Official Road Trip Stop #15: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH

9/15/2009
Astros 4 @ Reds 5

Well, this one went to the dogs. Literally.

In one of the oddest promotions that I have seen so far, the Cincinnati Reds hosted "Bark at the Park," in which about 500 special "dog tickets" were sold in two sections down the right field line. The only problem for the Reds is that there were almost as many dogs in the stadium as people. And people are important because, well, they spend money.

Nonetheless, the promotion was a lot of fun, and I got a free Reds dog dish for the pooches that I miss back home. There were special dog treats, photo opportunities, and a lookalike contest that made me think I should get my Minnie a little Dodger jersey and enter her as "Minnie Ramirez." Come on now, that's pretty damn clever.

The ballpark itself is really nice, and opened in 2003. I'm a sucker for waterfront settings, and this one is just that, on the Ohio river with a view into the bluegrass of Kentucky. Very, very pretty from the upper deck on a warm late summer night. It is partially on the site of old Riverfront Stadium and located next door to the US Bank Arena, which was hosting a Metallica concert this night (more on that later) and down the street from Paul Brown Stadium where the Bengals occasionally play football when they aren't beating their wives, burglarizing, or driving under the influence.

Cincinnati oozes with baseball history, as the Reds were the first professional baseball team. The Reds always play their season opener at home, as is tradition, and opening day is usually seen as an unofficial holiday in Cincinnati. The Reds, despite being owned by Marge Schott for a time, have always been seen as one of the sports' classiest and well-respected franchises. This is all showcased very, very well in the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum located just outside the ballpark. Outside of the museum is a rose garden marking, appropriately enough, where Pete Rose's 4192nd hit landed in Riverfront Stadium, breaking Ty Cobb's all-time hits mark. Rose may never get into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame, but he is beloved and celebrated here at the Reds Hall of Fame in Cincinnati, and it is well deserved.

Parking is kind of hard to find close to the park, but there are several garages and lots in downtown Cincinnati for a reasonable price, as long as you're willing to walk a bit.


Chili is the specialty in Cincinnati, and they'll put it on just about anything. The food at Great American was OK, but nothing special, and reasonably priced.
The stadium design itself is unique and modern. Its a nice change of pace from the brick and steel that is so common these days. There is a beautiful HD Screen on the scoreboard towering above left field, and a party deck shaped like a Riverboat in center field. There are also a pair of smokestacks that shoot fireworks when the Reds hit a home run or win. In the grandstand, there is a gap between third base and home, allowing fans in the outfield to see some of the downtown Cincinnati skyline. The park celebrates both Reds' baseball and the city of Cincinnati itself, which is a really cool combination to see.

However, it is just too bad that nobody was there to see it. The announced attendance for this game was just over 11, 000, but it was one of those nights when they were very obviously announcing the PAID attendance. The Reds used to be a perennial powerhouse, and in a city that loves Reds baseball as much as Cincinnati does, it is a shame to see such a classy franchise struggle to draw fans. I'm not sure if the problem is economic in Cincinnati, or if fans are just fed up with seeing a mediocre product on the field, but the Reds and their fans deserve better, especially after being accustomed to such great teams as The Big Red Machine and the Nasty Boys. You know that there's a problem when the dogs make more noise than the fans, and when you can CLEARLY HEAR THE METALLICA CONCERT IN THE BUILDING NEXT DOOR. Yes it is late September and the towel is just about thrown in, but it was a gorgeous night on the Ohio River, and baseball was being played. It's a beautiful stadium, but probably isn't worth a return visit until the team gets better and more people start showing up.