Great American Ball Park

Great American Ball Park is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. The park opened on March 28, 2003 with an exhibition game with the Cleveland Indians. The first regular season game, on March 31, 2003, saw the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Reds 10-1. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by former President George H. W. Bush, who replaced his son, current president George W. Bush, who was scheduled, but unable to attend. The younger Bush eventually did get the opportunity to throw out the first pitch before the Reds' April 4, 2006 opening day game versus the Chicago Cubs. However, the Reds lost 16-7.

Contrary to popular belief, the park's name is not a patriotic reference. Consistent with the norm in American professional sports, Great American Ball Park is named after a business sponsor, the Great American Insurance Group. Great American is the insurance division of American Financial Group, Inc., the principal shareholder of which is former Cincinnati Reds majority owner Carl Lindner, Jr..

Location

Great American Ball Park is located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio on the Ohio River between U.S. Bank Arena and the former site of Cinergy Field.

Building GABP

In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of two new facilities for both the Cincinnati Reds and the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. Previously, the teams shared occupancy of Cinergy Field, but complained that the aging multipurpose facility lacked modern amenities and other things necessary for small market teams to survive.

After much discussion and debate, the site that was eventually chosen became informally known as "the wedge," due to it being "wedged" between the two existing facilities. To accommodate construction on the small plot, Cinergy Field was partially demolished, although it remained in use until Great American Ball Park was ready. Cinergy Field, which opened midway through the 1970 season under its working name, Riverfront Stadium, was demolished on December 29, 2002.

Features

The Gap. A 35' (11 m) wide break in the stands between home plate and third base called "The Gap" is bridged by the concourse on each level (see photo). Aligned with Sycamore Street, it provides views into the stadium from downtown and out to the skyline from within the park.

Pepsi Power Stacks. In right center field, two riverboat-inspired smokestacks flash lights, emit smoke and launch fireworks to incite or respond to the home team's efforts.

The Spirit of Baseball. A 50 foot by 20 foot (15 by 6 m) limestone bas relief carving near the main entrance shows baseball figures of a boy and a man along with the Cincinnati riverfront.

The Mosaic. A mosaic paying tribute to two legendary Reds teams: the 1869 Red Stockings, Major League Baseball's first professional team, and the 1975 Big Red Machine club that won the first of two consecutive World Series, are just inside the main entrance.

The Panoramas. Panoramas of downtown Cincinnati, Mt. Adams, the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky are visible from most of the park (see main photo).

The Scoreboard. At 217 feet, 9 inches (66 m) wide, the scoreboard is the third largest in Major League Baseball; only the scoreboards at Denver's Coors Field and Detroit's Comerica Park, respectively, are larger.

Crosley Terrace. As a nod to Crosley Field, the Reds' home from 1912-1970, a monument was created in front of the main entrance to highlight the park's infamous left-field terrace. Bronze statues of Crosley-era stars Joe Nuxhall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski, and Frank Robinson are depicted playing in an imaginary ballgame. These statues were created by sculptor Thomas Tsuchiya.

4192 Mural. A three-piece mural on the back of the scoreboard in left-field depicts the bat Pete Rose used for his record-breaking 4,192nd hit and the ball he hit.

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Located on the west side of Great American Ball Park on Main Street, the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates the Reds' past through galleries and extensive use of multimedia. Although theoretically in existence since 1958, there was no actual building until it was built as part of Great American Ball Park. The Hall of Fame currently honors 68 past Reds (63 of them players.) The newest inductees are outfielder Eric Davis, pitcher Jose Rijo, and 19th century players George Wright and Harry Wright. Davis and Rijo were key players on the Reds' 1990 wire-to-wire team that swept the favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Rijo was named the series' Most Valuable Player.

"Rounding third and heading for home..." The trademark signoff phrase of former Reds pitcher and longtime radio announcer Joe Nuxhall is depicted on the rear of the third base stands on the north side of Great American Ball Park.

The Home Runs There were 246 home runs hit at the stadium last season, which led the major leagues. That was up from 220 in 2004 and 215 in 2003. The 681 home runs hit the previous three seasons were third-most in the majors behind U.S. Cellular Field (home of the Chicago White Sox) and Ameriquest Field (home of the Texas Rangers). "If you elevate a ball for hitters, they've got a chance to put it in the air, and if you put it in the air here you've got a chance for it to go out of the ballpark," Reds manager Jerry Narron has said.

In 2003, the Cincinnati Enquirer asked architects to critique the design of the new ballpark. They concluded that the Great American looked "gaudy" and "erratic".

"There was so much junk thrown in there, it took away from the original intent," said Greg Tilsley of Tilsley and Associates said of the ballpark in the http://reds.enquirer.com/2003/03/28/frilede28.html article.

"Gapper"

Main article: Gapper (mascot)

With a new park, the Reds' ownership decided to update the mascot as well. Thus, in 2002, a contest to name the new mascot was created at Redsfest, the team's annual fan convention. "Gapper" made his debut on opening day, 2003. Gapper is available for special appearances at corporate events, parties, and visits to Reds fans at assisted living communities.

Notable non-baseball events

• On October 31, 2004, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush held a campaign rally in Great American Ball Park. Two Hall of Famers: former Reds catcher Johnny Bench and Reds announcer Marty Brennaman were in attendance.

Statistics

• Seat width: 19 inches (48 cm)
• Ticket windows: 25
• Concourse widths: 40 feet (12 m)
• Escalators: 3
• Passenger elevators: 14
• Public restrooms: 47 (20 women, 20 men, seven family)
• Concession stands: 28
• Parking spaces: 850

Tours

For an in-depth view of Great American Ballpark, tours are available. The tour includes views of Crosley Terrace, Press Box, Diamond Club, 4192 Club and dugouts. Along the way, your tour guide will educate you on Reds history. You will also have an opportunity to see many of the items listed in the features section above. Tour information is available online.

Trivia

• On April 3, 2006, President George W. Bush was the first sitting President to throw out a first pitch before a Reds game, even though the team is pro baseball's oldest. His father, former President George H. W. Bush, helped inaugurate the ballpark by throwing a ceremonial first pitch April 2, 2003. The elder Bush also threw out the first pitch at Riverfront Stadium for the 1988 MLB All-Star Game.

Wikipedia information about Great American Ball Park This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Great American Ball Park". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.