE I WASN'T TELLING TALES AND I FOUND OUT THE FIELD IS NAMED AFTER THE GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY. WHATEVER, I'M STILL CALLING MY FIELD "AWESOME UNITED STATES FIELD." GRRRRRRR.
The best part about the Reds’ stadium were the extracurricular activities offered. Most stadiums have areas for kids and lord knows I’ve covered those. Well, the fan activity zones in Cincinnati were geared towards the common fan, both young and old. They had booths for picking up different players’ bats and testing their weight, racing to first base, checking out 6 different grips for different pitches, Nintendo batting and pitching tests and many other activities that kids and adults could both enjoy. Then there was this gem.
Originally I had a great idea worked up where I was going to say how great this quintet was (better than the Planeteers, the Power Rangers and He-Man and friends combined) but then I made a disappointing discovery. So let’s take a quick time out. Can you name every player in this picture? I thought I could. I guessed, from left to right, Paul O’Neil, Barry Larkin, [manager], Chris Sabo and Sammy Sosa. Almost right. It’s not Sammy Sosa but a young Eric Davis. Couldn’t he pass for a pre-steroid Sosa though? I could have sworn Sammy started his career with the Reds. Anyway, the manager is Lou Pinella and this picture was taken during the 1990 title run. Once you put me in there it still is quite the imposing quintet if I do say so myself.
I took a ton of pictures in Cincinnati and limiting myself for this post was a challenge. I don’t want this to become a picture book but at the same time there were so many cool things about the Great American Ballpark! This one had to make the cut, I haven’t seen anything like it in any other park. At each position the Reds had removable 8X11 photos of that day's starter. This isn’t an over the top idea, it’s just something unique and cool about the park that can add to a fan's (aka, me) enjoyment.
I’ve mentioned that there were a lot of things out on the concourse for fans to enjoy and this is the last thing I’ll show you. I really cannot imagine this setup being displayed in a west coast ballpark and certainly never on the east coast.
Continuing on my initial loop of the park I was pretty impressed. The concession concourses were wide open. They had a countdown going for Griffey on his way to 600 home runs. The Park was built on the Ohio River and that provided some nice sight lines looking out from center field (more on that later). During batting practice I got to see some old friends including Freddy Sanchez, Doug Mientkiewicz and Bronson Arroyo. The Reds also have a lot of history going on what with the Big Red Machine and five world championships. Walking around further I noticed there were a lot of ushers all around the stadium. Most of the time there were TWO per section and unless I used my now “go-to” excuse of “I just want to take a few pictures” they didn’t let me into any section of the park save for the upper deck. I was asked to see my ticket no less than 4 times, each of which I was shooed along after snapping a few photos.
The last thing I’ll mention is the National League flags. The Reds had three stanchions (there’s that word again!) with the flags from every National League team in order based on their current divisional standing. Other teams have had similar setups but never so obvious. I think that’s a great idea, especially for season ticket holders who may come to the ballpark every day and can see the changes made. Granted, most season ticket holders are going to be big enough fans of the game that they’ll be up on the standings from day to day but I still think it’s a cool idea!
High Points:
-In direct contrast with Progressive Field there was only one level of luxury seating at the Great American Ballpark and, being a common fan, that resonated.
-The national anthem had a real chance to give the Tampa Bay girl a run for her money but the guy needed to turn up his guitar a little bit. He did a really nice acoustic version but his singing voice was just a hair off and I think he could have “covered his bases” so to speak by turning the guitar up just a smidge. Oh well, he ties Dodgers Stadium for the 2nd best anthem to this point.
-The Reds dugout had its own “bleachers,” if you will. This has nothing to do with me as the common fan but it still looked pretty neat for the players. There were 3 of them in each dugout and the players took full advantage throughout the game.
-There was a restaurant in dead center field that gave fans a very cool perspective on the game. I hear Fenway has installed something similar this year but we haven’t visited there yet so I will refrain from commenting. In Cincinnati they angled and tinted the glass so the batters were not affected, yet patrons still had a fantastic opportunity to catch a game.
-Ken Griffey Jr. has the prettiest swing I’ve ever seen. I watched some BP and it’s just a sight to see. He’s never been mentioned in any steroids conversation and we can only pine for what he may have done should injuries not have got in the way over the last 5-6 years.
-The pregame infield preparation at the Great American Ballpark is the most unique I’ve seen so far. This guy on an ATV spent a solid 10-15 minutes going around and around in overlapping circles. By the end of the exercise he had a very nicely groomed infield but I’m sure he was dizzy as hell!
-The barges pushing gravel down/up the river seemed to fit. Captains of industry are always a high point in my book!
-I’ll put this one last since it’s half a high point and half a low point…the first Reds mascot was named Mr. Redlegs and had a giant baseball head. That’s tradition and I’ve seen him all of my life. Good stuff. Then there was a crazy cartoon character (much like the thing in Cleveland) named Gapper, supposedly for the kids, as a co-mascot. Boo that, I wasn’t a fan.
Low Points:
-A myth dispelled. At every stadium I’ve seen the grounds crew wet the infield down before the game, that’s pretty standard. Also standard is the 5-6 guys it takes to hold the hose for the main guy to wet the whole infield. HOWEVER! At the Great American Ballpark a guy completed the first half of the infield solo! I guess those extra guys just want to look busy??
-The Reds Rally Pack tried to pump up the crowd by jumping around and shooting tee shirts into the stands but for the most part nobody was there! Check this out.
-Not the worst thing in the world and other stadiums have been worse offenders but the Reds still let three “first” pitches be thrown before the game.
-They tried to sneak this one by the fans but I caught it. Many of the food vendors had unique names but for the most part sold the same concessions! Ha…BUSTED!!
-As I’ve mentioned, I’m trying only to get food now when it’s warranted. The Reds offered a “coney dog” which I thought would be like something from Coney Island, New York. Not that I know what they have there but apparently this was Ohio’s take on the coney dog. It came with a small hot dog and bun, mustard, onions, chili, a pound of shredded cheese and I added hot sauce. This thing was disgusting and nobody is better off for eating one of these. Bleck; definitely a low point.
-Tom Gorzelany of the Pirates was given an awful quick hook. He let up 6 runs in 2/3rds innings pitched but I thought he should have at least been allowed to complete the first inning.
-There were a LOT of kids at this game and many of them were shouting to each other in very thick southern accents. I didn’t realize it but Kentucky is just across the river and I’m pretty sure that had something to do with it.
-Many fans showed up late to this game…as late as an hour people were still finding their seats! To me that’s just unacceptable.
For some reason I just end up putting these shots at the end of posts…here’s the full view of the Great American Sellout, I mean Ballpark.
Overall Grade: B+
Game Stats:
Teams: Reds vs. Pirates
Final Score: 9-1 Reds
WP: Bronson Arroyo
LP: Tom Gorzelanny
Time: 2:36
Announced Attendance: 15,797
Ticket Price: $7.00
Parking Price: N/A
Trip Stats:
Home team record: 11-6
Best Anthem: Tropicana Field
Miles Driven: 6954
States Visited: 14
Countries Visited: 2
Beds slept in: 21
Highest Gas PPG: $4.19 [$4.81 if you count Canada]
Next Stop: St. Louis Cardinals
Favorite Park: Petco Park (Padres)
Stadium Grades:
Marlins: D
Rays: B
Braves: B-
Rockies: B+
Mariners: B
Giants: A-
Athletics: C
Angels: B-
Dodgers: B+
Padres: A
Diamondbacks: B
Rangers: B-
Astros: B-
Blue Jays: C
Tigers: A-
Indians: B-
Reds: B+
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