The Ballpark

I grew up in Cincinnati. Spent the first 17 years of my life in the same home on the Eastside. When i went away to college, i never thought i'd move back. I wanted to see the world; I wanted a change of pace. I spent the past three years in Virginia, only returning to Cincinnati once or twice a year. Over those three years, a lot happened in my life that led to me deciding that moving to Cincinnati after graduation would be for the best. I've lived in my new house since last June. It wasn't until this past Friday night that i remembered how much and why i love this city.

I went to the Reds game on Friday night, my first trip to GABP since Opening Day. It was a perfect night for a baseball game, 75 and sunny. I bought my tickets earlier in the week, but over 9,000 fans walked up that night. I sat in the bleacher seats in left field, close enough to know that Adam Dunn heard my cheers. Walking up to the Ballpark, seeing the fans filing in to the stadium, i remembered what i like about living in a big city. In any town, and this town especially, it's rare to see so many people come together. What i liked most about the small town i lived in in Virginia was the friendliness and the community. Getting over 30,000 people together on a Friday night is always a good time.

Even though the Reds were getting one-hit through 8 2/3 and could not convert two Phillies errors and some very erratic pitching, all the fans were still into the game. I had to keep checking the scoreboard to realize how poorly the Reds were playing offensively. Some great defensive plays kept us excited and Kyle Lohse had another outstanding outing on the mound. The best moment came in the seventh or eighth inning when the greatest Wave i've ever been a part of circled the Ballpark. Each and every section sustained the Wave for about three and a half rounds. The best part came when Josh Hamilton noticed what was happening and raised his arms when the fans in right field did their Wave. You could see the excitement he shared with all of us fans just being a part the Ballpark environment. Hamilton participated in the Wave again at last night's game and it was just great to see the look on his face. Unfortunately, the Wave and the rally caps did not come through on Saturday as they did on Friday. I've already been to three Reds games this year and i can't wait to go back. The likeable stars like Freel, Hamilton, Harang and Arroyo get fans excited. I've seen so many kids of all ages in the stands. I hope they can enjoy a championship season like i did when i was younger. Winning helps, but the vibe at the Ballpark this season is different than i remember it being four or five years ago.

Here's a great story from ESPN.com on Hamilton. Read the article and watch the video. Good stuff http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070420&sportCat=mlb&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos1