Great American Ball Park
Cincinatti, OH
July 6 and 7, 2013
Seattle Mariners Vs Cincinnati Reds
Huntington Park
Columbus, OH
July 7, 2013
Louisville Bats Vs Columbus Clippers
Day One, Friday, July 5th, Road-trip:
I opened my eyes and blearily looked at the clock on the nightstand. 6:39, AM, was what I saw when I could focus.
"CRAP!!!"
I was supposed to be at Tony's forty minutes ago.
"Why hasn't he called?," I wondered. "Did I sleep through a phone call, as well?"
I jumped out of bed, raced to the living room, grabbed the bags from the floor and ran to get the van packed. Cursing silently to myself, I packed the cooler, with beer, soda, water, ice and some food for the trip, and then got everything stowed away in the back. I ran back inside, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed off for a quick 5 minute shower.
I jumped out of bed, raced to the living room, grabbed the bags from the floor and ran to get the van packed. Cursing silently to myself, I packed the cooler, with beer, soda, water, ice and some food for the trip, and then got everything stowed away in the back. I ran back inside, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed off for a quick 5 minute shower.
After about ten more minutes, I was showered, dressed and ready to wake Ryan to get moving. But first, I needed a refill on the coffee. After all, one of us needed to be fully awake, so we could make sure everything around the house was done. As I refilled my cup, I glanced at the clock on the coffee maker. 5:14 AM...
"What the hell?", I thought.
I rubbed my eyes and did a double take, to make sure I read that right. When I saw the same thing, I went over to the stove and looked at the clock there. 5:14 AM . Not believing what I was seeing, I went back to the bedroom and checked the clock that I first looked at, 5:15 AM.
"Son of a...," I cursed, loud enough to wake the dead.
In the other room, I heard Ryan snort, kick the bed frame and roll over. I apparently either misread the clock, or dreamed the wrong time. Well, nothing to do now, except get another refill, open the computer and wait another 25 minutes to get Ryan up.
"You're a wacko," was my son's response after he got up, showered and we were in the car.
"Be thankful I didn't wake you up, as well, in my sleepy haze," I told him.
"That would NOT have been cool," he informed me, as we pulled up to Tony's house.
A few minutes later, Tony, his son Nick, Ryan and I were in the car, having stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and coffee, and on the road to meet Rob in Harrisburg, Pa.
Now, a brief introductory on our traveling companions would be appropriate. Tony, is one of the guys that has coached baseball, in town, with me for the last few years. His son, Nick, is twelve years old, plays ball, and goes to school with Ryan. The two of them get along very well and you couldn't ask for a more polite kid. When we talked to them last fall about our grand adventure, they both wanted to come this year and helped me plan our trip for this summer.
Rob is a good friend of our family, who Ryan refers to as "Uncle Z," loves baseball and was with us at three of our parks last year (Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park and Camden Yards). He also decided he wanted to take this year's trek in its entirety, and helped pick restaurants and other non-baseball adventures along the way. Since he lives in Virginia, we decided it would be best to meet in Harrisburg, as it's close enough to his house and on our way, leave his car there, and join our "touring group" for the next week.
By 9:30, the five of us were in the van, speeding west, through Pennsylvania towards our first destination, the Cincinnati/Kentucky area. While it is true, our first game was in Cincinnati, we were staying for the first two nights with the Novaks, friends of Tony's family, just across the Ohio River, in Kentucky.
I knew that the first day's journey was going to be the longest. Mapquest had it listed at 12 hours, without traffic, and that's a long time to be in the van. But the kids laughed, joked, played travel games and watched baseball movies ("The Sandlot," "The Sandlot 2" and "*61") while the adults talked and listened to music.
The day went quicker than I imagined; there was one bathroom break, a gas break and a lunch break, as we sped through the lush farmland of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. By 4:30 PM, we were all ready to be at the Novak's and, thankfully, just on the outskirts of Cincinnati. As we skirted the city, the boys got a view of Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Bengals.
"I can't wait to go there, tomorrow," Nick said, in a sleepy tone.
"Me too," was Ryan's response.
"I just want to get out of this car, stretch my legs and have a beer," I told them.
Tony and Rob readily agreed with me.
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the driveway and after Steve came out to meet us, and introductions were made, we all grabbed our gear, stowed it in our sleeping areas and started to "decompress."
A few minutes later, Steve's wife Kelly, came home and we were introduced to her and their son, Joey, who is a friendly boy, roughly the same age as Ryan and Nick, and loves to swim competitively. They also have a daughter, Maria, but she was working and would be home later in the evening.
By this time, the boys were outside, playing wiffle-ball and running around the backyard, while the adults were enjoying some adult beverages and talk that ranged from our trip, to sports in general, to politics, to our pasts. Kelly and Steve had prepared an amazing meal of grilled Portobello mushroom caps, beef tenderloin, potatoes and baked broccoli and cauliflower, which everyone devoured, but not without a little drama. It seems that Steve grows his own peppers, habaneros and ghost chilis, and makes them into a paste which can be spread on foods to enhance the flavor and heat. Now, I love hot and spicy foods and this paste was the perfect complement for the beef, just enough heat and spice to be enjoyable, not too much to be overpowering...for some people. Rob and Tony tried it also, with a mixed result. Rob enjoyed, but thought it was a little too spicy for him. Tony, on the other hand, cried. Now, to be fair, it probably just seemed like he was crying after all, we had consumed a copious amount of beer, but his eyes welled up, the tears started pouring down his face and he turned bright red. Needless to say, he didn't want anymore.
After a wonderful meal, everyone helping to clean up and showers for all, it was time for bed. The boys shared a room, Ryan took the bed and Nick took the floor (they would switch the next night), while Rob got his own room, Tony took the couch and I grabbed a sleeping bag, on what was, possibly, the most comfortable carpet I had ever laid on. No more than five minutes after the lights went out, everyone was fast asleep after a long but fun day. Game One of this year's journey would be Saturday afternoon, at 4 PM.
Day Two, July 6th: Rain, Reds and Ribs:
I was the first one to wake on Saturday morning, to the sound of rain pouring down outside.
"Crap on a cracker," I said to no one in particular.
I was excited to begin this year's trip with a nice summer afternoon/evening at the ballpark, and that looked very doubtful at this point.
Kelly was the next one up, and while we talked, she made the necessary morning beverage...coffee. After a few minutes to caffeinate ourselves, Kelly pulled up the weather report on the computer and said it looked like the storm would be blowing out by lunchtime and we would have a dry afternoon for the game. I wasn't so sure, it looked ugly out there to me, but at least it was something to hope for.
Slowly the house came alive as everyone woke up and all had the same reaction to the rain.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ryan said, shaking his head.
"When is it supposed to end?," Nick asked.
"We're going to be fine," Steve assured us. "They never rain games out, but we might get a little wet, depending on our seat locations."
"Is there any more coffee?," Tony wondered.
I laughed and walked out of the room, to look over what Ry and I had found out about the history of the Reds, before leaving NJ.
Reds History:
The original Red Stockings were founded in 1863 and are said to have become the first professional team in existence by 1869. They are credited to have won 130 consecutive games, between 1869 and 1870, before being defeated by the Brooklyn Athletics.
In 1870 the team decided to dissolve and both the names and some of the players went to Boston, became the Boston Red Stockings, later the Braves, and many years later ended up in Atlanta. At this time, a new Cincinnati Red Stockings joined the new "National League" and played there from 1876-1880, when they were kicked out of the league for selling alcohol at games on Sundays, which the rest of the league had agreed to ban.
In 1881, a third Cincinnati team (which is the direct antecedent of today's Reds) was reborn, using the name Red Stockings, and was one of the first teams in the new American Association, also known as "The Beer and Whiskey League" because they would sell alcohol at games on Sundays. Other teams in this league were the Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates, the Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia Athletics, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, New York Metropolitans, St. Louis Brown Stockings/Browns, and more than a dozen others. At this time, the Reds were known as the Red Stockings, and played their games at Bank Street Grounds and League Park .
Bank Street Grounds, League Park and Palace of the Fans:
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| Palace of the Fans |
Bank Street Grounds was the home park from 1882 until 1883, and was located at the foot of Bank Street and the intersection of McLaren Avenue. After 1883, the club was forced to move from Bank Street Grounds when a rival league, the Union Association's (a one-year wonder) new Cincinnati franchise, bought the lease out from under them.
A new home was found, less than a mile away, and was known as Cincinnati Baseball Grounds/Park, Western Avenue Grounds and American Park, before coming to be known as League Park, beginning in 1890. The park was located in the area of Western Avenue, Findley Street, York Street and McLean Avenue. The first game played here would be in April of 1884, an exhibition game with the Cleveland Blues, while the official Opening Day would be in May of that year, a 10-9 loss to the Columbus Buckeyes. Despite the excitement of Opening Day, the park got off to a poor beginning as a portion of the grandstand collapsed, killing a fan and injuring others. League Park would be the team's home for the next twenty-eight years.
The Red Stockings would win the initial American Association pennant in 1882, behind the hitting of third baseman Hick Carpenter, the defensive prowess of second baseman Bid McPhee and forty-game-winning pitcher Will White. However, they would always finish between second and fifth through the A.A.'s remaining years (until 1889.)
During the 1889 off-season, both the Red Stockings and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms left the American Association over a dispute over who should be the next president. At this time, an upstart league (the Players League) came into being, in an attempt to break the reserve clause, which bound a player to his team for life. The National League, which at the time had teams in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford and a number of other cities, decided to expand and gladly took in the new teams. It was at this time that the Red Stockings shortened their name to Reds, because there was already another Red Stocking team in Boston. Over the remainder of the 1890's the Reds would fill their roster with local talent and older players, but would never rise above third place, and never less than 10.5 games back of whomever was in first place.
In May of 1900, League Park caught fire and the grandstand burned to the ground. The team initially looked at moving to East End Park, but decided to shift the diamond and rebuild a new grandstand. It took a year and a half to demolish and rebuild the new grandstand, but the Reds continued to play their home games during the construction.. When finished, the grandstand was a beautiful sight, fully roofed and one of, if not, the best looking parks in the league. The owners renamed the structure Palace of the Fans, even though everyone else still referred to it as League Park. Today, the park is remembered as the Palace of the Fans, which allows for differentiation of the structures, and the ballpark configurations, before and after the fire.
While the Reds may have had a beautiful new home to play in, the team remained mired in the lower standings of the National League, never recording a season with more than 88 wins or finishing higher than third place (both in 1904). However, there were some high points during the first decade of the Twentieth Century, which included; hitting star Sam Crawford, the first batting title won by a Red (Cy Seymour's .377 in 1905), and Bob Bescher stealing 81 bases in 1911, which still stands as a team record today.
Redland Field; aka, Crosley Field (1934)
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| Crosley Field in the 1960's |
After the 1911 season ownership decided it was time to rebuild Palace of the Fans. The entire seating area of the Palace of the Fans, as well as the remaining portions from League Park were demolished and reconstructed with steel and concrete. There was a double deck, which wrapped around the infield and fell off to a single deck, covered with a roof to the outfield corners.There were bleachers in right field, but none in left or center. All outfield seating was in right and came to be known as the "Sun Deck", or "Moon Deck" when night games came about.
While in existence, (1912-1970), the seating capacity fluctuated between 20,696, between 1912 and 1926, and 30,322, from 1956 to 1963. In its last year of existence, the park would hold 29,488 fans.
The field dimensions changed twice over the years that the ballpark was operational. From 1912 to 1957, Left-Field was 360 feet down the line, 380 feet to the Left-Field alley, 420 to Center, 383 to Right-Center and 360 down the Right-Field line. In the 1957 off-season, the park was reconfigured to the dimensions it would keep until it was closed in 1970: 328 feet down the Left-Field line, 380 to the Left-Field alley, 387 to Center, 383 to Right-Center and 360 feet down the Right-Field line.
Over the years, the park was home to the N.F.L.'s Cincinnati Reds (1933-1934), the A.F.L's Cincinnati Bengals (1937 and 1941-1943) and the Cincinnati Tigers, of the Negro Leagues (1934-1937), as well as the Reds. Other notable events that happened at the ballpark included the Beatles in concert (1966), as well as the Cincinnati Pop Festival, which included groups such as Grand Funk Railroad, Alice Cooper, Bob Seeger, Mott The Hoople, Ten Years After and others, in 1970. A Roy Rogers Rodeo, a Wendell Wilkie political rally and an Ice Capades show were held there as well.
Redland Field opened on April 11, 1912, three days before the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the icy North Atlantic. In this game, the Reds came back from a 5-0 deficit, to defeat the Chicago Cubs, who had been the first and last team at the Palace of the Fans, as well. Despite having a beautiful new home, the Reds continued to struggle on the field, finishing as high as third in 1918 and as low as eighth in 1914. But things would all come together in 1919, or so it seemed for a bit.
In 1919, which was advertised as the team's "Golden Anniversary," the club beat out the New York Giants for the National League pennant, behind the hitting of by Heinie Groh, Jake Daubert, Ivey Wingo and Edd Roush, and the pitching of Hod Eller, who went 19-9 with an E.R.A. of 2.39, and rookie Pat Duncan, who took care of the mound as they took on the Chicago White Sox in the World Series.
The White Sox were one of baseball's elite teams, having won the World Series in 1918over the New York Giants, led by players such as "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Buck Weaver, Hap Felsch, Lefty Williams and Chick Gandil, and manager Kid Gleason the Sox were a formidable foe and expected to take the best-of-nine series rather easily.
Surprisingly, the Reds won in eight games, taking Games 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 from the defending champs, and brought home Cincinnati's first ever World Championship. The revelry was short lived, however, because in 1920 the Sox were accused of having "thrown" the series, in return for monetary payouts from gamblers led by Arnold Rothstein. In the end, eight players (Eddie Cicotte, Oscar "Happy" Felsch, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Charles "Swede" Risberg, George "Buck" Weaver and Claude "Lefty" Williams) were found innocent in court of law, but found guilty in the eyes of baseball commissioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis and banned, forevermore, from baseball. The event would taint the Reds' Championship and forever be known as "The Black Sox Scandal."
The next decade and a half saw a steady decrease in the standings, with the Reds going from second and third place in the early part of the 1920's, to anywhere from fifth to seventh place by 1933. The Reds had decent pitching, with hurlers such as Eppa Rixey, Pete Donohue and Dolph Luque, but the offense could never hold up their end of the bargain. By 1932, the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, the team was bankrupt and the ballpark was falling apart. The franchise was on the verge of dying out when a savior stepped forward and rescued baseball in Cincinnati.
Powel and Lewis Crosley, brothers who made household items, such as radios, refrigerators and washing machines, rescued the team from bankruptcy in 1933 and committed to keeping them in Cincinnati.One of the first decisions was to hire Larry MacPhail as the G.M, who rebuilt the farm system, and reached out to the community in hopes to increase the number of fans attending the games. The rebirth of the Reds was taking place.
By 1935, the ballpark, renamed Crosley Field the year prior, became the first Major League ballpark to play a game at night. America was in the midst of the Great Depression and it was determined that more folks would be willing to come to a night game, as opposed to a day one, when they would be out trying to find work. So, on May 24, President Roosevelt pushed a button in the White House that turned on the lights and the Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies played the first night game in the history of baseball, which the Reds won, 2-1.
The Reds would continue to struggle as the kids on "the farm" continued to mature and after finishing sixth, fifth and eighth, the 1938 team would climbed as high as fourth place, led by N.L. M.V.P., Ernie Lombardi. The next two years would see all the hard work pay off as the team would finish first and go to the World Series twice.
