A Winning Night at Great American Ballpark

Last evening I got to see my Cincinnati Reds play at Great American Ballpark for the first time in the 2014 season (back in the Marge Schott era, I would often attend fifteen or twenty home games a year...but that was when the Reds offered "clergy pass" walk-up seats for $1. Ah, those were the days). It was a perfect night for baseball.

The Reds were going up against the team with the best record in baseball, the San Francisco Giants. The tickets were a birthday gift from my kids, Aubrey and Kevin, and their kids, Calleigh and Ryder. A previous attempt to use the tickets was rained out (but resulted in a Reds Hall of Fame visit, which was wonderful; see here).

Kevin and I brought along the youngest Reds fan in the family, Ryder, who helped us cheer the Reds to an 8-3 victory over the Giants. We got to see Billy Hamilton embarrass the Giants with his running game. We got to see Devin Mesoraco smash a two-run homer in the first. We got to see Jay Bruce beat a throw home. We got to see Homer Bailey recover from giving up a run in each of the first three innings to last a respectable six innings, and J. J. Hoover and Logan Ondrusek finish the game with scoreless frames. And more.

Ryder loved the flames from the smokestacks every time a Reds pitcher struck out a Giants hitter. We could feel the heat from the flames in our left-field seats.

But the fireworks at the end of the game scared the little guy and he clung to his dad until they ended. Still, it was a beautiful evening and an exciting game. And anytime the Reds win is a good day.