Everything about Great American Ball Park totally explained
Great American Ball Park is the home of the
Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise. The park opened on
March 28,
2003 with an exhibition game against the
Cleveland Indians. 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 to throw out the first pitch, but was 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 against the
Chicago Cubs.
While the park's name appears to be a patriotic reference,
Great American Insurance Group actually holds
naming rights for the park. Former Cincinnati Reds majority owner
Carl Lindner, Jr. is Great American Insurance Group's majority owner.
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. It was built on a plot of land informally known as "the wedge".
Building Great American Ball Park
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.
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 as 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. When the Reds strike out a batter, smoke blows out of the stacks. When the Reds hit a home run, fireworks are launched from the stacks.
The Spirit of Baseball. A 50 foot by 20 foot (15 by 6
m) limestone
bas relief carving near the main entrance features a young baseball player looking up to the heroic figures of a batter, pitcher and fielder, all set against the background of many of Cincinnati's landmarks, including the riverfront and Union Terminal. The piece was sculpted between 2002 and 2003 by local artists Todd Myers and Paul Brooke.
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 The homer-friendly nature of the park has led to the nickname "Great American Smallpark" among both fans and players. "If you put [theball] in the air here you've got a chance for it to go out of the ballpark," former Reds Manager
Jerry Narron has said.
Riverboat Deck. Above the Batter's eye, new for the 2007 season.
"Gapper"
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
Statistics
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
Trivia
On April 3, 2006, President George W. Bush was the first sitting President to throw out a first pitch before a Reds game. His father, former President George H. W. Bush, helped inaugurate the ballpark by throwing a ceremonial first pitch March 31, 2003. The elder Bush also threw out the first pitch at Riverfront Stadium for the 1988 MLB All-Star Game. Incidentally, William Howard Taft, the first president to ever throw out an opening pitch at a baseball game, was born and raised in Cincinnati.
On April 2, 2007, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory threw out the first pitch of the 2007 season so poorly that the incident was broadcast on television around the country and led to an appearance by Mallory on Jimmy Kimmel Live to defend his performance.
Lance Berkman, of the Houston Astros, has hit 18 home runs at Great American Ballpark, which is the most by any visiting player.
The most home runs hit by one team in a game at GABP came on May 7, 2008 when the Reds hit 7 home runs off the Chicago Cubs. Three were hit by Joey Votto, while the remaining four were hit by Adam Dunn, Paul Bako, Jerry Hairston, Jr., and Brandon Phillips. The Reds won the game 9-0, with all nine runs driven in by the homer.Further Information
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