In 1939, the Reds, led by pitchers Johnny Vander Meere who, one year earlier had thrown back-to- back no-hitters (the only player in baseball history to ever do so) and Bucky Walters, as well as outfielders Vince DiMaggio and Al Simmons, the Reds won the National League pennant, and returned to the World Series for the first time since 1919. Unfortunately, they ran into the three-time defending World Series Champion New York Yankees, and were swept in four games. The Reds matched the Yankees in hits, with 27, but were out-homered, seven to none and outscored twenty to eight over the four games.
Despite being swept in 1939, the Reds returned to the World Series in 1940, this time matching up with the Detroit Tigers. It had not been an easy season for Cincinnati, despite winning the N.L. flag. They had to endure long stretches without their All Star catcher, Ernie Lombardi, and on August 3, his backup, Willard Hershberger, committed suicide, after an error cost the Reds a close game against Boston. 40-year-old coach Jimmie Wilson, was forced back into the lineup and was a standout down the stretch.
The Series was a closely contested affair, with the teams splitting the first six games. Detroit won Games 1,3
and 5, while Cincinnati took Games 2, 4 and 6. Game Seven was a tightly contested affair, which had the Tigers leading 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh. The Reds would score two, hold off a late Tigers' charge and win their second World Series Championship, the first they could rightfully claim as "clean."
Though the Reds had climbed the mountain, their stay would be short. The coming of World War Two, and the increasing age of the team took their toll. For the next twenty years, the Reds would finish second once (1943) and third three times (1941, 1944 and 1956), but never any higher than that. There were, however,
some memorable players, such as Joe Nuxhall, who at fifteen, became the youngest player to ever play in a Major League game (a record that still stands) and Ted Kluszewski. Kluszewski, who came up in 1947 and played ten years for the Reds, was famous for being so big and strong (6'2, 240) that his uniform couldn't
hold the size of his upper body, so he cut the sleeves of his jersey off. The Reds' front office was none too happy, but they were not about to argue with a man who would become synonymous with power and strength, and brought fans out to the ballpark in droves. Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher was once asked to name the five strongest men in baseball, and when he left "Big Klu" off the list, he said it was because he was listing "human beings and there is no way he's human, with his strength." Kluszewski would lead the N.L. in home runs in 1954, as well be named to the All-Star team from 1953-1956, and is the last player to have hit more than 40 HRs and strike out less than 40 times in a season. He would eventually be immortalized in the Reds' Hall of Fame.
Another "memorable" aspect of this time period was the fact that for a five year period, beginning in 1953, the Reds changed their name. America, in the early 1950's, would be going through a period of hyper-sensitivity to accusations of communism. Senator Joe McCarthy would lead "witch hunts" to root out communists across the country, and the mass hysteria did not escape those in Cincinnati who changed the name of the team to the Redlegs, so as not to be associated with the "communist menace." Thankfully, this was reversed by 1959 and the team went back to being the Reds.
The Reds' fortunes began to turn in 1956 with the call-up of Frank Robinson, who would play in 152 games, collect 166 hits, 27 doubles, 6 triples, 38 home runs, drive in 83 runs, score 122 times and win the National
League's Rookie of the Year. Robinson would play ten seasons for the Reds (1956-1965) and be the club's on and off-field leader. It's no coincidence that his arrival started a renaissance of sorts, and as the team surrounded him with talented players such as Vada Pinson, Wally Post, Joey Jay, Jim O'Toole and Gordy Coleman, the Reds would once again find themselves in the World Series in 1961.
The 1961 season started with the unexpected death of Reds' owner Powell Crosle, on March 28th. Mr. Crosley would always be remembered as the man who saved the Reds, in the 1930's, and kept them in Cincinnati. Today, the main street outside the Reds' new home, Great American Ball Park, bears his name, "Crosley Way."
During this tumultous season, the Reds, led by Frank Robinson's M.V.P. season (.323 average, 176 hits, 32 doubles, 7 triples, 37 HR's and 124 RBI's), went 93-61. They held off the Dodgers and the Giants, both of whom had moved to California after the 1957 season, to reach the World Series. The Reds came in riding high, looking to shock the New York Yankees, who had run away with the American League pennant with a record of 109-53.
Unfortunately for the Reds, this was no regular Yankees' team. In 1961, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris would wage war all summer long against Babe Ruth's home run record. Maris would eventually go on to hit 61, as Mantle fell "short" with 54, but what people tend to forget is that both Mantle and Maris were surrounded by talented players with names like Berra, Ford, Howard, Turley, Blanchard, Boyer, Kubeck, Richardson, Skowron and Tresh. These Yankees were a machine, and the Series showed it. The Yanks won Game 1, 2-0, but the Reds came back to take Game 2, 6-3, behind the brilliant pitching of Joey Jay. After that, however, it was all Yankees, who took the series four games to one, and outscored Cincinnati 29-12 in the five games.
A few months after the series ended, team general manager Bill DeWitt would purchase the Reds from the Crosley estate. The team would contend for a few more years, but would continue to slide backwards, finishing second, third, fourth and fifth, before the bottom would fall out, when DeWitt made one of the worst trades in baseball history.
After the 1965 season, DeWitt would send Frank Robinson to Baltimore in exchange for pitcher Milt Papas. DeWitt would defend the trade by saying Robinson was an "old thirty" in reference to his age. That first year, 1966, Robinson would go on to win the Triple Crown and the A.L. M.V.P., while Baltimore would it's first World Series title, with the Reds finishing 76-84, in 7th place.
During the decade of the 1960's, the Reds' farm system would start to churn out players that would become mainstays in Cincinnati for years to come, and help lead the team back to the top of the standings in the 1970's. Between 1963 and 1970, future stars, such as Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Bernie Carbo, Dave Concepcion, Tommy Helms, Hal McRea, Gary Nolan and Lee May all came up through the Reds' system. Rose would win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, Helms in '66, Bench in '68 and Perez would be the All-Star Game M.V.P. in 1967. The future of the team was bright, but would it be staying in Cincinnati?
In 1966, Bill DeWitt sold the Reds to Francis Dale, a Cincinnati newspaper publisher. Dale had decided that Crosley Field was outdated and the team needed a new ballpark to stay relevant. He used that leverage to threaten a move to San Diego, until the city Cincinnati, and Hamilton County, agreed to build a state-of-the-art stadium on the banks of the Ohio River. In exchange, the Reds signed a lease, which would keep the team in Cincinnati for the next thirty years. The ballpark would open in 1970.
While in existence, (1912-1970), the seating capacity fluctuated between 20,696, between 1912 and 1926, and 30,322, from 1956 to 1963. In its last year of existence, the park would hold 29,488 fans.
The field dimensions changed twice over the years that the ballpark was operational. From 1912 to 1957, Left-Field was 360 feet down the line, 380 feet to the Left-Field alley, 420 to Center, 383 to Right-Center and 360 down the Right-Field line. In the 1957 off-season, the park was reconfigured to the dimensions it would keep until it was closed in 1970: 328 feet down the Left-Field line, 380 to the Left-Field alley, 387 to Center, 383 to Right-Center and 360 feet down the Right-Field line.
Over the years, the park was home to the N.F.L.'s Cincinnati Reds (1933-1934), the A.F.L's Cincinnati Bengals (1937 and 1941-1943) and the Cincinnati Tigers, of the Negro Leagues (1934-1937), as well as the Reds. Other notable events that happened at the ballpark included the Beatles in concert (1966), as well as the Cincinnati Pop Festival, which included groups such as Grand Funk Railroad, Alice Cooper, Bob Seeger, Mott The Hoople, Ten Years After and others, in 1970. A Roy Rogers Rodeo, a Wendell Wilkie political rally and an Ice Capades show were held there as well.
Redland Field opened on April 11, 1912, three days before the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the icy North Atlantic. In this game, the Reds came back from a 5-0 deficit, to defeat the Chicago Cubs, who had been the first and last team at the Palace of the Fans, as well. Despite having a beautiful new home, the Reds continued to struggle on the field, finishing as high as third in 1918 and as low as eighth in 1914. But things would all come together in 1919, or so it seemed for a bit.
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| 1919 World Champion Reds |
The White Sox were one of baseball's elite teams, having won the World Series in 1918over the New York Giants, led by players such as "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Buck Weaver, Hap Felsch, Lefty Williams and Chick Gandil, and manager Kid Gleason the Sox were a formidable foe and expected to take the best-of-nine series rather easily.
Surprisingly, the Reds won in eight games, taking Games 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 from the defending champs, and brought home Cincinnati's first ever World Championship. The revelry was short lived, however, because in 1920 the Sox were accused of having "thrown" the series, in return for monetary payouts from gamblers led by Arnold Rothstein. In the end, eight players (Eddie Cicotte, Oscar "Happy" Felsch, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Charles "Swede" Risberg, George "Buck" Weaver and Claude "Lefty" Williams) were found innocent in court of law, but found guilty in the eyes of baseball commissioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis and banned, forevermore, from baseball. The event would taint the Reds' Championship and forever be known as "The Black Sox Scandal."
The next decade and a half saw a steady decrease in the standings, with the Reds going from second and third place in the early part of the 1920's, to anywhere from fifth to seventh place by 1933. The Reds had decent pitching, with hurlers such as Eppa Rixey, Pete Donohue and Dolph Luque, but the offense could never hold up their end of the bargain. By 1932, the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, the team was bankrupt and the ballpark was falling apart. The franchise was on the verge of dying out when a savior stepped forward and rescued baseball in Cincinnati.
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| Powel Crosley |
By 1935, the ballpark, renamed Crosley Field the year prior, became the first Major League ballpark to play a game at night. America was in the midst of the Great Depression and it was determined that more folks would be willing to come to a night game, as opposed to a day one, when they would be out trying to find work. So, on May 24, President Roosevelt pushed a button in the White House that turned on the lights and the Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies played the first night game in the history of baseball, which the Reds won, 2-1.
The Reds would continue to struggle as the kids on "the farm" continued to mature and after finishing sixth, fifth and eighth, the 1938 team would climbed as high as fourth place, led by N.L. M.V.P., Ernie Lombardi. The next two years would see all the hard work pay off as the team would finish first and go to the World Series twice.
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| A feat never duplicated |
Despite being swept in 1939, the Reds returned to the World Series in 1940, this time matching up with the Detroit Tigers. It had not been an easy season for Cincinnati, despite winning the N.L. flag. They had to endure long stretches without their All Star catcher, Ernie Lombardi, and on August 3, his backup, Willard Hershberger, committed suicide, after an error cost the Reds a close game against Boston. 40-year-old coach Jimmie Wilson, was forced back into the lineup and was a standout down the stretch.
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| 1940 World Champions |
and 5, while Cincinnati took Games 2, 4 and 6. Game Seven was a tightly contested affair, which had the Tigers leading 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh. The Reds would score two, hold off a late Tigers' charge and win their second World Series Championship, the first they could rightfully claim as "clean."
Though the Reds had climbed the mountain, their stay would be short. The coming of World War Two, and the increasing age of the team took their toll. For the next twenty years, the Reds would finish second once (1943) and third three times (1941, 1944 and 1956), but never any higher than that. There were, however,
some memorable players, such as Joe Nuxhall, who at fifteen, became the youngest player to ever play in a Major League game (a record that still stands) and Ted Kluszewski. Kluszewski, who came up in 1947 and played ten years for the Reds, was famous for being so big and strong (6'2, 240) that his uniform couldn't
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| Ted Kluszewski |
Another "memorable" aspect of this time period was the fact that for a five year period, beginning in 1953, the Reds changed their name. America, in the early 1950's, would be going through a period of hyper-sensitivity to accusations of communism. Senator Joe McCarthy would lead "witch hunts" to root out communists across the country, and the mass hysteria did not escape those in Cincinnati who changed the name of the team to the Redlegs, so as not to be associated with the "communist menace." Thankfully, this was reversed by 1959 and the team went back to being the Reds.
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| Frank Robinson |
League's Rookie of the Year. Robinson would play ten seasons for the Reds (1956-1965) and be the club's on and off-field leader. It's no coincidence that his arrival started a renaissance of sorts, and as the team surrounded him with talented players such as Vada Pinson, Wally Post, Joey Jay, Jim O'Toole and Gordy Coleman, the Reds would once again find themselves in the World Series in 1961.
The 1961 season started with the unexpected death of Reds' owner Powell Crosle, on March 28th. Mr. Crosley would always be remembered as the man who saved the Reds, in the 1930's, and kept them in Cincinnati. Today, the main street outside the Reds' new home, Great American Ball Park, bears his name, "Crosley Way."
During this tumultous season, the Reds, led by Frank Robinson's M.V.P. season (.323 average, 176 hits, 32 doubles, 7 triples, 37 HR's and 124 RBI's), went 93-61. They held off the Dodgers and the Giants, both of whom had moved to California after the 1957 season, to reach the World Series. The Reds came in riding high, looking to shock the New York Yankees, who had run away with the American League pennant with a record of 109-53.
Unfortunately for the Reds, this was no regular Yankees' team. In 1961, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris would wage war all summer long against Babe Ruth's home run record. Maris would eventually go on to hit 61, as Mantle fell "short" with 54, but what people tend to forget is that both Mantle and Maris were surrounded by talented players with names like Berra, Ford, Howard, Turley, Blanchard, Boyer, Kubeck, Richardson, Skowron and Tresh. These Yankees were a machine, and the Series showed it. The Yanks won Game 1, 2-0, but the Reds came back to take Game 2, 6-3, behind the brilliant pitching of Joey Jay. After that, however, it was all Yankees, who took the series four games to one, and outscored Cincinnati 29-12 in the five games.
A few months after the series ended, team general manager Bill DeWitt would purchase the Reds from the Crosley estate. The team would contend for a few more years, but would continue to slide backwards, finishing second, third, fourth and fifth, before the bottom would fall out, when DeWitt made one of the worst trades in baseball history.
After the 1965 season, DeWitt would send Frank Robinson to Baltimore in exchange for pitcher Milt Papas. DeWitt would defend the trade by saying Robinson was an "old thirty" in reference to his age. That first year, 1966, Robinson would go on to win the Triple Crown and the A.L. M.V.P., while Baltimore would it's first World Series title, with the Reds finishing 76-84, in 7th place.
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| Young Pete Rose |
In 1966, Bill DeWitt sold the Reds to Francis Dale, a Cincinnati newspaper publisher. Dale had decided that Crosley Field was outdated and the team needed a new ballpark to stay relevant. He used that leverage to threaten a move to San Diego, until the city Cincinnati, and Hamilton County, agreed to build a state-of-the-art stadium on the banks of the Ohio River. In exchange, the Reds signed a lease, which would keep the team in Cincinnati for the next thirty years. The ballpark would open in 1970.
A New Decade, Riverfront Stadium and a New Baseball Dynasty
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| Riverfront Stadium, 1974 |
As the 1970's dawned, the Reds hired George "Sparky" Anderson to manage the team. Led by Bench, Rose, May, Concepcion, and Perez, complemented by youngsters Pedro Borboun and Don Gullett and veteran Tony Cloninger, the Reds won 70 of their first 100 games, to jump out in front of the National League West. On June 24th, the Reds defeated the San Francisco Giants, 5-4, in the last ever game at Crosley Field, six days later a new era in Reds' baseball would begin at Riverfront Stadium.
Right before the All-Star Break in 1970, June 30th, the Reds opened their new ballpark, Riverfront Stadium, with a game against the Atlanta Braves. The Reds lost the game, 8-2, and Hank Aaron hit the first home run in the stadium's history. Two weeks later, on July 14, Riverfront hosted its first All-Star Game, which will be remembered for Pete Rose barreling over American League catcher, Ray Fosse breaking his collar bone and ruining his career.
