The ballpark experience

Posted on | July 14, 2009 | No Comments

May 2009: My family and I at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. While we've enjoyed many Reds baseball games at GABP this season, this photo was taken after a 5k race that ended on the warning track inside the stadium.

Read an interesting column this morning in the Wall Street Journal, a personal look at ballparks from a writer, Mark Yost, who takes his son on summer journeys across the country.  Those journeys include ballparks, including Cincinnati’s.  But Mr. Yost is not fond of our Great American Ball Park.

In spirit, I agree 100% with Mr. Yost in this column. He and I appear to appreciate the same things in baseball, and in the experience of going to a game. But I’d like to invite him back to Cincinnati, because I have a different impression of the games at Great American Ball Park.

Like Mr. Yost, I’ve travelled to many major league ballparks over recent years — old stadiums and new ones — and I’ve been to hundreds of major-league games. I’ve lived in Connecticut (near NYC), Oklahoma and Texas, with most of my years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I moved to Cincinnati last fall, and I’ve been to 8 or 9 Reds games this season. What I like about the Reds’ experience is that it’s low-key, fun, fan-friendly. The stadium, while not an architectural masterpiece, is perfectly sized for a smaller-market franchise. The smaller bowl makes every seat closer to the action. The stadium is convenient with easy in/out access and cheap parking. You can enjoy a game there without emptying your wallet. I can sit in the upper deck behind home plate, with a great view of the field, plus the Ohio River and the new HD videoboard, for $14.

Yes, I wish the Cincinnati fans were more into the game (I like to keep score too), but I don’t think it’s any worse here than 80% of the other major league parks. I do appreciate Yankees and Red Sox fans who start clapping for a strikeout when their pitcher has a 2-strike count, but that’s hard to find anywhere else.

As far as the kids’ area goes, it’s outside the bowl at GABP and not a factor to me as a fan. Contrast that with Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, where the kids area is behind Greene’s Hill past the center field wall.

So Mr. Yost, please bring your son back to Cincinnati, and bring your scorebook. I’ll get my son, and the four of us can enjoy another game together. Or perhaps I’ll see you at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. You’re right about that one – a beautiful park with the best stadium view I’ve ever seen. As for the Yankees, I loved the 5 games I attended in the old stadium, including 2 Rangers-Yankees playoff games. But I’ll wait for the ticket prices to come down (or until I get an invite from a wealthy friend) before I feel the need to visit there.

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