Johnny Bench – Ballparking It

Reds: Hall of Fame and Museum

I couldn’t get the full experience of visiting Great American Ball Park without stopping at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

How else would I know what the inside of a baseball feels like or what players wore to stay warm in 1904? (I’m not being sarcastic. I found all of it fascinating.) As professional baseball’s first franchise, the Reds are not short on history.

Big Red Machine celebration in the Great Teams Room

The Reds haven’t had a winning record since 2013 and are on pace for one of the worst seasons in MLB history, but they’ve been around in some form since 1869 and have their share of World Series championships with five (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976 and 1990).

(In fact, they won a World Series in my lifetime before my beloved Cardinals did, not that my 2-year-old self bothered to notice back in 1990. I’m sure I was more concerned with how Arial was going to escape Ursula or what Michelle Tanner was going to do next.)

The Hall of Fame and Museum sits right in front of Great American Ball Park, so my brother and I decided to explore the museum before entering the stadium. Adult admission is $10, and my experience there was worth at least that much.

My first stop at the museum was getting a pic with this guy.

Meet Mr. Redlegs — Me with statue of Mr. Redlegs

I’m glad I did because although the Reds apparently have FOUR mascots (Mr. Red, Mr. Redlegs, Gapper and Rosie Red), I got a picture with zero of them. This statue of Mr. Redlegs is the closest I came. (Why four mascots? And how in the world did I miss all of them???)

After saying hi to the Mr. Redlegs statue, we walked into the lobby area, purchased our tickets and got our first view of the actual museum.

Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Lobby — View of museum from lobby

A big chunk of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated to uniforms, which I loved because throwback uniforms are some of the most iconic visual representations of what baseball looked and felt like throughout the years.

The first room takes guests back all the way to 1869 with a Red Stockings replica jersey and also features a collection of jerseys from other decades and other teams from around the league.

1869 Replica Uniform — 1869 Red Stockings replica uniform

From there, fans can step into the Palace of the Fans Theater. (Unfortunately, we did not because the next video wasn’t showing for a while, and we were slightly crunched for time. I regret missing out.)

After bypassing the theater, we made our way to one of the most intriguing areas of the museum, a stairwell with a wall covered in baseballs, each representing one of Pete Rose’s MLB record 4,256 career hits.

From what I have read online since going, this section also features a rose garden outside the window, showing where Rose’s record-breaking 4,192nd hit landed, but I don’t remember seeing it. (Maybe it was too early in the year for roses??? Or maybe I’m just not very observant … probably the latter.)

I was interested to see how the Reds treat their disgraced legend, but it looks like he holds a special place in their Hall of Fame, which I guess is deserved considering his accomplishments on the field.

Pete Rose's Career Hits in Baseballs — Baseballs representing each of Pete Rose’s 4,256 career hits

The upper floor offers a look at Cincinnati’s past ballparks, including this cool light from Crosley Field (home of the Reds from 1912 to 1970).

Crosley Field Light — Crosley Field light

After checking out the old ballparks, I got the chance to step inside the dugout with Reds Hall of Fame managers Sparky Anderson (1970-78) and Bill McKechnie (1938-46) in statue form.

And from that experience, I realized I would make one heck of a manager.

Dugout Exhibit Me in the Hall of Fame dugout

Fans can also see how fast they throw, find out what the materials inside baseballs throughout history feel like (pretty stringy) and see how Reds players have stayed warm throughout the years. (I especially enjoyed this part because as someone who is always cold, I’m a big fan of bundling up.)

Speaking of bundling up, the second floor also features a Kids Clubhouse where kids can literally slide into home (down an actual slide) and try on kid-sized baseball jerseys. I took advantage of my height (or lack thereof) and threw on the Jason LaRue jersey in honor of his time as a Cardinal, which I discussed in my Reds preview. It fit.

This next room doesn’t necessarily have as much historical significance as some of the other exhibits, but what it lacks in history, it more than makes up in charm.

The museum also dedicates an area to broadcasting, and this is where I made my most interesting discovery of the visit. (It may be worth mentioning that I once worked in media relations in college athletics, which probably has something to do with how fascinating I found this.)

Apparently, prior to the late 1940s, most away team radio broadcasters were not actually at the games they were announcing. Instead, they relied on someone to send shorthand messages in Morse code via telegraph, while someone at the radio station typed the description of the play-by-play to be read on air. (Simply fascinating.)