Riverfront Stadium was one of the many multi-purpose stadiums built in the 1960's and '70's. These types of stadiums have become known as "cookie cutters", because of the fact they all look the same and could house multiple sporting events. In Cincinnati, the stadium would be the home of the Reds (1970-2003), the N.F.L.'s Bengals (1970-1999) and the N.C.A.A.'s Cincinnati Bearcats. It also hosted The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and other concerts, as well as religious gatherings of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Promise Keepers. It was also believed that second base occupied the spot of the boyhood home of Roy Rogers, the great "singing cowboy".
Built as a multi-purpose stadium, Riverfront could hold 52,952 for baseball and 59,754 for football. The field was Astro Turf, so it would hold up against the constant pounding from two sports, and the stadium was owned and operated by the city of Cincinnati. The baseball configuration, from 1970-2000, was 330 to Left Field, 375 to Left-center, 404 to straightaway Center, 375 to Right-center and 330 to left. From 2001-2002, the dimensions were adjusted to 325 to Left Field, 370 to Left-center, 393 to Center, 373 to Right-center and 330 to Right.
During the 1970 season, the Reds would win the National League West and sweep the Pirates, in three games, for the pennant. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas by the time they reached the World Series, losing to the Orioles in 5 games.
1971 was a disastrous season from beginning to end, as the Reds would record the only season in the 1970's that they would finish below .500. However, some key moves were made during the year, and in the off-season, which would bring in players such as George Foster, Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, Ed Armbrister and Jack Billingham, who would all contribute to the "Big Red Machine" that was being assembled.
The Reds again won the N.L. West in 1972, but lost to the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series, and then won 98 games in 1974, only to lose the division to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This, however, only set the table for what was to come in 1975 and 1976.
The 1975 team started out slow, and was behind the Dodgers in May when Sparky Anderson made a bold decision to move Pete Rose from the outfield to third base, and put George Foster in the outfield. This sparked the Reds into winning 41 of their next 50 games, and going a month without committing an error in the field. By the end of the season, the Reds would compile 108 wins, take the N.L. West flag by twenty games over the Dodgers, and sweep the Pirates in the Championship Series. This would put them back into the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. It is this series that is considered by many, to be the best ever played.
Game One was a scoreless affair between Louis Tiant and Don Gullett, before the Red Sox scored six runs in the seventh, to win the game. Cincinnati took a two-games-to-one lead by winning Games Two and Three by scores of 3-2 and 6-5 (in ten innings). Boston countered with a 5-4 win in Game Four, to tie the series, while Cincinnati took Game 5, 6-2, setting up a series clinching game in Boston. Then, the rains came and when the series finally resumed, four days later, the country was treated to an epic battle.
Louis Tiant started for the Sox, who scored three in the bottom of the first on a Fred Lynn three-run home run. Ken Griffey's two-run triple and Johnny Bench's run-scoring single would tie the game in the fifth, and George Foster's two run double in the seventh would put the Reds up, 5-3. An inning later, Cesar Geronimo would hit a solo homer to pad the lead for the Reds.
In the bottom of the eighth, Boston fought back. Fred Lynn singled, and Rico Petrocelli walked to bring the tying run to the plate, but Dwight Evens struck out and Burleson lined out to put the Reds one out away from a championship. Boston manager John McNamara's decision to pinch-hit Bernie Carbo paid off when Carbo smacked a game-tying three-run homer to center. After a scoreless ninth, tenth, eleventh and top of the twelfth, the stage was set for another dramatic moment.
New England native, and Red Sox fan favorite, Carlton Fisk led off the inning. After watching the first pitch
be called a ball, Fisk swung and drove the ball deep down the left field line. It had the distance, but no one was sure the ball would stay fair. As he hopped down the first base line, Fisk frantically waived the ball back towards the Green Monster side of the foul pole. When the ball clanked off the pole, the Red Sox had dramatically won the game, and tied the series, setting up a decisive Game 7 the next night.
Boston would open the scoring with three runs in the third, but the Reds would come back to tie the game, with two in the sixth and one in the seventh. In the top of the ninth, the Reds scored the series winning run, on a Joe Morgan bloop single to center. The Reds had outlasted the Sox, in a series that Pete Rose would call; "the most fun baseball I have ever played."
1976 saw the "Big Red Machine" follow up by winning the N.L. West by "only" ten games over the Dodgers, then sweep the National League Championship Series over the Phillies, and return to the World Series, facing the New York Yankees.
The Yankees, returning to the post-season for the first time since 1964 and riding high on a dramatic,
bottom-of-the-ninth, pennant-winning home run off the bat of Chris Chambliss, were thoroughly outclassed by the Reds. Cincinnati took the series in a four-game sweep, outscoring New York 22-8, winning their second straight World Series.
Though many predicted a dynastic run for the "Big Red Machine," the 1976 World Series was the last they would win. In the off-season, before 1977, Tony Perez was traded to Montreal, Rawley Eastwick was sent to St. Louis, Gary Nolan to the Angels and Mike Caldwell to Milwaukee, while Don Gullet left via free agency. The Reds did acquire Mets' ace Tom Seaver in a trade that rocked the baseball world, but it was not enough to compensate and the Reds finished second in the N.L. West for two years.
There was some excitement during the summer of 1978, as Pete Rose challenged Joe DiMaggio's 56- game hitting streak, but was stopped at 44. However, that too was blunted when Anderson was fired and Rose bolted for Philadelphia after the 1978 season. The Reds were officially on a down swing.
The decade of the 1980's was tough on the fans in Cincinnati. The team would alternate between being bad (fifth/sixth place finishes in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1989) and just missing out on the N.L.West flag (second place finishes from 1985-1988). Some of the bright spots were All-Star Game M.V.P.'s for Ken Griffey (1980) and Dave Concepcion (1982), the return of Pete Rose as a player/manager (1984-1986 then just manager until 1988), who then became M.L.B's all-time hit leader (passing Ty Cobb), Tom Browing throwing a perfect game, and Chris Sabo winning Rookie of the Year in 1988.
Despite all of the above-listed accomplishments, one issue overshadowed the franchise and remains a blemish to this day. On August 30, 1988, Rose came out to vehemently argue a call made against the Reds. In the process, he physically shoved umpire Dave Pallone. National League President, Bart Giamatti suspended Rose for thirty days, essentially the remainder of the season. If that wasn't enough, reports had been circulated that there was evidence Rose had bet on Reds' games while managing the team. Rose vehemently denied the allegations, and the case was dropped when Commissioner Peter Ueberroth vacated the office. However, when the new commissioner (Bart Giammatti) was appointed, he found sufficient evidence to reopen the case.
Tommy Helms would manage the Reds during Rose's absence and over the course of the 1989 season, M.L.B. did a thorough investigation, which culminated in Rose voluntarily accepting a place on baseball's ineligible list. According to the rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year, but the commissioner stated, "There is absolutely no deal for reinstatement. That is exactly what we did not agree to in terms of a fixed number of years." To this day, Pete Rose is banished from the game he loved.
As the decade of the 1990's opened, the Reds had a new manager, Lou Piniella, and surprised the baseball world by leading the National League West from the first day of the season to the last. Led by shortstop Barry Larkin, outfielders Paul O'Neal and Eric Davis, third baseman Chris Sabo and a bullpen full of "Nasty Boys" (Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Meyers), the Reds went 91-71 and defeated the Pirates, en route to meeting the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series.
As shocking as the regular season was, no one was prepared for the Reds sweeping the American League
Champions in the World Series. The A's were the defending World Champions, the two-time defending American League Champions and were heavily favored. Players such as Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Walt Weiss, Willie McGee, Dennis Eckersley and Dave Stewart, were supposed to put down the upstart Reds quickly. It was the Reds, however, that turned the tables, winning Game One 7-0 and never looking back. Once again, the Reds were on top of the baseball world. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last.
In 1992, the Reds slipped to fifth place, but rebounded in 1993 to come in second. This up and down type of season would plague the Reds for the next few years. Eric Davis was sent to Los Angeles after the 1991 season and Paul O'Neill was sent to the Yankees after 1992. Piniella was replaced by Dave Concepcion for 1993, but he only lasted 44 games, before being replaced by Davey Johnson for the rest of the year. In 1994, the Reds were in first place in August, when a strike shut down the season and eventually caused the cancellation of the World Series.
1995 saw the Reds finish first in the N.L. Central, led by N.L. M.V.P. Barry Larkin, but they were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in the first ever divisional series. In 1996, owner Marge Schott announced that regardless of where the Reds finished, Johnson would be replaced, as manager, by third baseman Ray Knight, at the end of the season. Schott apparently did not like the fact that Johnson was living with his finace before they got married. Knight didn't last two full seasons, as the Reds fell in the standings, and was replaced by Jack McKeon for the 1999 season. The Reds won 96 games in '99, but lost a one-game playoff to the New York Mets. Earlier in the year, Schott sold the team to Cincinnati businessman Carl Linder. In 2000, the Reds finished 85-77, and McKeon won National League Manager of the Year, but he was let go after the season. It would be the last winning season for the next ten years.
During the turbulent 1990's, it was determined that Riverfront Stadium, renamed Cinergy Field in 1996, needed to be replaced. A one-half percent sales tax was approved to fund the construction of a new ballpark for the Reds and a new stadium for the Bengals, who had shared Riverfront since 1970. Paul Brown Stadium, for the Bengals, was started first and completed in 2003. The Reds new ballpark had a groundbreaking ceremony in 2000 and would take three years to complete.
The new ballpark, which would be named Great American Ball Park, would be built on an area called "The Wedge" on the waterfront of the Ohio River. The park was named after the insurance company of the same moniker, which was chaired by former owner Carl Linder. The original address was supposed to be 100 Main Street, Cincinnati, but after the death of former player/broadcaster Joe Nuxhall, it was changed to 100 Joe Nuxhall Way. To honor one of the Reds' original homes, Crosley Field, statues of former players Nuxhall (pitching), Ernie Lombardi (catching), outfielder Ted Kluszewski and Frank Robinson are arranged, at the home plate entrance, playing an imaginary game. The Reds Hall of Fame is located outside the Home Plate Gate, and is adjacent to the ballpark. Cinergy Field was demolished in December, 2002 and the Reds opened up Great American Ball Park in March of 2003.
On March 31, 2003, the Reds, led by hometown boy Ken Griffey, Jr., opened their new home with high expectations. Unfortunately, the Pirates ruined the day, defeating Cincinnati, 10-1. The Reds didn't fare much better the rest of the year, finishing 69-93, for fifth place in the N.L. Central. The next few years weren't much better to the Reds, as Schott had let the farm system go ignored and there wasn't much talent in the pipeline. Despite the hard work of players Ken Griffey, Jr. who would hit his 500th home run in a Reds' uniform, Sean Casey, and Adam Dunn, the team struggled. Managers also came and went during this time frame, as McKeon gave way to Bob Boone, who lasted from 2001-2003, who was fired for Dave Miley, from 2003-2005, who was removed in favor of Jerry Narron, from 2005-2007, when he was let go, for Pete Mackanin, who was finally replaced in favor of Dusty Baker, who holds the job today.
It's no wonder that the Reds had trouble reaching the .500 mark during the days of the managerial carousel, but the hiring of Dusty Baker provided the team with stability and the opportunity to grow. In 2010, led by N.L. MVP Joey Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips and third baseman Scott Rolen, the Reds won 91 games, and the N.L. Central title. Unfortunately, a week later they became only the second team to ever be no-hit in the playoffs, (by Roy Halladay), and were swept by the Phillies in three games.
2011 was a disappointing year as the Reds finished with only 79 wins, but they were decimated by injuries and the starting pitching was bad, at best. They did rebound in 2012, finishing with 97 wins and setting up a first-round playoff match-up with the San Francisco Giants. The Reds jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but then fell apart after coming home, and lost the series in five games.
As July of 2013 approached, the Reds were right in the thick of the N.L. Central race, and on July 2nd, Homer Bailey became the third Reds' pitcher to throw a second career no-hitter, shutting out the Giants, 3-0. At this point, we were very excited to be heading to the ballpark.
Right before the All-Star Break in 1970, June 30th, the Reds opened their new ballpark, Riverfront Stadium, with a game against the Atlanta Braves. The Reds lost the game, 8-2, and Hank Aaron hit the first home run in the stadium's history. Two weeks later, on July 14, Riverfront hosted its first All-Star Game, which will be remembered for Pete Rose barreling over American League catcher, Ray Fosse breaking his collar bone and ruining his career.
Riverfront Stadium was one of the many multi-purpose stadiums built in the 1960's and '70's. These types of stadiums have become known as "cookie cutters", because of the fact they all look the same and could house multiple sporting events. In Cincinnati, the stadium would be the home of the Reds (1970-2003), the N.F.L.'s Bengals (1970-1999) and the N.C.A.A.'s Cincinnati Bearcats. It also hosted The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and other concerts, as well as religious gatherings of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Promise Keepers. It was also believed that second base occupied the spot of the boyhood home of Roy Rogers, the great "singing cowboy".
Built as a multi-purpose stadium, Riverfront could hold 52,952 for baseball and 59,754 for football. The field was Astro Turf, so it would hold up against the constant pounding from two sports, and the stadium was owned and operated by the city of Cincinnati. The baseball configuration, from 1970-2000, was 330 to Left Field, 375 to Left-center, 404 to straightaway Center, 375 to Right-center and 330 to left. From 2001-2002, the dimensions were adjusted to 325 to Left Field, 370 to Left-center, 393 to Center, 373 to Right-center and 330 to Right.
During the 1970 season, the Reds would win the National League West and sweep the Pirates, in three games, for the pennant. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas by the time they reached the World Series, losing to the Orioles in 5 games.
1971 was a disastrous season from beginning to end, as the Reds would record the only season in the 1970's that they would finish below .500. However, some key moves were made during the year, and in the off-season, which would bring in players such as George Foster, Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, Ed Armbrister and Jack Billingham, who would all contribute to the "Big Red Machine" that was being assembled.
The Reds again won the N.L. West in 1972, but lost to the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series, and then won 98 games in 1974, only to lose the division to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This, however, only set the table for what was to come in 1975 and 1976.
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| The Big Red Machine mural |
Game One was a scoreless affair between Louis Tiant and Don Gullett, before the Red Sox scored six runs in the seventh, to win the game. Cincinnati took a two-games-to-one lead by winning Games Two and Three by scores of 3-2 and 6-5 (in ten innings). Boston countered with a 5-4 win in Game Four, to tie the series, while Cincinnati took Game 5, 6-2, setting up a series clinching game in Boston. Then, the rains came and when the series finally resumed, four days later, the country was treated to an epic battle.
Louis Tiant started for the Sox, who scored three in the bottom of the first on a Fred Lynn three-run home run. Ken Griffey's two-run triple and Johnny Bench's run-scoring single would tie the game in the fifth, and George Foster's two run double in the seventh would put the Reds up, 5-3. An inning later, Cesar Geronimo would hit a solo homer to pad the lead for the Reds.
In the bottom of the eighth, Boston fought back. Fred Lynn singled, and Rico Petrocelli walked to bring the tying run to the plate, but Dwight Evens struck out and Burleson lined out to put the Reds one out away from a championship. Boston manager John McNamara's decision to pinch-hit Bernie Carbo paid off when Carbo smacked a game-tying three-run homer to center. After a scoreless ninth, tenth, eleventh and top of the twelfth, the stage was set for another dramatic moment.
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| Fisk waves it fair |
New England native, and Red Sox fan favorite, Carlton Fisk led off the inning. After watching the first pitch
be called a ball, Fisk swung and drove the ball deep down the left field line. It had the distance, but no one was sure the ball would stay fair. As he hopped down the first base line, Fisk frantically waived the ball back towards the Green Monster side of the foul pole. When the ball clanked off the pole, the Red Sox had dramatically won the game, and tied the series, setting up a decisive Game 7 the next night.
