Taking in a game at Great American Ball Park

So I found myself in Cincinnati for business this week, since the company I work for has an office in the Queen city. One of my fine coworkers, decided it would be a good idea to go see a baseball game while I was in town. Luckily enough the Reds were in town against the L.A. Dodgers, so off to the old ball park we went.

Last night was a perfect night for baseball in any city. It was about 75 degrees for the first pitch at 7:05. When the final out was made a mere 3:02 hours later, after the Reds had beaten the Dodger 8-1, the temperature was still around 70.

I have to admit, I absolutely loved that ballpark. It was right along the Ohio River. Very cozy (seats 42,941), with great sightlines. I felt like I was part of the action, in spite of being 20 or so rows back. The field itself is about the same dimensions as Shea Stadium here in NYC, but it felt much smaller because the stands were so close to the field. I honestly felt as close to a game as I have ever been, and I have sat in the 3rd row at Shea. I am hoping this design is indicative of how the New Yankee Stadium and Citifield will look and feel next year when they open.

There were a ton of concession stands, with lots of food and beer options. The vendors were selling peanuts and beer, which I think is a great pairing. If you are going to sell them, it makes sense to have the same vendor hawk them together. The bathrooms were clean, the walkways were wide, the seats were comfortable. There fireworks after a Red HomeRun (I actually thought Kentucky was attacking Ohio at first) were a pleasant surprise. The fog coming from the stacks after a visitor struck out, was a little confusing until I figured that player just got smoked.

The view above is approximately the view that we had as we saw Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn home run for the Redlegs, while Jerry Hairston led off and went 4-5 on the day. Joey Votto went 3-4 and help jettison my fantasy team into first place. Edinson Volquez also pitched a 7 inning gem. The Dodgers looked old and slow, and not very motivated.

The only thing that honestly made me uncomfortable was they actually had cheerleaders come out and do some routines on each dugout in between innings. It is the first time I ever saw this type of entertainment at a baseball game. It made me wonder if these woman had actually failed to make the Bengals squad and were trying to keep the dream alive. Five woman doing cheers, scantily clad in baseball uniform was just not necessary. Those local natives around me tended to agree.

If you ever find yourself in Cincinnati during baseball season, I would highly recommend going to catch a game.