Old-School Broadcasting — Telegraph broadcasting for road games

There’s also a radio booth where fans can record their own calls of special moments in Reds history. (Unlike the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, you can’t listen to the original calls first … so it was pretty much a fail on our end.)

The final room before the Hall of Fame is the Great Teams Room. There, you can celebrate with the “Great Eight” members of the Big Red Machine. (I didn’t … because I felt weird doing it in my Cardinals sweatshirt. I wasn’t there to start any fights.)

The Big Red Machine (the 1970s Reds) basically owned the ’70s with two World Series titles, four National League pennants and six division titles during the decade. The “Great Eight” were the starting position players from the World Series championship team (Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey Sr., Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, George Foster and Cesar Geronimo).

1975 World Series Trophy — 1975 World Series trophy

World Series Swag — World Series swag from the ’70s

After taking in all the history and learning just how much the Reds dominated in the 1970s, we finally stepped into the Reds Hall of Fame, home to Reds greats, like Bench, Griffey (Jr. and Sr.), Morgan and Rose.

Reds Hall of Fame List — Partial Reds Hall of Fame list

One of my absolute favorite parts of the experience was watching Reds fans soak in the history of their team. Now I know how I must look when I’m at the Cardinals or Illini Hall of Fame.

I’m not trying to be dramatic, but seeing the looks on Reds fans’ faces, old and young, maybe visiting for the first time, was kind of inspiring. I actually got a little teary-eyed at one point. (Disclaimer: I’m a crier. I cry for pretty much every emotion … joy, sadness, anger, shock, nervousness, you get the idea.)

But try telling me this doesn’t make you feel something.

I love history, and I love baseball. If you love either of those, make sure to put the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum on your to-do list next time you’re in Cincinnati.

There’s still more to come from Cincinnati, but first, take a look at the Hall of Fame and Museum photo gallery below. And if you missed Part 1, check it out now for a recap of my rainy day at Great American Ball Park.

Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Photo Gallery

Old-Timey Reds Batter — Me and an old-timey Reds batter

1935 Cardinals Jersey — 1935 Cardinals jersey

Reds' 1920s Jersey, Socks, Cap — 1920s Reds jersey, socks, cap

Reds' 1919 Road Cap — 1919 Reds road cap

Saves Leader Danny Graves — Reds’ all-time saves leader Danny Graves

Reds Ticket Booth Items — Vintage Reds ticket booth items

Retro Yearbooks and Ticket Sign — Retro yearbooks and ticket sign

1956 Cardinals Road Jersey — 1956 Cardinals road jersey

Cardinals Swag — 1956 Cardinals road jersey sign

1970s Opponents' Jerseys — 1970s opponents’ jerseys

Reds' Opponents' Jerseys in 1970s — Reds’ opponents’ jerseys in 1970s

Reds Owners — Reds owners through the years

Reds Memorabilia — Reds leadership memorabilia

1892 Reds Scorecard — 1892 Reds scorecard

Big Red Machine Sign — Big Red Machine “The Great Eight” sign

1976 World Series Trophy — 1976 World Series trophy

1990 World Series Trophy — 1990 World Series trophy

Reds' World Series Trophies — Reds’ World Series trophies

Reds Hall of Fame Entry — Reds Hall of Fame entry sign

Pete Rose Plaque — Pete Rose plaque in Reds Hall of Fame

Ken Griffey Jr. Plaque — Ken Griffey Jr. plaque in Reds Hall of Fame

Reds: Great American Ball Park

For my first of 30 ballparks for turning 30, my brother and I headed to Cincinnati for a Saturday afternoon matchup between the Cardinals and Reds at Great American Ball Park. The forecast looked almost as bleak as the Reds’ rocky start to the season, but I wasn’t about to let a little rain stop me.

welcome to gabp — Welcome to Great American Ball Park!

Game Day Eve (April 13, 2018)

A majestic bald eagle christened the Ballparking It journey with a dramatic flyover somewhere on Interstate 74 in rural Indiana. I wish we would’ve had our cameras ready, but when the speed limit is 70 and you’ve never seen a bald eagle in the wild before, you’re not necessarily anticipating it.

(But really, how American is a bald eagle flying over your vehicle on your way to your first of 30 MLB stadiums … which coincidentally, happens to be called Great American Ball Park? Come on.)

We arrived at our hotel (the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter in Covington, Kentucky) on Friday evening and spent the rest of the day scoping out the area and checking out the ballpark from afar.

Cincinnati sits right on the Ohio River, which defines the Ohio-Kentucky state border, and the ballpark overlooks the river and northern Kentucky shoreline in right field. The location offers beautiful views from inside and maybe even better views outside from Kentucky.