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| Reds win an historic World Series |
Boston would open the scoring with three runs in the third, but the Reds would come back to tie the game, with two in the sixth and one in the seventh. In the top of the ninth, the Reds scored the series winning run, on a Joe Morgan bloop single to center. The Reds had outlasted the Sox, in a series that Pete Rose would call; "the most fun baseball I have ever played."
1976 saw the "Big Red Machine" follow up by winning the N.L. West by "only" ten games over the Dodgers, then sweep the National League Championship Series over the Phillies, and return to the World Series, facing the New York Yankees.
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| Back to back World Series Champs |
bottom-of-the-ninth, pennant-winning home run off the bat of Chris Chambliss, were thoroughly outclassed by the Reds. Cincinnati took the series in a four-game sweep, outscoring New York 22-8, winning their second straight World Series.
Though many predicted a dynastic run for the "Big Red Machine," the 1976 World Series was the last they would win. In the off-season, before 1977, Tony Perez was traded to Montreal, Rawley Eastwick was sent to St. Louis, Gary Nolan to the Angels and Mike Caldwell to Milwaukee, while Don Gullet left via free agency. The Reds did acquire Mets' ace Tom Seaver in a trade that rocked the baseball world, but it was not enough to compensate and the Reds finished second in the N.L. West for two years.
There was some excitement during the summer of 1978, as Pete Rose challenged Joe DiMaggio's 56- game hitting streak, but was stopped at 44. However, that too was blunted when Anderson was fired and Rose bolted for Philadelphia after the 1978 season. The Reds were officially on a down swing.
The decade of the 1980's was tough on the fans in Cincinnati. The team would alternate between being bad (fifth/sixth place finishes in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1989) and just missing out on the N.L.West flag (second place finishes from 1985-1988). Some of the bright spots were All-Star Game M.V.P.'s for Ken Griffey (1980) and Dave Concepcion (1982), the return of Pete Rose as a player/manager (1984-1986 then just manager until 1988), who then became M.L.B's all-time hit leader (passing Ty Cobb), Tom Browing throwing a perfect game, and Chris Sabo winning Rookie of the Year in 1988.
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| BANNED! |
Tommy Helms would manage the Reds during Rose's absence and over the course of the 1989 season, M.L.B. did a thorough investigation, which culminated in Rose voluntarily accepting a place on baseball's ineligible list. According to the rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year, but the commissioner stated, "There is absolutely no deal for reinstatement. That is exactly what we did not agree to in terms of a fixed number of years." To this day, Pete Rose is banished from the game he loved.
As the decade of the 1990's opened, the Reds had a new manager, Lou Piniella, and surprised the baseball world by leading the National League West from the first day of the season to the last. Led by shortstop Barry Larkin, outfielders Paul O'Neal and Eric Davis, third baseman Chris Sabo and a bullpen full of "Nasty Boys" (Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Meyers), the Reds went 91-71 and defeated the Pirates, en route to meeting the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series.
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| 1990 World Champs |
Champions in the World Series. The A's were the defending World Champions, the two-time defending American League Champions and were heavily favored. Players such as Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Walt Weiss, Willie McGee, Dennis Eckersley and Dave Stewart, were supposed to put down the upstart Reds quickly. It was the Reds, however, that turned the tables, winning Game One 7-0 and never looking back. Once again, the Reds were on top of the baseball world. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last.
In 1992, the Reds slipped to fifth place, but rebounded in 1993 to come in second. This up and down type of season would plague the Reds for the next few years. Eric Davis was sent to Los Angeles after the 1991 season and Paul O'Neill was sent to the Yankees after 1992. Piniella was replaced by Dave Concepcion for 1993, but he only lasted 44 games, before being replaced by Davey Johnson for the rest of the year. In 1994, the Reds were in first place in August, when a strike shut down the season and eventually caused the cancellation of the World Series.
1995 saw the Reds finish first in the N.L. Central, led by N.L. M.V.P. Barry Larkin, but they were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in the first ever divisional series. In 1996, owner Marge Schott announced that regardless of where the Reds finished, Johnson would be replaced, as manager, by third baseman Ray Knight, at the end of the season. Schott apparently did not like the fact that Johnson was living with his finace before they got married. Knight didn't last two full seasons, as the Reds fell in the standings, and was replaced by Jack McKeon for the 1999 season. The Reds won 96 games in '99, but lost a one-game playoff to the New York Mets. Earlier in the year, Schott sold the team to Cincinnati businessman Carl Linder. In 2000, the Reds finished 85-77, and McKeon won National League Manager of the Year, but he was let go after the season. It would be the last winning season for the next ten years.
Great American Ball Park
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| Great American Ball Park, from our seats |
The new ballpark, which would be named Great American Ball Park, would be built on an area called "The Wedge" on the waterfront of the Ohio River. The park was named after the insurance company of the same moniker, which was chaired by former owner Carl Linder. The original address was supposed to be 100 Main Street, Cincinnati, but after the death of former player/broadcaster Joe Nuxhall, it was changed to 100 Joe Nuxhall Way. To honor one of the Reds' original homes, Crosley Field, statues of former players Nuxhall (pitching), Ernie Lombardi (catching), outfielder Ted Kluszewski and Frank Robinson are arranged, at the home plate entrance, playing an imaginary game. The Reds Hall of Fame is located outside the Home Plate Gate, and is adjacent to the ballpark. Cinergy Field was demolished in December, 2002 and the Reds opened up Great American Ball Park in March of 2003.
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| Junior Hits # 500 |
It's no wonder that the Reds had trouble reaching the .500 mark during the days of the managerial carousel, but the hiring of Dusty Baker provided the team with stability and the opportunity to grow. In 2010, led by N.L. MVP Joey Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips and third baseman Scott Rolen, the Reds won 91 games, and the N.L. Central title. Unfortunately, a week later they became only the second team to ever be no-hit in the playoffs, (by Roy Halladay), and were swept by the Phillies in three games.
2011 was a disappointing year as the Reds finished with only 79 wins, but they were decimated by injuries and the starting pitching was bad, at best. They did rebound in 2012, finishing with 97 wins and setting up a first-round playoff match-up with the San Francisco Giants. The Reds jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but then fell apart after coming home, and lost the series in five games.
As July of 2013 approached, the Reds were right in the thick of the N.L. Central race, and on July 2nd, Homer Bailey became the third Reds' pitcher to throw a second career no-hitter, shutting out the Giants, 3-0. At this point, we were very excited to be heading to the ballpark.
Starting Lineup: 7/6
Jim Kulhawy
Ryan Kulhawy
Tony D'Angelo
Nick D'Angelo
Robert Zoch
Steve Novak
Joey Novak
Scott Swinney
Drew Swinney
Game day was finally here, but it was pouring.
"Are you freakin' kidding me?," I heard from over my left shoulder.
"Good morning to you too," I said, without turning around.
"It's not supposed to be raining," was all he said. "We can't get rained out on day one."
"We'll be fine," Steve assured Ryan. "There hasn't been a rain out in ten years."
Now, I didn't know if that was the truth, but it was something to hold out hope for.
"See, we'll be fine," I tried to assure Ryan, while secretly hoping I sounded convincing.
"Nick, you're not going to believe this," was all I heard as Ryan climbed the stairs to let Nick know what was going on.
Sighing heavily, I went for another cup of coffee.
The rest of the morning was spent with Kelly and Steve assuring me there would be a game, and I, in turn, assuring Ryan and Nick there would be a game. By 12 PM, the rain had stopped and the skies were starting to clear.
"I told you we'd be fine," Ryan said to no one in particular.
"OK, let's go with that," I told him, walking away to make sure I had everything I would need to properly document our first trip.
We took the eight-mile ride to the ballpark area, grabbed our program ahead of time, parked the car and Moerlein Lager House, a block from the ballpark.
headed to our first stop:
The Christian Moerlein Brewing Company began in 1853, in Cincinnati's "Over The Rhine Neighborhood." The brewery made finely crafted German beers and stayed in business until the Prohibition Era when they were forced to close. In 1981, Moerlein reintroduced their beers to the Cincinnati area, and they've been a staple ever since.
Located at 115 Nuxhall Way, the Lager House was actually built on the footprint of Riverfront Stadium. This became quite clear as we walked up to the hostess stand to grab a table.
"Hey, look down," Nick said, giving me a shove, as Tony and Steve talked to the hostess.
"Is that really what I think it is?," I asked the young lady.
"Yes, sir. That is the exact location of first base, when Riverfront Stadium was here," she replied.
"That's so cool," Ryan said, to no one in particular.
Nick just nodded in agreement.
We asked for a table for seven, and were told that we could grab any that we could find in the Biergarten, which is a giant, glass enclosed room, that overlooks the Roebling Bridge and the Ohio River. As we walked through the lower level (the restaurant has two levels and can accommodate private parties), we noticed a beautiful bar area with a lot of taps and beer lists that were phone book- sized.
As luck would have it, our table was right against the back wall, which had a fantastic view of the river, and
the weather was getting nicer by the moment. The manager came by, opened the sliding glass doors and let a beautiful breeze waft over us.
After Nick ordered a seltzer, Joe had some water and Ryan ordered a root beer, the four "adults" opened the beer menus and tried to figure out what was the best choice to start with. Over the next hour, we tried the Northern Liberties I.P.A (copper colored, robust and hoppy ale), the Barberosa (a red/brown, malty, slow aged lager), a Left Hand Milk Stout (dark and creamy, unlike other stouts I have tried) and, what became my favorite, the Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. This beer was unlike any that I have ever had before; it is a Kentucky Ale that is aged up to six weeks in former bourbon barrels and has developed a bourbon taste that is unlike any beer I have ever tried. While it is a beer to be savored, it is not something I recommend having more than one of, if you're not eating as well. It definitely packs a punch.
After having our beers and sharing some appetizers of Parmesan french fries and onion rings, it was time to
walk to the ballpark and get in line. Today was Jay Bruce t-shirt giveaway day, and the boys wanted to make sure they each got a shirt.
Walking to the Home Plate Gate, we passed a giant statue of Johnny Bench, out side the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Ryan saw the plaque and immediately had a comment about Bench's place in baseball history, much to the chagrin of a nearby Reds' fan.
"Young man, you're too young to remember him, but Johnny Bench might be the greatest catcher to ever play the game," the older gentleman said.
I knew what was coming I just hoped he was going to speak his mind, politely. I held my breath, waiting for his response.
"Sir, I think he was in the top three. But I don't think he was the best," Ryan said.
I held my breath.
"Well, who do you think was better?," came the gentleman's retort.
"Personally, I would go with Yogi Berra, or Roy Campanella," Ryan told him. "But, I would put Bench in the top three."
"Possibly, but I like Bench," the gentleman said.
"That's what's great about baseball," Ryan responded. "You can make the argument over many years. Have a nice day, sir."
I exhaled noticeably. Last year, he might have been a bit more argumentative while making his point. Now, it seemed he was learning to debate without getting personal. I was proud of him.
The courtyard, in front of the Home Plate Gate, was thronged with people waiting in line to get their shirts as well. The boys seemed a bit worried they would be too far back in line, but we told them we'd be fine, and suggested they look around a bit while the adults held our place in line. I went with Ryan and Nick, while Steve, Tony and Rob stood in the line.
The courtyard, known as Crosley Terrace, was an open expanse, which had a gate in front, and another off to the right side, up the first base line. In the middle was a grassy island, that had two statues, pitcher Joe Nuxhall and catcher Ernie Lombardi, in a game action pose, while Frank Robinson is swinging away. Off to the left side is slugger Ted Kluszewski, holding a bat, waiting his turn at the plate.
After walking around a bit, we got back in line, just in time for the gates to open. We went in the gate up the first base side, everyone got a great t-shirt and we entered the park and moved, slowly, back towards home plate and up the left field line to the outfield.
As we walked the concourse, we noticed there were some huge murals
painted along the walls, one of the original team from 1876 and another of the "Big Red Machine." After taking pictures, we walked down by the playing field, behind home plate and looked out across the diamond. The first thing that drew my attention was the batter's eye section, out behind the Center Field wall. It is a giant, black, enclosed restaurant, which has a river boat on top of it. The Cincinnati Bell Riverboat Deck is a place to watch the game, with outstanding views of both the ballpark and the Ohio River behind it. Down the left field line is a double decked set of bleachers,
with a tremendous scoreboard set atop.
In right field, is another set of bleachers which go about thirty rows back and have an open back to the Ohio River.
At this point, we asked one of the ushers to take our picture and explained what we were doing. For the first time since this excursion began, Ryan seemed to be the one to speak up and engage different people about our trip and what he has liked most about it so far. I had just noticed another subtle change that had taken place in the last year, and again smiled to myself at how my eldest son was growing up right before my eyes.
After we got our pictures taken, the usher told the boys that if we went to Guest Services, they would print out a certificate for it being their first time at Great American Ball Park. We quickly went upstairs and did so, so the boys could have another memento of the trip.
"Hey, you know there is a wiffle ball stadium, over in the kid's section," Nick told me. "Can we go?"
"Where did you hear that?," I asked.
"Joey told us, last night," he replied. "So, can we go?"
"Sure," Tony said. "We have two hours before the game, and we want to see as much as we can."
As we walked around to the Kroger Kid's Zone section, on the terrace level by right field, the P.A. suddenly burst into Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run." If there was a more perfect way to welcome the boys from Jersey than to play Bruce, I couldn't think of it. Ryan and I started singing, loudly. Rob and Tony looked at us and shook their heads laughing, but we didn't care; we were having a blast.
As we turned the corner, sure enough, there was a Wiffle-ball "stadium" complete with carpeting (which depicted an infield), an outfield, a warning track and was completely enclosed with a wall, so the kids could try their hand at hitting one out. There were tables and chairs situated around the "stadium," so it looked just like a mini ball-park, inside the ball- park. Ryan, Nick and Joey got on line to hit, while the adults scouted out some tables to sit and possibly get a bite to eat. I looked around but didn't see what I was looking for, but I wanted something specific. So Rob went off in search of food, while Tony, Steve and I watched the kids.
Ryan took a huge bite of the foot long, spilling mustard and beans on the table, wiped his mouth on his hand, then took a spoonful of the mac and cheese.
The rest of the morning was spent with Kelly and Steve assuring me there would be a game, and I, in turn, assuring Ryan and Nick there would be a game. By 12 PM, the rain had stopped and the skies were starting to clear.
"I told you we'd be fine," Ryan said to no one in particular.
"OK, let's go with that," I told him, walking away to make sure I had everything I would need to properly document our first trip.
We took the eight-mile ride to the ballpark area, grabbed our program ahead of time, parked the car and Moerlein Lager House, a block from the ballpark.
headed to our first stop:
 |
| Starting the festivities |
Located at 115 Nuxhall Way, the Lager House was actually built on the footprint of Riverfront Stadium. This became quite clear as we walked up to the hostess stand to grab a table.
 |
| First Base plaque at the hostess stand |
"Is that really what I think it is?," I asked the young lady.
"Yes, sir. That is the exact location of first base, when Riverfront Stadium was here," she replied.
"That's so cool," Ryan said, to no one in particular.
Nick just nodded in agreement.
We asked for a table for seven, and were told that we could grab any that we could find in the Biergarten, which is a giant, glass enclosed room, that overlooks the Roebling Bridge and the Ohio River. As we walked through the lower level (the restaurant has two levels and can accommodate private parties), we noticed a beautiful bar area with a lot of taps and beer lists that were phone book- sized.
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| Rob and Steve have a brew and a laugh |
As luck would have it, our table was right against the back wall, which had a fantastic view of the river, and
the weather was getting nicer by the moment. The manager came by, opened the sliding glass doors and let a beautiful breeze waft over us.
