Great American Ball Park
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| Great American Ball Park | |
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| GABP, Great American | |
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| Location | 100 Main Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-4109 |
| Broke ground | August 1, 2000 |
| Opened | March 31, 2003 |
| Owner | Hamilton County |
| Surface | Perennial Ryegrass |
| Construction cost | $290 million |
| Architect | HOK Sport and GBBN Architects (Cincinnati) |
| Tenants | Cincinnati Reds (MLB) (2003-present) |
| Capacity | 42,059 (2003) |
| Field dimensions | Left Field - 328 ft (100 m) Left-Center - 379 ft (116 m) Center Field - 404 ft (123 m) Right-Center - 370 ft (113 m) Right Field - 325 ft (99 m) Backstop - 55 ft (17 m) |
Great American Ball Park is the home of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. The name reflects the owner of the park's naming rights, Cincinnati-based Great American Insurance Group. Former Cincinnati Reds majority owner Carl Lindner, Jr. is Great American Insurance Group's majority owner.
The park opened on March 28, 2003 with an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians where the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by former President George H. W. Bush. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch before the Reds' April 4, 2006 opening day game against the Chicago Cubs.
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[edit] Location
Great American Ball Park is located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio on the Ohio River between U.S. Bank Arena and the former site of Cinergy Field. It was built on a plot of land informally known as "the wedge".
[edit] Building Great American Ball Park
In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of two new facilities for both the Cincinnati Reds and the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. Previously, the teams shared occupancy of Cinergy Field, but complained that the aging multipurpose facility lacked modern amenities and other things necessary for small market teams to survive.
To accommodate construction on the small plot, Cinergy Field was partially demolished, although it remained in use until Great American Ball Park was ready. Cinergy Field, which opened midway through the 1970 season as Riverfront Stadium, was demolished on December 29, 2002.
[edit] Features
The Gap. A 35' (11 m) wide break in the stands between home plate and third base called "The Gap" is bridged by the concourse on each level (see photo). Aligned with Sycamore Street, it provides views into the stadium from downtown and out to the skyline from within the park.
Pepsi Power Stacks. In right center field, two smokestacks -- reminiscent of the steamboats that were common on the Ohio River in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries -- flash lights, emit smoke and launch fireworks to incite or respond to the home team's efforts. When the Reds strike out a batter, smoke blows out of the stacks. Fireworks are launched from the stacks after every Reds home run and win.
The Spirit of Baseball. A 50 foot by 20 foot (15 by 6 m) limestone bas relief carving near the main entrance features a young baseball player looking up to the heroic figures of a batter, pitcher and fielder, all set against the background of many of Cincinnati's landmarks, including the riverfront and Union Terminal. The piece was sculpted between 2002 and 2003 by local artists Todd Myers and Paul Brooke.
The Mosaic. A mosaic paying tribute to two legendary Reds teams: the 1869 Red Stockings, Major League Baseball's first professional team, and the 1975 Big Red Machine club that won the first of two consecutive World Series, are just inside the main entrance.
The Panoramas. Panoramas of downtown Cincinnati, Mt. Adams, the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky are visible from most of the park (see main photo).
The Scoreboard. At 217 feet, 9 inches (66 m) wide, the scoreboard is the third largest in Major League Baseball; only the scoreboards at Denver's Coors Field and Detroit's Comerica Park, respectively, are larger. The scoreboard clock is a replica of the Longines clock at Crosley Field.[1]
Crosley Terrace. As a nod to Crosley Field, the Reds' home from 1912-1970, a monument was created in front of the main entrance to highlight the park's infamous left-field terrace. Bronze statues of Crosley-era stars Joe Nuxhall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski, and Frank Robinson (created by sculptor Thomas Tsuchiya) are depicted playing in an imaginary ballgame. The grass area of the terrace has the same slope as the outfield terrace at Crosley Field.[2]
4192 Mural. A three-piece mural on the back of the scoreboard in left-field depicts the bat Pete Rose used for his record-breaking 4,192nd hit and the ball he hit in 1985.
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Located on the west side of Great American Ball Park on Main Street, the Hall of Fame and Museum celebrate the Reds' past through galleries and extensive use of multimedia. Although theoretically in existence since 1958, there was no actual building until it was built as part of Great American Ball Park. The Hall of Fame currently honors 68 past Reds (63 of them players.) The newest inductees are outfielder Eric Davis, pitcher Jose Rijo, and 19th century players George Wright and Harry Wright. Davis and Rijo were key players on the Reds' 1990 wire-to-wire team that swept the favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Rijo was named the series' Most Valuable Player.
"Rounding third and heading for home..." The trademark signoff phrase of former Reds pitcher and longtime radio announcer Joe Nuxhall is depicted on the rear of the third base stands on the north side of Great American Ball Park.
The Home Runs The homer-friendly nature of the park has led to the nickname "Great American Smallpark" among both fans and players. "If you put [the ball] in the air here you've got a chance for it to go out of the ballpark," former Reds Manager Jerry Narron has said.
Riverboat Deck. Above the Batter's eye, new for the 2007 season.
[edit] "Gapper"
With a new park, the Reds' ownership decided to update the mascot as well. Thus, in 2002, a contest to name the new mascot was created at Redsfest, the team's annual fan convention. "Gapper" made his debut on opening day, 2003. Gapper is available for special appearances at corporate events, parties, and visits to Reds fans at assisted living communities.
[edit] Notable non-baseball events
- On October 31, 2004, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush held a campaign rally in Great American Ball Park. Two Hall of Famers, former Reds catcher Johnny Bench and Reds announcer Marty Brennaman, were in attendance.
[edit] Statistics
- Ticket windows: 25
- Concourse widths: 40 feet (12 m)
- Escalators: 3
- Passenger elevators: 14
- Public restrooms: 47 (20 women, 20 men, seven family)
- Concession stands: 28
- Parking spaces: 850
[edit] External links
- Brief History of Great American Ball Park
- Great American Ball Park page at the Reds' website
- Great American Ball Park page at Ballparks of Baseball
- Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
- retrosheet.org Great American Ball Park list of firsts
- Cincinnati Reds - Ballpark Tours
- Cincinnati Enquirer Article on home runs at GABP
- Great American Ballpark Photos
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Leventhal, Josh, Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of Baseball Parks Past and Present. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2006. ISBN 978-1-57912-513-4
| Preceded by Riverfront Stadium |
Home of the Cincinnati Reds 2003 – present |
Succeeded by Current |
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