We took advantage of those views the evening we arrived and every subsequent chance we got.

gabp across ohio river — Great American Ball Park across the Ohio River

night night gabp — Nighttime view of Great American Ball Park and John A. Roebling Bridge across the Ohio River

Game Day (April 14, 2018)

We left our hotel on Saturday morning with the intention of walking to the stadium by way of the John A. Roebling Bridge (pictured above), a suspension bridge that opened in the 1860s and is more than a 1,000 feet long. Sadly, the bridge was closed for repair, so we took an Uber instead. The ride was about 6 minutes.

Great American Ball Park generally opens 90 minutes before each game, which in our case, had a 1:10 p.m. ET start. (Opening times vary for a few games this season.)

We got to the ballpark a little before 11 a.m. to explore the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum before the stadium doors opened. The museum opens at 10 a.m. on game days and off days throughout the season and is a few steps west of the ballpark.

With so much Reds history, the Hall of Fame and Museum deserves a post of its own … so more on that at a later time. I do HIGHLY recommend visiting it if you’re going to a Reds game or if you’re in Cincinnati and like baseball at all whatsoever. The experience is well worth the $10 admission fee.

The rain rolled in at some point while we were in the museum, and I was pretty thankful to have an umbrella for the day.

I normally wouldn’t bring an umbrella to the stadium for fear of blocking someone’s view, but we had noticed the night before how few fans were in attendance … and I wasn’t about to invest in a Reds poncho.

A statue of Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench greets fans as they enter the stadium. (Bench ended up being relevant to our game in an interesting historical coincidence that I’ll explain later.)

Security and the ticket area are on par with what I expected (metal detectors, bag-checking areas, etc.), and everyone involved was exceptionally nice.

The stadium, which opened in 2003, reminds me of an old-school amusement park. I don’t know if that’s the look it was going for, and I’ve seen it described as modern, but for some reason, its white beams and poles remind me of Coney Island.

We were handed our very own Tucker Barnhart bobbleheads at the gate.

My theory is the Reds decided to troll Cardinals fans and eight-time Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina by presenting Barnhart’s 2017 Gold Glove Award before the game and handing out a bobblehead to commemorate it. (Sigh.)

Our first stop in the stadium (after a quick peak at the tarp-covered infield) was the Kroger Fan Zone, located outside the concourse on the first base side.

The Fan Zone is uncovered and features baseball-themed carnival games, a Reds Statue of Liberty (pictured below), a kids’ whiffle ball field, a concert stage and food stands, including Frisch’s Big Boy, Porkopolis and Skyline Chili.

With all the rain and wind, my brother and I decided it wasn’t the right time to try Skyline Chili, which I think was the right call for the conditions, but I regret not trying Frisch’s.

skyline in fan zone — Skyline Chili in the Kroger Fan Zone

After exploring the Fan Zone, we made our way back inside and down to the field to check out the views behind the home dugout. No one checked our tickets at this point, but I’m guessing the staff lets people down to take photos (and get autographs when it’s not raining) early before the game.

me at dugout — Me behind the Reds dugout

reds dugout gabp — Me and my brother behind the Reds dugout

We explored the concourse and team store and ate hot dogs under a tiny overhang. In hindsight, we could have eaten downstairs, but we weren’t that familiar with our surroundings.

(For example, we were so unfamiliar that we took the stairs EVERY time we went up or down a level before and during the game. We finally took the ramp on our way out, but we never used the escalator. So. Many. Steps.)

Great American Ball Park offers a variety of hot dog options in addition to Skyline Chili.

reds basic hot dog gabp — Nathan’s all-beef frank at Great American Ball Park #BasicHotDog

I had a Nathan’s all-beef frank, and my brother had a Kahn’s hot dog. I paid $12.25 for the frank and a Cherry Coke. The all-beef frank was pretty good, not the best I’ve ever had.

(My biggest regret of the day was buying that Cherry Coke when it was slightly chilly and raining pretty steadily. I’m not even a huge soda drinker.)

We took in the views of the Ohio River from the concourse before making our way to our seats, section 521, row E, seats 11 and 12, which were in the lower section of the upper deck, just left of home plate.

umbrellas in seats gabp — Me and my brother in our seats at Great American Ball Park

The Reds game day crew makes great use of the smokestacks in center field. The smoke itself is cool but is nothing compared to the fiery flames that shoot out every time a Reds pitcher strikes out an opposing batter. (I unfortunately did not get a photo of the fire.)