After Nick ordered a seltzer, Joe had some water and Ryan ordered a root beer, the four "adults" opened the beer menus and tried to figure out what was the best choice to start with. Over the next hour, we tried the Northern Liberties I.P.A (copper colored, robust and hoppy ale), the Barberosa (a red/brown, malty, slow aged lager), a Left Hand Milk Stout (dark and creamy, unlike other stouts I have tried) and, what became my favorite, the Lexington Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. This beer was unlike any that I have ever had before; it is a Kentucky Ale that is aged up to six weeks in former bourbon barrels and has developed a bourbon taste that is unlike any beer I have ever tried. While it is a beer to be savored, it is not something I recommend having more than one of, if you're not eating as well. It definitely packs a punch.
After having our beers and sharing some appetizers of Parmesan french fries and onion rings, it was time to
walk to the ballpark and get in line. Today was Jay Bruce t-shirt giveaway day, and the boys wanted to make sure they each got a shirt.
Walking to the Home Plate Gate, we passed a giant statue of Johnny Bench, out side the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Ryan saw the plaque and immediately had a comment about Bench's place in baseball history, much to the chagrin of a nearby Reds' fan.
 |
| The boys and Bench |
I knew what was coming I just hoped he was going to speak his mind, politely. I held my breath, waiting for his response.
"Sir, I think he was in the top three. But I don't think he was the best," Ryan said.
I held my breath.
"Well, who do you think was better?," came the gentleman's retort.
"Personally, I would go with Yogi Berra, or Roy Campanella," Ryan told him. "But, I would put Bench in the top three."
"Possibly, but I like Bench," the gentleman said.
"That's what's great about baseball," Ryan responded. "You can make the argument over many years. Have a nice day, sir."
I exhaled noticeably. Last year, he might have been a bit more argumentative while making his point. Now, it seemed he was learning to debate without getting personal. I was proud of him.
The courtyard, in front of the Home Plate Gate, was thronged with people waiting in line to get their shirts as well. The boys seemed a bit worried they would be too far back in line, but we told them we'd be fine, and suggested they look around a bit while the adults held our place in line. I went with Ryan and Nick, while Steve, Tony and Rob stood in the line.
The courtyard, known as Crosley Terrace, was an open expanse, which had a gate in front, and another off to the right side, up the first base line. In the middle was a grassy island, that had two statues, pitcher Joe Nuxhall and catcher Ernie Lombardi, in a game action pose, while Frank Robinson is swinging away. Off to the left side is slugger Ted Kluszewski, holding a bat, waiting his turn at the plate.
After walking around a bit, we got back in line, just in time for the gates to open. We went in the gate up the first base side, everyone got a great t-shirt and we entered the park and moved, slowly, back towards home plate and up the left field line to the outfield.
 |
| View to center |
 |
| Left-field line |
painted along the walls, one of the original team from 1876 and another of the "Big Red Machine." After taking pictures, we walked down by the playing field, behind home plate and looked out across the diamond. The first thing that drew my attention was the batter's eye section, out behind the Center Field wall. It is a giant, black, enclosed restaurant, which has a river boat on top of it. The Cincinnati Bell Riverboat Deck is a place to watch the game, with outstanding views of both the ballpark and the Ohio River behind it. Down the left field line is a double decked set of bleachers,
In right field, is another set of bleachers which go about thirty rows back and have an open back to the Ohio River.
 |
| Right-field bleachers |
At this point, we asked one of the ushers to take our picture and explained what we were doing. For the first time since this excursion began, Ryan seemed to be the one to speak up and engage different people about our trip and what he has liked most about it so far. I had just noticed another subtle change that had taken place in the last year, and again smiled to myself at how my eldest son was growing up right before my eyes.
"Hey, you know there is a wiffle ball stadium, over in the kid's section," Nick told me. "Can we go?"
"Where did you hear that?," I asked.
"Joey told us, last night," he replied. "So, can we go?"
"Sure," Tony said. "We have two hours before the game, and we want to see as much as we can."
As we walked around to the Kroger Kid's Zone section, on the terrace level by right field, the P.A. suddenly burst into Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run." If there was a more perfect way to welcome the boys from Jersey than to play Bruce, I couldn't think of it. Ryan and I started singing, loudly. Rob and Tony looked at us and shook their heads laughing, but we didn't care; we were having a blast.
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| Nick and Ryan play Wiffle-ball |
Concessions:
There are many places to eat, in Great American Ball Park, and while there is the standard ball park food, (dogs, sodas, beers, peanuts and popcorn), those who have been following us know that we look a little deeper, for the local fare.
Great American Ball Park has two restaurants, The Machine Room Grille, and The Riverfront Club, inside its walls. The Machine Room Grille, which is located in the left field corner on the suite level, is a pub that plays homage to the "Big Red Machine," with memorabilia adorning the walls. The menu is chock full of signature hot dogs, burgers and salads, as well as side dishes such as mac and cheese, infused with barbecue chicken and jalapenos. The Riverfront Club is a more traditional restaurant, along the right field line, which offers views of both the ball-park and the Ohio River, and offers up "world class cuisine, prepared by an award winning chef." Both restaurants are open to the public, or can be booked for private parties.
For those not interested in this kind of atmosphere, there is plenty to choose from at Great American Ball Park. There are traditional grills all over that serve specialty hot dogs and burgers, such as Broadway Dogs, Doggy's Dogs, Dugout Dogs, Frisch's Big Boy and Dugout Grille. There are also more non-traditional stops for food that may interest your palate, like Goodyear, Az Cantina (Tex-Mex foods), Knuxy's Knots (garlic knots), LaRosa's Pizza (a Cincinnati must, for pizza), Queen City Brats (an assortment of different flavored bratwursts) and Mr. Red's Smokehouse, which serves all kinds of smoked meats (turkey, beef, pulled pork, chicken and ribs, as well as side dishes that go with them (cole slaw, mac and cheese, beans and corn on the cob). Mr. Red's will also serve a specialty dish for the region of the visiting team; while we were there Seattle was the opponent, and their dish was a smoked salmon sandwich.
When you get thirsty, there are plenty of accommodations for that as well. Sodas, water and lemonades can be found at just about any stand throughout the park. If it's an adult beverage you crave, look for domestic, imported or craft beers, as well as cocktails, at the Bud Light Lime-A-Rita Bar, the Budweiser Bow Tie Bar, the Mezz Bar, the Miller Lite Bar and the Shellback Bar.
For dessert, you can find cotton candy, sno-cones, ice cream (traditional and Dippin' Dots), kettle corn, a candy store (Kroger's Sweet Spot, in right field), and United Dairy Farmer's Ice Cream (specialty ice creams), scattered throughout the park, on all levels.
Rob had gone off in search of food, the kids were on line to hit in the wiffle ball stadium and Tony, Steve and I were sitting down with a beer, when my friend Scott and his son Drew met up with us. Scott is from the Cincinnati; and we had "met" on a Bruce Springsteen website and decided that he and Drew should join us for the game in his hometown. It just goes to show how the internet ties people together, as nothing before it, as we may never have met in our younger days. Drew joined the boys on line, where they all got along and waited their turn, while the adults relaxed.
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| Ryan hits one out to right |
Rob came back just in time to see Ryan hit one over the right field wall, Nick to hit one over the left field wall, Joey get robbed in center and Drew line one off the pitcher's midsection. He was carrying a giant specialty hot dog, with some mac and cheese and a beer. I knew what was coming as soon as my twelve-year-old bottomless pit sauntered over, and it would not be the first time I heard this for the next ten days.
"Hey, that looks good. What is it?"
"Hey, that looks good. What is it?"
"A Cincinnati Dog, covered with mustard, baked beans and corn chips, some buffalo mac and cheese and a local beer," Rob told him.
"May I please try some?," Ryan asked, using his best manners.
"Absolutely," Rob told him.
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| Guess who's hungry? |
"That's really good," he told us. "Now, I'm thirsty"
"You need something to drink?," Rob asked, expecting him to want a soda.
"Thanks, don't mind if I do," Ryan told him, picking up the beer and taking a shot before any of us could react.
Nick, Joey and Drew, stood there slack jawed, Rob and Tony laughed, Steve rolled his eyes and I smacked my forehead. It wouldn't be the first time one of the kids "tried" a beer on the trip.
"C'mon," I said to the group. "Let's go upstairs, grab our food and get to our seats, first pitch in in thirty minutes."
"Are we getting the Cincinnati Dog," Ryan wanted to know.
"Nope, I've done my homework and we can not come to Cincinnati and not get what we are now going for."
"What is it?," Ryan asked.
"Skyline Chili Coney Dogs," I told him. "Follow me, you'll love it."
Our seats were upstairs, behind home plate, and as luck would have it, there was a Skyline Chili stand just four sections away. As we got closer, there was a faint hint of the chili in the air. It was a distinct aroma, but one I was not expecting.
Skyline Chili is a chain that was started in 1949, by a Greek restaurateur named Nicholas Lambrinides. The name came from the view of the Cincinnati skyline that could be seen from the original storefront's location. Unlike a thick, meaty-chili with beans, Skyline Chili is more of a sauce that is served over hot dogs and spaghetti. The recipe is known only to the family, but many believe a hint of cinnamon and chocolate, which are commonly used in Greek meat dishes, give it the unique taste that people have come to know and love. Today, there are over 100 restaurants serving Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Florida, as well as being sold in sporting venues.
Now, I have never had chili over spaghetti, and I was not about to look for that at Great American Balll Park, but I had been told by many people that we had to try the coney dogs. Ryan and I went to the stand and ordered a coney each. As I watched them putting our order together, a hot dog, with a hint of garlic, in a warm bun, with a touch of mustard, topped with onions, the chili and piled high with cheese, Ryan must have been able to read my mind.
"That doesn't look like any chili I've ever had," he said to no one in particular. "I hope it's as good as you say people tell you it is."
"Me too," I replied.
"If I don't like it, can I get something else?," he wanted to know.
"Absolutely," I told him. "But we have to give it a real try, I keep hearing how great they are."
Being that we both love chili, I think he was as concerned as I was.
We brought the dogs back to our seat and took our first bite. We looked at each other, back down at the dogs and then back to each other again. Ryan's eyes widened as started to speak.
"Finish what's in your mouth and wipe it off before speaking," I told him.
"Give me a little credit, I'm not five."
"Well, not most of the time," I told him.
"HEY!!!," was all he said.
"What do you think?," I wanted to know. "Do you want something else?"
"Yes...more of these, please," was all he said, before stuffing his face again.
He was right; it was amazing. Though I had never seen chili quite like this, it didn't make it any less delicious. You could definitely tasty the hint of garlic in the dog, and the bite of the mustard and raw onions underneath,
as well as the slight "smokey" flavor of the cheese, but it was the chili that burst through it all. There was a light, sweet, spicy taste, that could have been chocolate, cinnamon and maybe a hint of cloves, and while it was like no chili I had ever eaten, it had won me over. We would be getting more.
We brought the dogs back to our seat and took our first bite. We looked at each other, back down at the dogs and then back to each other again. Ryan's eyes widened as started to speak.
"Finish what's in your mouth and wipe it off before speaking," I told him.
"Give me a little credit, I'm not five."
"Well, not most of the time," I told him.
"HEY!!!," was all he said.
"What do you think?," I wanted to know. "Do you want something else?"
"Yes...more of these, please," was all he said, before stuffing his face again.
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| Skyline Chili Coney Dogs |
as well as the slight "smokey" flavor of the cheese, but it was the chili that burst through it all. There was a light, sweet, spicy taste, that could have been chocolate, cinnamon and maybe a hint of cloves, and while it was like no chili I had ever eaten, it had won me over. We would be getting more.
The Game:
 |
| First Pitch |
After we all sat in our seats, Alice Cooper threw out the first pitch. I have no idea why, as he is a Detroit "hero," but what the hell, they must have had their reasons. The boys were excitedly chatting as Matt Latos threw the first pitch to Brad Miller. Miller eventually grounded out and the game was underway. The next batter singled and then Kyle Seager homered to right, which gave the Mariners a quick 2-0 lead.
"Good Lord," I heard Ryan say. "Three batters in and we're losing, 2-0. Not the way to start the trip, when we root for the home team."
"No worries," Nick told him. "We have nine innings to score at least three. We'll win this one."
Latos got the next two batters, and the Reds kept the damage at 2-0, after a half inning.
Cincinnati cut the lead in half, in the bottom of the second. Jay Bruce, he of the t-shirt give away, walked, went to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a groundout to first and came home on a Cesar Izturis single to center. Unfortunately, Izturis was left stranded two batters later.
The Mariners, however, got the run back in the top of the third. After the pitcher, Bonderman, struck out, Miller walked, Chavez singled him to third and Endy Chavez scored him from Kyle Seager. 3-1 Seattle, and Ryan was not happy. That would soon change.
By the bottom of the fourth, it was still 3-1, Mariners. A Jack Hannahan double was sandwiched between two outs. The Mariners intentionally walked Ryan Hanigan, to get to the pitcher, Matt Latos, who helped his own cause by doubling in two runs and then being brought in himself on a Shin Soo Choo single. By the time the inning was over, the Reds had a 4-3 lead, and more was on the way.
In the top of the fifth, the public address announcer told the crowd that in appreciation of the no-hitter Homer Bailey had thrown three nights before, all upper deck tickets for the next day's game would be priced at $8.50. Ryan and Nick heard this and immediately started conferring. I had a feeling I knew what was coming.
"Dad?," Nick asked Tony. "Can we come back tomorrow,it's only $8.50!"
Before Tony could even utter a word, Ryan chimed in.
"It would be like an old-time doubleheader. Two cities, (we had tickets to the Columbus Clippers/Louisville Bats game the next night, in Columbus, over 100 miles away), four teams, in one day. C'mon, this is a baseball trip, so let's see more baseball."
"What do you think?," I asked Tony and Rob.
"OK with me," they each replied.
"Steve," I asked, "Is this something that's possible? The game here is 1 PM, the game in Columbus is 7 PM. Do you think we could make both?"
The boys held their breath, until Steve agreed it could be done. So, I went downstairs to guest services, handed over my credit card and bought seven tickets for the next day as well. This was turning out to be quite a first day.
Back upstairs, in the bottom of the fifth, Joey Votto led off. Though he grounded out, Ryan loved the at-bat, as he noticed that Votto's walk up song was "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones. He sang along at the top of his lungs, much to the delight of those around us, surprised that a youngster knew all the words.
After the first two batters, Votto and Phillips, recorded outs, the Reds struck again. Jay Bruce singled, Hanahan walked and Izturis brought them both home with a double. It was now 6-3 Reds, and they were far from finished.
After giving up a run in the top of the sixth, on a Brendan Ryan double, the Reds struck for three more runs, when Choo singled, Phillips singled, Bruce doubled and Hanahan singled. It was 9-4, Reds after 6.
The seventh and the top of the eighth innings went by in a blur. Everyone was having a great time, cheering for the Reds, talking to the fans and just soaking up the atmosphere in what was a blowout for the Reds.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Reds put the finishing touches on the scoreboard, when they loaded the bases with none out, thanks to two walks and an error. Phillips brought in a run with a sacrifice fly, Bruce brought in a run when he reached on a fielder's choice, Hanahan brought in a third with a single and Hanigan doubled bringing in another. When the dust had finally cleared, the Reds were up 13-4 and three outs away from a win, which came four batters into the Mariner's ninth inning.
Starting the trip out with a hometown, blowout-win was fantastic, and we would celebrate with dinner at a Cincinnati landmark restaurant that I was told about by many people: The Montgomery Inn Boathouse, about two miles from the ballpark, on the Ohio River. So, after taking a few pictures, the nine of us headed to the cars and made the trek to the restaurant.
