Great American Ballpark

   But, I do like this park! You guys, your SRO area is a great vantage point to hang out for a while, and watch Griffey up close.

  For me, an outsider, to pay a visit to see him (in the game, and on the field so close) was very cool. I had seen him at Shea Stadium, but mainly through the lens of my telephoto 170-500mm.

   Yes...you guys are probably weary of seeing him, all the time, he has a reputation for being...not so approachable and lacks good standing with the fans. But he will still go to the Hall of Fame one day. And he'll go as a Red.

   Years from now, when hes inducted, you'll remember plays that he made in the field, or balls that he pounded over the fence. Value him despite everything. What if he was traded, as has been talked about? Then, he'd be gone....

   Remember...it can always be worse. You could have a cookie cutter still! Or, maybe you'd like to have Riverfront Stadium back?

   Thanks for the nice comments regarding my photographs....

My friend says there is no comparison whatsoever.  He believes the lower seating bowl at GABP is the best in baseball, and the concourse area is the tops also. He was impressed with the main entrance amongst the statues, although the HOF was not open at the time of his visit last season. The river view is a plus, as is the Moon Deck in right.    

I slowly began to warm on GABP afterwards.  The Machine Room is a great attribute on a steamy summer night.  The kids playzone is pretty decent, as it occupies the tots for almost an hour each trip. I still greatly prefer to sit in the lower bowl. The left field wall scoreboard is a nice touch.  

Negatives include the hideous Mountain Dew clock in the main scoreboard, the smokestacks spitting out smoke which obstructs the playing field afterwards, all the bells and whistles like the T-shirt tosses/loud music between innings/etc.  

I went to a Florence Freedom game this past week and was blown away by the sounds of old time baseball.  I heard the outfielders calling each other off flyballs, and at one point you could hear a baserunning grunting while trying to leg out an infield hit.  

Give it room to breathe, and GABP is a great place.  Especially if you are receiving free tix.......      

Now, dissenting opinion from a curmudgeon. <evil grin>  Many or most of you will disagree but that's cool.  I lost on the stadium ballot measures, so I'm used to it.

There was nothing wrong with Riverfront Stadium that a little bit of preventive maintenance and ingenuity couldn't have cured.  The place was consciously allowed to go to rack and ruin.  The concrete was cracked, everything needed painting, heck, even the restrooms seldom had hand soap in Riverfront's last few years (must have been a Marge Schott cutback directive).  It was great and long past due when they finally got rid of the Astroturf and if the "demand" for "skyboxes" was so high, they could have converted the entire former club level (yellow seats) to pamper the jillionaires after the Bengals moved into their nearby extorted-from-the-taxpayers Taj Mahal wannabe.

Thumbs down each for Hamilton County, the Reds and to an extent, the Bengals, for this policy of neglect over the years.

They did it smart in St. Louis (through this year, anyway), having upgraded Busch Stadium and the Dodgers/Los Angeles continue to be wise tenants/landlords when it comes to maintenance and appearance at 43-year old and counting Dodger Stadium.

GABP's is a flimsy eyesore of a boondoggle that will be lucky to survive 30 years.  I question the structural integrity of the upper deck.  There's little to no shade/overhead cover in the place and aesthetically speaking, the joint looks quirky and forced to fit together when it didn't have to be constructed that way - - reminiscent of a 4-year old building with Lego blocks.  I expected far better for my money.

Hamilton County Taxpayer Memorial Ballpark's only saving graces are that the angle of the seats face home plate (more or less) and the seating is mostly closer to the field, if you can afford them or are willing to shell out big dollars to see a generally below average product on the field.  As a Hamilton County taxpayer, therefore a de facto "owner" of GABP, I still maintain that my fellow taxpayers were blackmailed and railroaded into paying for this place and our hard-earned dollars would have been better spent maintaining and upgrading Riverfront Stadium for far less $$$.

Oh and topple the annoying and incongruous corporate-leased smokestacks.  The God-awful distractions belong at a carnival, not at a baseball stadium.  I almost expect elephants and belly dancers.  

Apologies to the departed Bill Veeck Jr.

CFred in Westwood

best deal in baseball