Like many teams, the Reds have a variety of scoreboard games. The traditional ball-under-hat game features a ball under a plate of Skyline Chili spaghetti rather than under a baseball cap, which is an interesting concept but slightly gross when you really think about it.

My favorite in-game promotion between innings was without a doubt, Redzilla, a rapid-fire, souvenir-launching ATV with more than 50 barrels that can blast T-shirts into the upper deck with ease. I unfortunately was so in awe that I didn’t get a decent video or photo (not because I was enjoying it with my own eyes but because I accidentally didn’t press record on my phone when I thought I did … oops).

I’m the type of fan who doesn’t want to leave my seat at any point during the game, but I made an exception to make a team store purchase and visit both fan accommodation stations.

The nice lady who sold me my hot dog earlier in the day had told me about a certificate I could get for being a first-time visitor at Great American Ball Park. You can get these certificates for free at fan accommodation, which happens to be right outside and below the section where we sat.

After picking up my free certificate, I made a quick run to the team store on the lower level of the stadium to buy a Major League Baseball GameDay Pass-Port. I had spotted it in the store before the game, and (because it takes me hours, sometimes days … months … years to make a decision) I had finally decided to purchase one in the sixth inning.

The GameDay Pass-Port tells you where you can get special stamps at each of the 30 MLB ballparks. We stopped at a fan accommodation station, this time on the lower level, to get my first stamp.

We made it back to our seats in time for the seventh-inning stretch, and I stayed there for the rest of the game. My bro slipped out to get some nachos, which he kindly shared with me.

They weren’t my favorite nachos of all time, but I am fond of almost anything with jalapeños. They definitely weren’t bad.

My favorite walk-up song of the day and one of my favorite moments of the day in general was when Alex Blandino (I think), who had come in to play short in the seventh, batted to James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” in the eighth. I could not stop laughing, especially at how well it fit with his scoreboard video intro. (Side note, I had no idea that song had three “man’s” in the title until now.)

Game Highlights

The game itself was a bit of a blowout. The Reds aren’t good, more like historically awful so far this year, as evidenced by their manager getting fired soon after our weekend in town.

The Cardinals won 6-1 with only a bit of trouble in the ninth, when Jordan Hicks gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases. He got out of it, and the Reds stranded the bases loaded. The Cardinals took the third of what turned out to be a four-game sweep in the Queen City.

cards defeat reds gabp — Cardinals win 6-1

Cardinals infielder Greg Garcia served up the in-game excitement for the day with two home runs, both off starter Brandon Finnegan, who had just come off the disabled list. Garcia also had a double before the day was done.

garcia hits 2 home runs — It’s a hit, big boy! (Greg Garcia’s second home run of the day)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the platoon second baseman in his fifth year in the big leagues, Garcia had seven home runs in his first four seasons, so he basically reached his yearly quota during this game.

We didn’t know it at the time, but a little history was made at Great American Ball Park that day. On Tucker Barnhart Bobblehead Day, a celebration of the current Reds catcher, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina passed Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench on the all-time innings caught list to rank 13th.

And now is as good of time as any to mention that Reds fans HATE (or at least love to boo) Molina. I have a feeling it still has to do with that not-so-minor altercation from 2010 I mentioned in my preview. (Way to stick it to your haters, Yadi.)

More history was made during this series when the Cardinals premiered their home run conga line during the Thursday game and continued in our game after both of Garcia’s bombs.

I’m not sure which affected attendance more, the rain or the Reds’ record, but the stadium, which holds 42,271, was less than half full at 19,213 (and that might have been tickets sold rather than turnstile … not sure how they calculate it).

Game Summary

One Down, 29 to Go

Our first of 30 was a huge success. I’m 1-0 cheering on the Cardinals on this adventure, and the forecasted thunderstorms stayed away. Plus, we got through nine innings without a rain delay (but not without plenty of rain).

I discovered Great American Ball Park is an accurate description, but the fans were so sparse and down on the Reds that I almost felt bad wearing my Cardinals sweatshirt … almost.

gabp seats — Me and my brother at Great American Ball Park

leaving reds ballpark gabp — Me leaving Great American Ball Park

Check out my Great American Ball Park photo gallery at the end of this post, and stay tuned for more on Cincinnati as I explore the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and wrap up my stay with a trip to Newport Aquarium and Skyline Chili.

skyline chili taste — Me trying a Skyline Chili 4-Way with beans

Great American Ball Park Photo Gallery #1stof30