The Montgomery Inn at the Boathouse, is possibly the most popular restaurant in Cincinnati. This family-owned set of restaurants was started in 1951, when Ted Gregory took over McCcabe's Inn in Montgomery, Ohio. They renamed the restaurant and began serving the dish that they would become famous for, ribs. In 1989, The Boathouse opened on the banks of the Ohio River, and has become popular as an eating attraction. The restaurant is a two-story, sports-themed structure, with multiple lounges and memorabilia that adorn the wall, but it is known world-wide for its ribs.
When we pulled in and put our name on the list, we were told to be prepared for a wait of an hour and a half, so we walked down by the river and took in the views. Less than twenty minutes later, our buzzer went off and we were seated upstairs with menus in front of us. The choices were endless, but I had come here for one thing, the ribs and there was nothing that was going to keep them from me.
Now, ribs at the Montgomery Inn can be ordered in a rack, or a slab. Most people will order the slab and have more than enough between the appetizers, the ribs and the side dishes, that there is enough to take home. This crew, however, said they were going to do some serious damage, and we did.
I started with a bowl of baked potato soup, which was split with Ryan. All good, but there was still one thing on our minds, the ribs. Rob ordered a ribs and chicken platter, while Tony and Nick split a slab of ribs. Scott, Steve and I ordered a slab and Ryan and Drew wanted a slab as well. We figured that the kids would have stuff to take home and that all would be fine. That turned out to be partly true.
When the food got to the table, I was amazed. I had ordered the slab, with a loaded baked potato, while Ryan had his with mac and cheese and we split an order of Saratoga Chips, which are like lightly crisped hunks of potatoes. I couldn't believe the amount of food; Ryan's eyes were bigger than I had ever seen them.
The only thing better than the smell of the ribs was the actual taste. Sweet and smokey, not drenched in sauce, but just enough to add a zing of flavor. What was even more amazing was that no knife was needed to cut through them. We found that out when Ryan picked up a rib and pulled the bone out, clean. I just shook my head, in amazement, as he proceeded to pull out all the bones and leave a pile of meat that he devoured. Yes, devoured.
"Ryan," I said. "Come up for air every now and again."
"Can't talk, eating," was all I could get him to say, and eat he did.
By the time we were done, there was nothing left on his plate. He ate all the ribs, plus his mac and cheese, plus three quarters of an order of Saratoga Chips, and half my soup. Everyone stared in amazement at what this twelve-year old had just put down, and it wouldn't be the last time.
After waddling downstairs, and saying goodbye to Scott and Drew, we piled in the van and headed back to Steve's, to put on our "fat pants" and lounge around before bed.
"I'm hungry," I heard from the backseat.
"You have got to be kidding me," I said to my son.
"No, I want ice cream. Can we go to that place Kelly told us about?"
"Yeah, Graeter's," Joey chimed in.
"Ice cream," Nick added his two cents.
"Well, there's one on the way home," Steve told us.
Shaking our head's, we all agreed to go for ice cream.
Graeter's has been making homemade ice cream in the Cincinnati area since 1870. They have their headquarters in Cincinnati, but serve the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana area and can be bought at supermarkets nationwide. The signature flavor is black raspberry chip and is one of many that are offered in each store.
We pulled into the store about ten minutes from Steve's house. Now, everyone proclaimed that they were full, but that didn't stop each of us from ordering cups, cones, shakes and baseball helmets, full of the creamiest, most delicious, ice cream I had ever had. I ordered the black raspberry chip, while Ryan had the mint chocolate chip, in a baseball helmet.
"No more food," I said to Ryan. "You're done"
"OK," was all he replied back. He was done.
We pulled the car into Steve's driveway and all piled into the house to shower and go to bed. The kids went upstairs and cleaned up, while the adults "watched" the Yankees come back to defeat the Orioles, on Tony's phone. After the final out, I went upstairs and tucked Ryan in and told him to get some sleep. Today was a long one, but tomorrow was going to be longer; we were visiting the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, then seeing the game, then driving to Columbus to see another game, then driving to Canton, where we would spend the night. He was snoring before I could say goodnight.
Wearily, I jumped in the shower, put on some clean clothing and climbed into the sleeping bag. I was out in about five minutes.
In 1959, the Reds came up with the idea of having their own Hall of Fame, to pay tribute to those individuals and teams that were special in the history of Cincinnati baseball. The actual museum opened in 2004, and is located right outside Great American Ball Park. It is two stories tall, is open year round and houses a diverse collection of memorabilia and interactive exhibits that show the history of baseball in Cincinnati.
In the center of the room are what look like lockers, which house more types of memorabilia from Reds' history. There is one full of signed balls, one full of old and new equipment, one of old-time photographs, another filled with publications (yearbooks, scorecards and programs), and one dedicated to the "Big Red Machine."
The back of the room houses a movie theater, which is decorated as a grandstand in a baseball stadium, complete with bleachers facing towards home plate, where the screen is. This theater plays a movie on the history of the Cincinnati Reds, starting every twenty minutes or so.
After watching the movie, and looking around at the "lockers" and the signature walls, we walked down a corridor which housed autographed photos of players such as Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench. The corridor led to the far side of the museum, which housed a shrine to Pete Rose.
As baseball fans know, Pete Rose is the all-time hit leader, with 4,256. The Reds' Hall of Fame has an
exhibit that takes up a full two stories and is made up entirely of baseballs, 4,256 of them to be exact. The balls start on the first floor and go completely up the side of the wall, depicting one ball for each career hit that Rose had. The collection is impressive and when it is looked at from the bottom, you can see how many hits 4,256 really is.
As you come to the top floor, you enter a room that houses Reds' baseball cards that go back to the turn of the Twentieth Century. Some are autographed, some are not, some are from today and some are from as far back as 1911. If you are a fan of cards, it is quite an impressive collection.
The next room is where the Reds honor a particular player at the time we were there, it was MLB Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. There were artifacts from Morgan's playing days, such as jerseys, hats, jackets, equipment, World Series rings and pictures that tell the story of what he meant to the Reds. When we were at Yankee Stadium, last year, a similar exhibit for Mickey Mantle was on display.
The next room was the biggest in the Hall, and it was here that all the interactive exhibits were. There was a wall that kids could try to jump into and bring back a home run, there was a pitching cage where people could see if they could throw strikes on a major league mound, and a radio and television broadcast booth was also on hand, so people could pretend they were the broadcaster, calling the games.
"Can we try that?," Ryan and Nick asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Rob told them as the adults moved on a little farther.
Steve, Tony and I went into what can only be described as a baseball fan's dream room. It looked like the den/basement of someone's house, but was adorned with some of the greatest memorabilia I have ever seen. There were Reds' lounge chairs and seats from the original Crosley Field, in front of a TV, which played the 1975 World Series on an endless loop. There was a bar area that had nothing but Reds' pint glasses, shot glasses, cocktail glasses, coasters, napkins and other assorted kitchen/barware. The walls were decorated with all sorts of autographs and assorted posters, pictures and puzzles from Reds' history, and the TV stand was filled with a complete DVD library of Reds' baseball.
"I need this room, but with a Yankees' theme," I told Tony.
"You and me both," was his reply.
"I would live in this room," I told him.
"You'd have to," Steve interjected. "I don't think, for a second, your wife would allow you to do this to a room in her house, unless you spent every moment in it."
I was just about to interject, when I heard the loudspeaker broadcast:
"That's one pissed off manager."
"What the hell was that?," I asked Tony.
"I don't know, but it sounded like Ryan," he said, with a quizzical look on his face.
As I poked my head out the door, I noticed a viewing screen that showed Ryan and Nick, in what looked to
be a broadcast booth. They were calling a game, and looked like they were having a blast. Unfortunately, what none of us knew at the time was that when someone went in to "broadcast," it was televised to everyone outside the booth, who could see and hear everything going on.
I quickly rushed inside and clamped a hand over the mouth of the next Vin Scully.
"Hey, what are you doing that for?," his muffled voice shot out.
"FCC, you're off the air, unless you can clean up your mouth," I told him.
"What?"
"See all those people, out there?," I pointed. "They can hear everything you're saying!"
Nick and Ryan both turned around, looked at the people watching them and waved. One of them sheepishly, the other excitedly. I'll let you all guess which was which.
After getting them out of the booth, we resumed looking around the room, which had a replica dugout and scale models of the different ballparks that Reds had played in over the years.
The last room in the building was reserved for the Hall of Fame plaques. These plaques looked just like you would see in the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but were unique to the Reds. There were players such as; Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Joe Nuxhall, Don Gullet, Johnny Vander Meer, Ted Kluszewski and many others, as well as managers and front office personnel such as; Sparky Anderson, Heinie Groh, Fred Hutchinson and August Herrman. As of today, there are 81 members and inductions take place every other year.
Just as we were getting ready to leave, Nick noticed an elderly lady, sitting at a table.
"Who's that?," he asked.
"I'm not sure, let's ask someone," I said.
It turned out that she was Hall of Famer Ted Kluszewski's widow, who was on hand as today was replica statue day at the museum. We walked over to speak with her, told her our story and asked for her to take a picture with us, which she agreed to. She pulled Ryan aside and asked who his favorite player today was and when he told her it was Derek Jeter, she said she really liked him as well. She then asked his favorite all-time player and was taken aback when he told her it was Mickey Mantle, and proceeded to give her facts, figures, stats and stories to explain why. She told him that he should study as much baseball history as possible, so he could pass it on some day to his children and their friends.
After meeting Mrs. Kluszewski, we looked at our watches and headed outside, and across the courtyard to head into the ballpark for the game. First though, Nick and Tony decided they needed Reds hats and t-shirts, so we walked across the street and purchased one from a vendor. Ryan has his hats, on which we embroider the date and final score; Nick wanted a hat and a shirt from each team he visited, as well.
Final Score:
Reds 13, Mariners 4
Latos (W) 8-2
Bonderman (L) 1-3
Post-Game Wrap Up:
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| Back Row, L-R: Rob, Jim, Steve, Scott, Tony Front Row, L-R: Joey, Ryan, Drew, Nick |
When we pulled in and put our name on the list, we were told to be prepared for a wait of an hour and a half, so we walked down by the river and took in the views. Less than twenty minutes later, our buzzer went off and we were seated upstairs with menus in front of us. The choices were endless, but I had come here for one thing, the ribs and there was nothing that was going to keep them from me.
Now, ribs at the Montgomery Inn can be ordered in a rack, or a slab. Most people will order the slab and have more than enough between the appetizers, the ribs and the side dishes, that there is enough to take home. This crew, however, said they were going to do some serious damage, and we did.
I started with a bowl of baked potato soup, which was split with Ryan. All good, but there was still one thing on our minds, the ribs. Rob ordered a ribs and chicken platter, while Tony and Nick split a slab of ribs. Scott, Steve and I ordered a slab and Ryan and Drew wanted a slab as well. We figured that the kids would have stuff to take home and that all would be fine. That turned out to be partly true.
When the food got to the table, I was amazed. I had ordered the slab, with a loaded baked potato, while Ryan had his with mac and cheese and we split an order of Saratoga Chips, which are like lightly crisped hunks of potatoes. I couldn't believe the amount of food; Ryan's eyes were bigger than I had ever seen them.
The only thing better than the smell of the ribs was the actual taste. Sweet and smokey, not drenched in sauce, but just enough to add a zing of flavor. What was even more amazing was that no knife was needed to cut through them. We found that out when Ryan picked up a rib and pulled the bone out, clean. I just shook my head, in amazement, as he proceeded to pull out all the bones and leave a pile of meat that he devoured. Yes, devoured.
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| A slab of ribs at Montgomery Inn |
"Can't talk, eating," was all I could get him to say, and eat he did.
By the time we were done, there was nothing left on his plate. He ate all the ribs, plus his mac and cheese, plus three quarters of an order of Saratoga Chips, and half my soup. Everyone stared in amazement at what this twelve-year old had just put down, and it wouldn't be the last time.
After waddling downstairs, and saying goodbye to Scott and Drew, we piled in the van and headed back to Steve's, to put on our "fat pants" and lounge around before bed.
"I'm hungry," I heard from the backseat.
"You have got to be kidding me," I said to my son.
"No, I want ice cream. Can we go to that place Kelly told us about?"
"Yeah, Graeter's," Joey chimed in.
"Ice cream," Nick added his two cents.
"Well, there's one on the way home," Steve told us.
Shaking our head's, we all agreed to go for ice cream.
Graeter's has been making homemade ice cream in the Cincinnati area since 1870. They have their headquarters in Cincinnati, but serve the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana area and can be bought at supermarkets nationwide. The signature flavor is black raspberry chip and is one of many that are offered in each store.
We pulled into the store about ten minutes from Steve's house. Now, everyone proclaimed that they were full, but that didn't stop each of us from ordering cups, cones, shakes and baseball helmets, full of the creamiest, most delicious, ice cream I had ever had. I ordered the black raspberry chip, while Ryan had the mint chocolate chip, in a baseball helmet.
"No more food," I said to Ryan. "You're done"
"OK," was all he replied back. He was done.
We pulled the car into Steve's driveway and all piled into the house to shower and go to bed. The kids went upstairs and cleaned up, while the adults "watched" the Yankees come back to defeat the Orioles, on Tony's phone. After the final out, I went upstairs and tucked Ryan in and told him to get some sleep. Today was a long one, but tomorrow was going to be longer; we were visiting the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, then seeing the game, then driving to Columbus to see another game, then driving to Canton, where we would spend the night. He was snoring before I could say goodnight.
Wearily, I jumped in the shower, put on some clean clothing and climbed into the sleeping bag. I was out in about five minutes.
Day Three, July 7th: Reds' HOF, A Two City Doubleheader and the Motel from Hell:
Once again, I was the first one up. But, then again, I never really slept. I was exhausted, but I was too full and could never get comfortable. All the food and drink the day before had sat in my stomach like a rock, and no matter which way I turned, I was miserable. I finally gave up, and got up, when I heard Kelly in the kitchen, getting ready to prepare breakfast.
"Morning," she said quietly, as the two of us were the only ones up. "Coffee's on, hope you're hungry, we're having pancake lasagna."
She had to be kidding, I didn't even want to think about food, let alone put another bit in my mouth.
"Let's just start with coffee," I told her.
An hour later, the rest of the house was up, moving, showered and some were even ready to eat again. By some, I mean Ryan. Kelly had made a great breakfast, pancake lasagna, which is concocted with a bottom layer of pancakes, a layer of bacon, a layer of eggs, a layer of sausage, a layer of cheese and a top layer of more pancakes. Everyone had a small helping; Nick even split his with Tony. Ryan had three servings.
"Where does he put it?," everyone wanted to know.
"I have no idea," was all I could say.
"Hollow leg. May I have some more, please?," Ryan asked.
"Hollow leg. May I have some more, please?," Ryan asked.
I had to get up; I couldn't watch him eat anymore, but I was transfixed. It was like a food car wreck; you just couldn't look away.
Finally, I got up from the table, made sure all the bags were ready and went out and packed the van. After all, we would be moving on to another city, Columbus, for another game after the Reds' game, and then on to Canton before we stopped for the night.
We all said goodbye to Kelly, thanked her for her hospitality and jumped in the van to head back to Great American Ball Park. Steve took his car, as he and Joey would be coming home after the game. We followed them back into the city, parked the cars and headed up the block to the Reds' Hall of Fame and Museum.
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| Reds' Hall of Fame |
As you walk in the front door, there are statues and murals of the original team. It seems as if the folks at the Hall of Fame want to greet you at the front door with the beginning of Red's baseball. The boys both posed for pictures with the statues as we bought our tickets and were directed inside.
The first thing you notice, as you enter the room is that there are autographs along all the walls, which are broken up into the decades of the franchise's existance. Everything prior to 1920 is in one case, and each decade thereafter has its own. The goal of this is to try and collect autographs from as many people that have played for the Reds as possible, and they are well on their way to doing this.
