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Cincinnati Reds - User Comments Add your own

Start over -- 2006-06-07

First, I want to state that I grew up a Reds fan and when I lived in Cincy I attended as many as 22 games per year at the old Crosley & Riverfront. Second, I've visited most of the old MLB ballparks (except Ebbets, Polo Grounds, Jersey City and a few other old old ones) and all the new ones except Philly. I've also visited probably 100 old and new minor league parks in the US & Canada, plus all the old and new spring training facilities in AZ, FL, and Palm Springs (haven't made Yuma yet, but it's on my schedule). Did I mention that I've visited all the new (except Carolina) and old BP in Puerto Rico? You can probably count on your one hand the number of sportswriters or anybody else who have seen as many BP as I have. I'd like to say something nice about the GABP, but I can't.

With my premable out of the way, Cincinnati should blow up GAPB and start over. The park looks as though first year architectural co-op students designed it. Granted I don't think you can blame the architects, but what were the individuals who had input into the design thinking? Had they ever seen another MLB BP? The park looks like it was built on the cheap (like Riverfront). The statues out front are nice, but it goes downhill from there - fast. There's no view of the downtown skyline or the river from the seats. I've excluding the little sliver of the downtown view back of HP down the RF foul line. The Sun Deck bleacher seats are cheap and what's the purpose of the double stacks in RF? The CF hitter's background covering the restaurant looks bush league. The field would have been better laid out if they could have had the downtown skyline viewable from the infield seats and on the upper concourse view the river.

The traffic pattern around the park can be confusing if you travel from the east on Second Street. I'd recommend parking downtown. I found a non-metered space on Third Street just past Elm St, which is reserved for deliveries during the day and it available after rush hour.

If you're a ballpark junkie like I am, you need to go see GAPB but only so you can appreciate the better parks (Telephone Park, new Busch, Pittsburgh) when you visit them. Otherwise don't waste your time or $$. If you live in the midwest your time and money would be better spent visiting Cleveland, St. Louis or Pittsburgh.

Fred

Great American Small Park -- 2006-06-07

I am from Cincy, born and raised and i will be the first to tell you that Great American is an upgrade to old Riverfront, one of the cookie-cutter parks. However, Great American is not one of the best of the new "retro" parks. It is styled like PNC Park and the Jake in Cleveland, but fails to live up to either. Once in the park it is a great place to watch the game: there are many good seats, you can usually move around and sit where you want because crowds are small. The food/beer is way to expensive for the average fan (not that any other major league park is different). The batter's eye is an ugly black building, they could have done much better there. Also the view is of a non-discript section of the Ohio River, which pales in comparison, for example, to Pittsburgh's skyline view at PNC Park. The Reds did luck out in one area, despite having a corportate name for their ballpark, it sounds like a "real" name and i bet many non-Cincinnatians think it is. In summary, Great American is a nice park, but they could have done much, much better.

G Man

Minor League atmosphere great for kids -- 2004-08-30

Had great seats for Great American Ballpark - upper deck, but between home and first base. No obstructed views. Not much to do outside the park. Once inside you'll notice that this is a ball park made for families. It is very clean and there are several baseball related activities for you to do such as time your speed or virtual reality pitching. I tried the pitching which for $1 was pretty cool. During the game, I felt like I was back at a minor league park as the Reds did many of the same promotions I have seen at New Jersey Cardinals games. The crowd was very reserved most of the night - quite a contrast from the previous two days we spent at Wrigley Field!

mike brennan

Great Stadium -- 2004-05-16

Great American Ball Park is a great improvement and a great place to see a major league ballgame. What you can say is it is alot different in alot of ways from other new throwback parks. All seats have an unobstructed view of the game and in most you have a unique and beautiful view of the Ohio River. The concessions vere very fast although alot higher than the past couple of years. The restrooms were very clean and plentyful. Considering the construction, parking was very easy and fast to get away after the game. With the staduim being downtown, it is a pleasant walk from most downtown hotels to the stadium. I give GABP and A+

Scott Morgan Petal, Mississippi

Scott Morgan

Not the best of the new ones -- 2004-04-24

First, you still can't see the river from a lot of the seats, which was always my complaint about having a stadium named "Riverfront." And while Great American Ballpark is obviously a step up, it is not close to being what it could have been. I actually got lower deck seats down the third base line, not too far beyond the infield, that are obstructed views (of home plate and the batter's box). Which I could remember the section number and particular rows to avoid, but I can't. If I go again, I'll meander over to the area to write them down. It's incocenivableto me that a modern era park have an architect NOT get this right. Aesthetically, there's much to mourn. A lot of things seem slapped together that don't fit each other architecturally, in particular that hideous black blob building in centerfield that looks like what Dr. Evil might own if he had a place in Aspen. But where I feel really let down is that there's not the kind of "walk around the entire park" ambience that you get at, say, Coors Field, where you not only can stop in right field and look directly down on the bullpen to watch a pitcher warm up, but you can alternate being under the stands and out in the open air in the outfield in left. They could have done this here, and while I think they did make it possible to walk around the entire stadium--where they blew it is in right. If they'd have put the walking deck at the top of the bleachers, fans could have had a view of both the nearby Ohio River and the game going on. As is, if you walk in that area, you're blocked from viewing the game by the stands. Concessions were unbelivable slow the two times I've been, to the point of waiting 30 minutes for a hot dog and coke and being second in line. (I know. That sounds impossible. I thought so, too.) Hopefully they've had enough complaints to rectify the situation by now.

Parking used to be great at old Riverfront STadium. Quick in, quick out. They're still doing a lot of construction around the new place, so maybe it'll improve. But for right now, parking too is much worse.

All in all, a very disappointing stadium.

John McGill

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