My birthday is still more than four months away, but I’m starting the party early by kicking off my 30-ballparks-for-turning-30 multiyear celebration this weekend.
My first stop? Great American Ball Park, home to professional baseball’s first team, the Cincinnati Reds. (I didn’t know that fun fact when I bought the tickets.)
I’m not a Reds baseball buff, but I remember when Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 500th home run on Father’s Day at old Busch and recognize the names of some of their Hall of Famers (or would-be Hall of Famers if not banned from baseball … looking at you, Pete Rose).
Griffey is one of my favorite non-Cardinals of all time, and weirdly enough, my favorite Cardinal of all time, Jim Edmonds, played his final major league game in a Reds uniform.
On this particular ballpark adventure, I’m hoping to learn more about the Big Red Machine at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and see what all the Skyline Chili hype is about.
I’ve been to Cincinnati once to go to Kings Island, probably around the year 2000, but I’ve never been to a baseball game there. (Kings Island had a strong roller coaster game, though, so I recommend going if you like that sort of thing.)
I have some fond memories of watching games at Great American Ball Park on TV (or in one case, listening on the radio), and I hope to see in person where these special moments took place.
Here are my top three Great American Ball Park moments as a Cardinals fan.
3. Cardinals’ seven-run, ninth-inning comeback on May 2, 2005
When the inning started, the Cards were down 9-3. After a couple walks and a hit, Reds closer Danny Graves was brought in to clean up the mess and instead, basically imploded.
I believe it was the Cardinals’ biggest ninth-inning comeback at the time, and I got to enjoy the whole thing from my parents’ living room. (Looking back at the box score and play-by-play still makes me pretty happy.)
2. First-inning brawl on August 10, 2010
Brandon Phillips had run his mouth the night before. Yadier Molina didn’t appreciate it. Tempers flared, and we got ourselves an old-fashioned baseball brawl.
I eventually saw the fight on TV but first heard it on the radio while driving home from college. Mike Shannon called the fight beautifully, and that’s when I decided he’d be an excellent boxing commentator.
Disclaimer: I recognize that this brawl contributed to ending then-Cardinals backup catcher (and coincidentally, former Reds catcher) Jason LaRue’s career, and that’s not OK.
1. Jim Edmonds’ home run robbery skills from July 16, 2004
Edmonds had multiple great plays at Great American Ball Park … and pretty much everywhere else, too. His reaction makes this catch one of my favorite defensive plays of all time.
Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Reds
Great American Ball Park
Saturday, April 14, 2018
1:10 p.m. ET
Probable starting pitchers: STL Miles Mikolas (RHP) vs. CIN Cody Reed (LHP)
Going into the series, the Cardinals were 5-7, and the Reds were 2-9. The Cards cruised to a 13-4 win in the first of the four-game series. Then I wrote this blog post.
I’m ready to hit the road for my first of 30 destinations. Will Great American Ball Park live up to its name? I’m about to find out.