In the center of the room are what look like lockers, which house more types of memorabilia from Reds' history. There is one full of signed balls, one full of old and new equipment, one of old-time photographs, another filled with publications (yearbooks, scorecards and programs), and one dedicated to the "Big Red Machine."
The back of the room houses a movie theater, which is decorated as a grandstand in a baseball stadium, complete with bleachers facing towards home plate, where the screen is. This theater plays a movie on the history of the Cincinnati Reds, starting every twenty minutes or so.
After watching the movie, and looking around at the "lockers" and the signature walls, we walked down a corridor which housed autographed photos of players such as Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench. The corridor led to the far side of the museum, which housed a shrine to Pete Rose.
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| The "Ball Wall", honoring Pete Rose |
exhibit that takes up a full two stories and is made up entirely of baseballs, 4,256 of them to be exact. The balls start on the first floor and go completely up the side of the wall, depicting one ball for each career hit that Rose had. The collection is impressive and when it is looked at from the bottom, you can see how many hits 4,256 really is.
As you come to the top floor, you enter a room that houses Reds' baseball cards that go back to the turn of the Twentieth Century. Some are autographed, some are not, some are from today and some are from as far back as 1911. If you are a fan of cards, it is quite an impressive collection.
The next room is where the Reds honor a particular player at the time we were there, it was MLB Hall of Famer Joe Morgan. There were artifacts from Morgan's playing days, such as jerseys, hats, jackets, equipment, World Series rings and pictures that tell the story of what he meant to the Reds. When we were at Yankee Stadium, last year, a similar exhibit for Mickey Mantle was on display.
The next room was the biggest in the Hall, and it was here that all the interactive exhibits were. There was a wall that kids could try to jump into and bring back a home run, there was a pitching cage where people could see if they could throw strikes on a major league mound, and a radio and television broadcast booth was also on hand, so people could pretend they were the broadcaster, calling the games.
"Can we try that?," Ryan and Nick asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Rob told them as the adults moved on a little farther.
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| Tony and Steve in the Reds' "Man Cave" |
"I need this room, but with a Yankees' theme," I told Tony.
"You and me both," was his reply.
"I would live in this room," I told him.
"You'd have to," Steve interjected. "I don't think, for a second, your wife would allow you to do this to a room in her house, unless you spent every moment in it."
I was just about to interject, when I heard the loudspeaker broadcast:
"That's one pissed off manager."
"What the hell was that?," I asked Tony.
"I don't know, but it sounded like Ryan," he said, with a quizzical look on his face.
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| The boys, calling a game |
be a broadcast booth. They were calling a game, and looked like they were having a blast. Unfortunately, what none of us knew at the time was that when someone went in to "broadcast," it was televised to everyone outside the booth, who could see and hear everything going on.
I quickly rushed inside and clamped a hand over the mouth of the next Vin Scully.
"Hey, what are you doing that for?," his muffled voice shot out.
"FCC, you're off the air, unless you can clean up your mouth," I told him.
"What?"
"See all those people, out there?," I pointed. "They can hear everything you're saying!"
Nick and Ryan both turned around, looked at the people watching them and waved. One of them sheepishly, the other excitedly. I'll let you all guess which was which.
After getting them out of the booth, we resumed looking around the room, which had a replica dugout and scale models of the different ballparks that Reds had played in over the years.
The last room in the building was reserved for the Hall of Fame plaques. These plaques looked just like you would see in the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but were unique to the Reds. There were players such as; Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Joe Nuxhall, Don Gullet, Johnny Vander Meer, Ted Kluszewski and many others, as well as managers and front office personnel such as; Sparky Anderson, Heinie Groh, Fred Hutchinson and August Herrman. As of today, there are 81 members and inductions take place every other year.
Just as we were getting ready to leave, Nick noticed an elderly lady, sitting at a table.
"Who's that?," he asked.
"I'm not sure, let's ask someone," I said.
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| Ryan and I, with Mrs. Kluszewski |
After meeting Mrs. Kluszewski, we looked at our watches and headed outside, and across the courtyard to head into the ballpark for the game. First though, Nick and Tony decided they needed Reds hats and t-shirts, so we walked across the street and purchased one from a vendor. Ryan has his hats, on which we embroider the date and final score; Nick wanted a hat and a shirt from each team he visited, as well.
Starting Lineup and Game 1
Jim Kulhawy
Ryan Kulhawy
Tony D'Angelo
Nick D'Angelo
Robert Zoch
Steve Novak
Joey Novak
All weekend long, Nick had been wishing to see Reds' closer, Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has the ability to throw over 100 mph and that is something we all wanted to witness. However, with Seattle leading, it was unlikely that we would see Chapman. But, as the ninth inning opened, the bullpen doors did as well, and out came the closer. He did not disappoint, striking out two of the three batters he faced and going over 100 mph, five times. It was amazing to watch the hitters flail away, as they knew they weren't going to be able to touch his fastball.
As we walked into Great American Ball Park, the boys were handed Reds' hats. It seems we had gotten another giveaway day, and the kids loved it. Ryan went back and asked for another hat, this one for his brother, Brendan, and was thrilled when the lady agreed to give him one. It was another instance where I could see him growing up before my eyes. Last year he might not have even thought of his brother, but this year he wanted to get him something everywhere we went. He was making me very proud of him.
Today, we went right to our seats, after grabbing some more Skyline Chili Coneys of course. We didn't need to roam the park, as we did this day before. We had gotten our pictures, and ballpark exploring done yesterday, so now it was time to enjoy the game and relax. After all, we had six hours to watch this game and drive an hour and twenty minutes to Columbus for the next game, which started at seven...or so I thought.
"What time did you say the Columbus game starts?," Tony asked.
"Seven o'clock," I told him.
"Are you sure?," he asked, getting me a little nervous.
"Why?," I wanted to know.
"The website says six," he said, raising his eyebrows.
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!"
Sure enough, the site said six o'clock start time, which would be cutting it very close. Everyone said the right things, how we'd make it, there wouldn't be an issue, we could always leave this game a little early. Only Ryan knew the truth, which was that I HATE leaving games early and it would bother me to no end, if we had to. Well, there was nothing we could do about that now, except hope "The Baseball Gods" smiled down on us and made this game a quick one.
The Game:
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| First pitch |
As we watched Bronson Arroyo warm up, I thought that we could do this, with a little luck and a quick game. Arroyo got the first batter swinging. The next batter was Nick Franklin and he started the first inning, just as Brad Miller had, the day before, with a home run. It was, quickly, 1-0 Seattle.
"Here we go again," I heard Ryan say, laughing and elbowing Nick.
"Plenty of time to come back," was Nicky's response.
The Reds almost made Nick prophetic, again, in the bottom of the first. Choo singled, but Cozart banged into a 5-4-3 double play. As Votto came to the plate, Ryan again sang "Paint It Black," and Votto singled. The next batter, Brandon Phillips, also singled, but both runners were left stranded when Jay Bruce grounded out to second.
Neither team scored in the second, but Seattle plated two more in the third when Seager walked and Justin Smoak homered to left. 3-0 Mariners and Ryan and Nick looked at one another, as if to say there was still plenty of time. I just wanted to see the Reds score four quick ones and the rest of the game pass quickly. I got half of my wish.
The Reds managed just one hit, a Chris Heisey double in the bottom of the fifth, before they made Seattle break a sweat in the bottom of the seventh. Todd Frazier doubled and Chris Heisey also doubled, to score a run, but the Reds would get no more that inning. The score stood at 3-1, Mariners, as we went to the top of the ninth.
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| Chapman brings the heat |
All weekend long, Nick had been wishing to see Reds' closer, Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has the ability to throw over 100 mph and that is something we all wanted to witness. However, with Seattle leading, it was unlikely that we would see Chapman. But, as the ninth inning opened, the bullpen doors did as well, and out came the closer. He did not disappoint, striking out two of the three batters he faced and going over 100 mph, five times. It was amazing to watch the hitters flail away, as they knew they weren't going to be able to touch his fastball.
The Reds went down 1-2-3, in the bottom of the ninth, and lost 3-1. There was, however, no time to stand around, feeling sorry. We had to get to the car and get on the road to Columbus, as it was now 3:45 and that game started at 6:00. I took a quick look at the scoreboard, noticed the Yankees were beating Baltimore, 1-0 in the ninth, and we made a beeline for the car. Ten minutes later, we were saying our goodbyes to Steve and Joey, thanking them for putting us up in their home, and hitting the road.
Final Score:
Mariners 3, Reds 1
Saunders (W) 7-8
Wilhelmsen (S) 18
Arroyo (L) 7-7
Post Game Wrap-Up
"FUCK!," Rob screamed at the top of his lungs, as we pulled out into traffic.
"Whatsa matter?," I asked, hoping he didn't just see there was a jam on the road we needed to travel. It was worse.
"Mo gave up a double and a homer and we lost 2-1," he informed us.
"Crap," said Ryan.
"Damn," was Nick's response.
"Son of a bitch," Tony complained.
"Hey, better that than traffic," I told them all.
"Damn," was Nick's response.
"Son of a bitch," Tony complained.
"Hey, better that than traffic," I told them all.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my father?," Ryan wanted to know, as he slapped the back of my head.
"Just give me the directions," I told Tony, who was the co-pilot for this part of the trip, as we pulled out of Cincinnati and started northeast, towards Columbus.
The 110-mile ride from Cincinnati to Columbus passed in no time. We were in the car, on the highway out of town, at 4:01 PM and pulled into the parking lot down the street from Huntington Park at 5:40 PM. We saw nothing but open road, rolling farmland and cows, the whole trip. Nick, once again, passed out on top of Ryan, in the third row bench seat that they were using as their own Pullman car. Nick was comfortable, Ryan didn't care and the serenity was relaxing.
Starting Lineup and Game 2:
Jim Kulhawy
Ryan Kulhawy
Tony D'Angelo
Nick D'Angelo
Robert Zoch
When we mapped out this year's travel itinerary, we decided to do some minor league parks along the way, and Columbus was between Cincinnati and Canton, so this seemed a perfect way to break up the day. What we hadn't counted on was the second Reds' game, but that looked like it had all worked out fine. We were here, getting our tickets and going into the ballpark. Life was good.
After spreading out our blanket and grabbing some shirts, hats and programs, we settled in to watch the game. The Clippers would be playing the Louisville Bats, who are the Triple A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.(Talk about tying things together; this was an interesting coincidence.) The starting pitcher for the Clippers tonight would be a player we had seen numerous times in Major League parks, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka had been released by the Red Sox after many years in Boston, picked up by the Indians and sent down to the minors after spring training. Needless to say, he was not faring well here, either.
I walked over to an usher and asked if there was any way we could move to the rooftop deck and find a table overlooking right field. He said there was a private party there, so he didn't think so. I quickly explained our trip, how we had started the day at Great American Ball Park, sitting in the sun, ran to Columbus and spent the first six innings, again sitting in the sun, and told him I didn't know if the boys could make it much longer. He took one look at Ryan and Nick, made a call, and five minutes later we were sitting upstairs, in the shade and feeling a lot better.
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| The Columbus skyline |
The Columbus Clippers are a Triple A team, that plays in the International League and is the farm team for the Cleveland Indians. The team came into existence in 1977 as the farm team for the Pirates, before changing its parent club to the New York Yankees two years later. After 28 years servicing the Yankees, the Clippers became the Triple A team of the Washington Nationals for two years (starting in 2007), and then moved on to the Indians after the 2008 season. In their history the Clippers have won the Governors' Cup (Triple A Championship) nine times, and have groomed some very good major league talent, such as; Dave Righetti, Buck Showalter, Robinson Cano, Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter.
Huntington Park
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| Huntington Park, Columbus, OH |
The Clippers' original home was Cooper Stadium, which they played in from inception until they moved to Huntington Park in 2009. In it's inaugural season, Huntington Park was named Ballpark of the Year, by baseballparks.com. It beat out all new, or renovated, parks in the country that year, including the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.
As we walked into the ballpark, we found it to be cozy and comfortable, yet large enough to seat 10,000
fans. The dimensions are 325 feet to Left Field, 360 to Left-Center, 400 to Center, 365 to Right-Center and 318 down the Right Field line. There is a general admission picnic-area behind the left-center field wall (this is where our "seats" were) where you could spread a blanket and take in the game. Beyond the left field area, there is a building which has a 110-foot-long bar, six patios on the second deck, and an open air roof, from which fans can see the game. There is also a 22-foot-wall in right field, which houses a balcony with tables and chairs for a view of the field like the Green Monster Seats at Fenway Park.
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| View to center-field |
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| Party deck/bar in left |
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| Down the right-field line |
The Game:
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| First pitch in Columbus |
After wandering around a little, and getting the feel for the ballpark, we settled in on the blanket to watch the game. Louisville opened the game with a strikeout and a single, which was quickly erased by a double play, but Columbus went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.
Louisville would single again, to no avail, in the top of the second and Columbus would hit into a double play to kill a rally in the bottom of the second. Going into the top of the third, there was still no score, but that would change quickly.
Louisville's first two batters singled to start the third, a sacrifice bunt moved them over to second and third with one out, and a runner was gunned down at the plate for the second out. It looked like Matsuzaka might escape the mess he'd created, if he could just get the next batter. It would not be, as Neftali Soto homered to left, giving the Bats a 3-0 lead.
"Same old Matsuzaka," Ryan quipped.
"Good to see some things never change," I noted.
"Hey," Nick said, "Did you guys realize that we have seen three home runs in the last two days, and none of them were for the team we were rooting for?"
The five of us looked at one another.
"D'OH," I said, doing my best Homer Simpson impression.
Ryan just shook his head.
Neither team had another hit until Emmanuel Burris, the Louisville DH, singled in the top of the sixth, but he was quickly erased trying to stretch it into a double. Columbus did nothing, again, in the bottom of the inning.
At this time, we decided that it was just a bit too warm sitting in the sun in the general admission section. We had been under the sun all afternoon in Cincinnati and now for the first six innings in Columbus, the kids were melting and the three of us weren't far behind.
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| Nick and Ry atop the right-field wall |
Louisville again singled in the top of the seventh, but a double play quickly ended that threat. Meanwhile, Columbus hadn't had a hit since the bottom of the second.
Louisville singled to start the top of the eighth, then moved the runner to second with a sacrifice bunt. Matsuzaka, who had settled back in after the home run in the third, got the next batter to pop out to the third baseman for the second out. Then, inexplicably, the manager decided to lift him and bring in a reliever, which would turn out to be a mistake as the next batter singled in the run, to make it 4-0, Bats.
After a quick bottom of the eighth, in which Columbus once again did nothing, and a top of the ninth, where Louisville did the same, we settled in to watch Columbus' last gasp.
Columbus finally showed some life as the bottom of the ninth got under way. Two straight singles to start the inning brought about a pitching change for Louisville. That didn't seem to help, as the next batter singled to load the bases, with one out, which stopped the game for yet another Louisville pitching change. The bases were loaded, with none out, for the 2-3-4 hitters of Columbus. Maybe they could pull this out, in dramatic fashion. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, as the Clippers sent the next batter to the plate.
"This is great," Nick said to Rob.
"Lookin' good," was the reply.
"Even a sac fly would bring in a run," Ryan informed us.
"Thanks, coach," I responded. He gave me a dirty look.
Tim Fedroff, the Clippers' center fielder, worked the count to 3-2, before he went down swinging. One out. A groan went up from the crowd. Louisville made yet another pitching change, which heightened the tension in the ballpark.
Chen, the first baseman, strode to the plate. Ball one...Called strike...The crowd was on its feet, ready to let out a tremendous roar...Ball two...Chen swung, and missed...Strike Two...Two Balls, two strikes, one out, bases loaded.
"The only thing he can't do is hit into a...," Ryan's sentence was cut off mid way through...
Ground ball to third, throw to second, on to first, double play...Game over, Louisville wins.
Final Score:
Bats 4, Clippers 0
Reineke (W) 8-5
Diaz, Jo (S) 4
Matsuzaka (L) 1-5
Post-Game Wrap-Up
"Well, that sucked," I said to no one in particular.
"They really didn't deserve to win," Rob returned.
"No, but that was just pitiful," Tony added.
"OK, time to hit the road," I said. Not particularly looking forward to the two-hour drive to Canton.
Just then the announcer said:
"All kids that want to run the bases, line up on the first base side of the field."
"All kids that want to run the bases, line up on the first base side of the field."
Both boys looked at us and we looked at each other, then back at them.
"Go ahead," Tony told them. "We came all the way out here, run the bases and Jim will get some pictures."
They happily took off, as we collected all the souvenirs and made our
way to the third base side of the field where they would be exiting, after touching home plate. I stood behind the fence, at home plate, to take some pictures, and then met the group along the third base railing where someone took our picture. Then it was back to the van for the trip to Canton, which was two and a half hours away.
 |
| Ryan and Nick run the bases |
 |
| After two games, two cities, one day |
As we got on the road, I remembered back to our original plan, which was to go to my friend Paul's house, outside of Cleveland. But, that would involve doubling back to get to the NFL Hall of Fame and Thurman Munson's grave before going back the way we had just come, to get back to Cleveland. We decided it would be best to go directly to Canton and stay the night at a motel, then, see the Hall of Fame and Munson's grave-site the next day, before heading to Paul's and on into Cleveland for the game on Monday night. It seemed so easy. It was right then and there we decided to grab a cheap motel in Canton and stay with Paul the next night. So, we made reservations at a Motel 6, in Canton, and would be crashing there...or so we thought. Little did I know what was ahead of me as I pulled the car into the Columbus night.
Tony was in the front, Rob was in the seat directly behind me and the boys were lounged out in the back, as they would do for the next week. Tony's GPS wanted to take us in a roundabout way, but Rob, who loves reading atlases, found us a quicker route, cutting out almost thirty minutes. As we sped along through the Ohio night, we laughed about all that had happened in just sixty hours. We had gone from New Jersey, to Kentucky, to Cincinnati, to Columbus and were now on our way to Canton; it had been quite the trip so far, and we were just beginning.
As we rolled through the rainy Ohio night, the three of us talked about the trip, so far, Ryan listened to some music and Nick slept, lounged out across Ryan, who didn't seem to mind. Tony's G.P.S. kept trying to take us a different route than what I had printed out from Mapquest, and it seemed to be quite a bit longer. That's when Rob pulled out his atlas and started studying the countryside, by overhead light.
"Hey, Columbus," I heard from the backseat. "Can you get us there quicker?"
"You know Columbus discovered the new world by accident," I told Ryan.
"OK, should I call him Lewis, or Clark?," Ryan wanted to know.
"I don't care if you call him, Sacajawea, as long as we get there quicker," I said.
About an hour later we pulled into the Motel 6, in North Canton. I quickly got out of the car to get us checked in and was met at the door by a young lady who informed me that we had already been billed for not showing up. That should have been the first clue something was going to go horribly wrong. Needless to say, I never saw it.
"What do you mean we didn't show up," I asked. "I'm standing right here"
"You were supposed to check in by nine, or call us," I was told.
"Check the reservation," I said to her.
" I don't see anything...Oh, I must have missed the note on a late check in," was all she said.
"We'll just take the room key and be on our way," I told her.
"Well, we gave your room away, when you weren't here by nine," she said sheepishly.
"Gave it away to whom?" I wanted to know. "There's three cars in the lot"
"Who," she corrected me.
"What?," was all I could stammer back.
"It's gave away the room to who," she corrected me again.
"It's actually whom," I told her, "but I just want a room, please."
I couldn't believe I was standing here getting incorrectly corrected on my grammar, by a girl who couldn't even read the reservation correctly, but I figured that I should just bite my tongue, get the room key and go shower and crash in a bed.I took the keys, thanked the girl and went back to the car.
"What took so long?," Tony wanted to know.
"You'll never believe what I just went through," I said, retelling the whole head-shaking incident.
"D'OH," Ryan said, which made me shake my head and laugh.
"Let's go to the room and get unpacked," Nick said.
"Done," I told him.
We pulled into the parking spot outside the room, piled out of the car and headed to the door. I put in the key card, opened the door, turned on the lights and instantly saw we had a problem.
"What the...," I heard Ryan say behind me.
"Um, where's everyone going to sleep?," Nick wondered.
"You've got to be kidding me," I said aloud.
Now, when I booked the room, I asked for two queen beds and plenty of floor space. We had sleeping bags, and didn't need a bed for everyone, just enough room for everyone to stretch out. What I saw before me, was nothing like what I had reserved. There was one bed, which looked to be a double, and that was it.
"Back in the car," I told everyone. "No way are we accepting this."
Back to the front desk we went, with me muttering under my breath the whole way. When we got there, I pulled up, got out and went back inside to talk to the girl who had checked us in.
"Um, hi," I started out nicely. "We seem to have an issue."
"What's the problem," she asked, wiping something from the corner of her mouth. I had apparently interrupted dinner and she was not too thrilled.
"Well," I started, "we had reserved a room with two queen beds, and the room you gave us had, what looked like, a double."
"I told you, we gave your room away," she replied, annoyed to actually have to deal with the issue.
"Yes, I believe we did discuss that," I said gritting my teeth. "But, you did see that a mistake was made, what kind of room we needed and how many people were in our party. I need the same kind of room I reserved."
My mind suddenly flashed back to a "Seinfeld" episode about a reservation problem, and I laughed out loud.
"I'm in a damn sitcom," I said to no one at all.
"What?," the girl behind the counter said.
"Nothing. Do you have a room that can meet our needs?," I asked, starting to lose what little patience I had left.
"Yeah, I guess," was what I was told.
I couldn't believe this was happening, at the end of a long day, in Nowheresville, Ohio, at midnight. All I wanted was a room with two queen-sized beds, a shower and a bathroom; it should not have been this hard.
"Here," she said, tossing the new room key at me.
Before I could say thank you, she had turned around and was grabbing more of whatever she had been eating when I had come back in. I turned on my heel, walked out the door, back to the car and laughed at the absurdity, while telling the story to the rest of the group.
Silently, we all got out of the car and went to the new room. By this time, everyone was exhausted, annoyed and just wanted to clean up and get some sleep. I put the keycard in the lock, the light flashed green, I turned the door handle and put my shoulder into the door to push it open...It felt like I hit a brick wall.
"DAMNIT," I yelped, rubbing my shoulder.
"Can't you open a door?," Rob teased
"Bite me," I said, while turning my shoulder in circles, trying to work the ache out.
I tried again...same results.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!," I screamed.
"Are you sure you're doing it right?," Ryan chimed in.
"You have got to be kidding me," I wailed. "This is not happening."
"How hard can it be to open a door?," Rob wanted to know.
"That's it, were done," Tony said. "I saw a Best Western across the street, we're staying there. Let's get our money back and go to a real hotel."
"The Baseball Gods don't want us to stay here, listen to Mr. D," Ryan said.
I didn't need any more convincing. Back to the front desk we went, while Tony went across the street to get us a room. I walked back into the office, this time with Rob, Ryan and Nick behind me.
"Honey, I'm home," I said, sarcastically.
Just then the desk girl turned around with (I kid you not) a full chicken leg in her mouth, being held with her teeth.
"Now what?," she said, with more than a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your midnight bucket of chicken snack, but this door doesn't even open. We're not staying, we'd like the card reversed and we'll go somewhere else," I told her.
"I've got another room, just wait ten minutes," she said.
"Um, no," I told her. "I'm done, we booked our reservation properly, you didn't read it correctly and gave the room away. Then you tried to put the five of us in a room the size of a closet, with one bed and finally you gave us a room where the door wouldn't open. We're done, please reverse my card and we'll be out of here, will be going across the street and you'll be free to kill the rest of that bucket of chicken"
After an awkward few minutes, we had a reverse receipt, got in the van and drove across the street, where Tony informed us the room was ready and all we had to do was unpack and go inside. Thirty minutes later, the car was unpacked, the sleeping bags were unrolled, Ryan and Tony had cleaned up, while Rob and Nick wandered off to find some much needed beers and snacks.
After a few beers, some soda for the kids and a light snack we all settled in. Nick said he would have suggested a bucket of chicken for a snack, but was afraid I might have made him wear it. We all settled in and I quickly heard the soft sound of snoring. I closed my eyes, thought back on everything we had done in just a few short days, and felt a twinge of excitement for the next day, when we would be seeing the N.F.L. Hall of Fame, Thurman Munson's grave, meeting my friend Paul's family and taking in an Indians game.
I closed my eyes, smiled and was excited for what the morning would bring. After all, "tomorrow is another day..."
As we rolled through the rainy Ohio night, the three of us talked about the trip, so far, Ryan listened to some music and Nick slept, lounged out across Ryan, who didn't seem to mind. Tony's G.P.S. kept trying to take us a different route than what I had printed out from Mapquest, and it seemed to be quite a bit longer. That's when Rob pulled out his atlas and started studying the countryside, by overhead light.
"Hey, Columbus," I heard from the backseat. "Can you get us there quicker?"
"You know Columbus discovered the new world by accident," I told Ryan.
"OK, should I call him Lewis, or Clark?," Ryan wanted to know.
"I don't care if you call him, Sacajawea, as long as we get there quicker," I said.
About an hour later we pulled into the Motel 6, in North Canton. I quickly got out of the car to get us checked in and was met at the door by a young lady who informed me that we had already been billed for not showing up. That should have been the first clue something was going to go horribly wrong. Needless to say, I never saw it.
"What do you mean we didn't show up," I asked. "I'm standing right here"
"You were supposed to check in by nine, or call us," I was told.
"Check the reservation," I said to her.
" I don't see anything...Oh, I must have missed the note on a late check in," was all she said.
"We'll just take the room key and be on our way," I told her.
"Well, we gave your room away, when you weren't here by nine," she said sheepishly.
"Gave it away to whom?" I wanted to know. "There's three cars in the lot"
"Who," she corrected me.
"What?," was all I could stammer back.
"It's gave away the room to who," she corrected me again.
"It's actually whom," I told her, "but I just want a room, please."
I couldn't believe I was standing here getting incorrectly corrected on my grammar, by a girl who couldn't even read the reservation correctly, but I figured that I should just bite my tongue, get the room key and go shower and crash in a bed.I took the keys, thanked the girl and went back to the car.
"What took so long?," Tony wanted to know.
"You'll never believe what I just went through," I said, retelling the whole head-shaking incident.
"D'OH," Ryan said, which made me shake my head and laugh.
"Let's go to the room and get unpacked," Nick said.
"Done," I told him.
We pulled into the parking spot outside the room, piled out of the car and headed to the door. I put in the key card, opened the door, turned on the lights and instantly saw we had a problem.
"What the...," I heard Ryan say behind me.
"Um, where's everyone going to sleep?," Nick wondered.
"You've got to be kidding me," I said aloud.
Now, when I booked the room, I asked for two queen beds and plenty of floor space. We had sleeping bags, and didn't need a bed for everyone, just enough room for everyone to stretch out. What I saw before me, was nothing like what I had reserved. There was one bed, which looked to be a double, and that was it.
"Back in the car," I told everyone. "No way are we accepting this."
Back to the front desk we went, with me muttering under my breath the whole way. When we got there, I pulled up, got out and went back inside to talk to the girl who had checked us in.
"Um, hi," I started out nicely. "We seem to have an issue."
"What's the problem," she asked, wiping something from the corner of her mouth. I had apparently interrupted dinner and she was not too thrilled.
"Well," I started, "we had reserved a room with two queen beds, and the room you gave us had, what looked like, a double."
"I told you, we gave your room away," she replied, annoyed to actually have to deal with the issue.
"Yes, I believe we did discuss that," I said gritting my teeth. "But, you did see that a mistake was made, what kind of room we needed and how many people were in our party. I need the same kind of room I reserved."
My mind suddenly flashed back to a "Seinfeld" episode about a reservation problem, and I laughed out loud.
"I'm in a damn sitcom," I said to no one at all.
"What?," the girl behind the counter said.
"Nothing. Do you have a room that can meet our needs?," I asked, starting to lose what little patience I had left.
"Yeah, I guess," was what I was told.
I couldn't believe this was happening, at the end of a long day, in Nowheresville, Ohio, at midnight. All I wanted was a room with two queen-sized beds, a shower and a bathroom; it should not have been this hard.
"Here," she said, tossing the new room key at me.
Before I could say thank you, she had turned around and was grabbing more of whatever she had been eating when I had come back in. I turned on my heel, walked out the door, back to the car and laughed at the absurdity, while telling the story to the rest of the group.
Silently, we all got out of the car and went to the new room. By this time, everyone was exhausted, annoyed and just wanted to clean up and get some sleep. I put the keycard in the lock, the light flashed green, I turned the door handle and put my shoulder into the door to push it open...It felt like I hit a brick wall.
"DAMNIT," I yelped, rubbing my shoulder.
"Can't you open a door?," Rob teased
"Bite me," I said, while turning my shoulder in circles, trying to work the ache out.
I tried again...same results.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!," I screamed.
"Are you sure you're doing it right?," Ryan chimed in.
"You have got to be kidding me," I wailed. "This is not happening."
"How hard can it be to open a door?," Rob wanted to know.
"That's it, were done," Tony said. "I saw a Best Western across the street, we're staying there. Let's get our money back and go to a real hotel."
"The Baseball Gods don't want us to stay here, listen to Mr. D," Ryan said.
I didn't need any more convincing. Back to the front desk we went, while Tony went across the street to get us a room. I walked back into the office, this time with Rob, Ryan and Nick behind me.
"Honey, I'm home," I said, sarcastically.
Just then the desk girl turned around with (I kid you not) a full chicken leg in her mouth, being held with her teeth.
"Now what?," she said, with more than a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your midnight bucket of chicken snack, but this door doesn't even open. We're not staying, we'd like the card reversed and we'll go somewhere else," I told her.
"I've got another room, just wait ten minutes," she said.
"Um, no," I told her. "I'm done, we booked our reservation properly, you didn't read it correctly and gave the room away. Then you tried to put the five of us in a room the size of a closet, with one bed and finally you gave us a room where the door wouldn't open. We're done, please reverse my card and we'll be out of here, will be going across the street and you'll be free to kill the rest of that bucket of chicken"
After an awkward few minutes, we had a reverse receipt, got in the van and drove across the street, where Tony informed us the room was ready and all we had to do was unpack and go inside. Thirty minutes later, the car was unpacked, the sleeping bags were unrolled, Ryan and Tony had cleaned up, while Rob and Nick wandered off to find some much needed beers and snacks.
After a few beers, some soda for the kids and a light snack we all settled in. Nick said he would have suggested a bucket of chicken for a snack, but was afraid I might have made him wear it. We all settled in and I quickly heard the soft sound of snoring. I closed my eyes, thought back on everything we had done in just a few short days, and felt a twinge of excitement for the next day, when we would be seeing the N.F.L. Hall of Fame, Thurman Munson's grave, meeting my friend Paul's family and taking in an Indians game.
I closed my eyes, smiled and was excited for what the morning would bring. After all, "tomorrow is another day..."
Next Stop:
July 8, 2013
Canton, OH:
N.F.L. Hall of Fame
Thruman Munson's Grave
Cleveland, OH:
Progressive Field
Detroit Tigers Vs Cleveland Indians
July 9, 2013
Toledo, OH
Fifth Third Field
Louisville Bats Vs Toledo Mud Hens
July 9, 2013
Toledo, OH
Fifth Third Field
Louisville Bats Vs Toledo Mud Hens
