The 1966 team started the season in Philadelphia after its three-game series against the New York Mets at Crosley Field was rained out.
Then the 1990 World Champion Reds started on the road against the Houston Astros because a lockout delayed the start of Spring Training, preventing a season opener at Riverfront Stadium.
And now the Reds open the home portion of their season at 4:10 p.m. today at Great American Ball Park against an American League team with a new name, the Cleveland Guardians.
But don’t tell longtime Reds fans all that changes the significance of Opening Day, considered a holiday in the Queen City.
Great American Ball Park is expected to welcome a standing-room only crowd after pre-game festivities begin with the Findlay Market Parade with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin serving as grand marshal, then the block party continues on the Banks surrounding the stadium.
Two years ago, due to COVID-19 concerns, only Reds personnel, media and cardboard cutouts of fans were permitted in the stadium. And last year, again due to COVID-19, attendance in Ohio’s professional stadiums was reduced to 30% capacity by Gov. Mike DeWine.
The year the fans, parade and block party are back and temperatures at first pitch are expected to reach 70 degrees.
Shawn Sparks and his wife, Jessica, will spend a couple of days in Cincinnati during the first homestand of the season. The 49-year-old Dayton native has attended 15 to 20 openers, he said. They will be there when the parade kicks off and stay until the last pitch.
“There is no Opening Day like in Cincinnati,” said Sparks, who has attended other baseball season openers in different cities. “There is a feeling in the air, an excitement of a new season.”
Sparks, born in 1972, about the time the Big Red Machine first revved its engine, said he remembers talking to a neighbor once who said he was a St. Louis Cardinals fan. At the time, that didn’t make any sense to the young Sparks.
“It was the greatest team and people across the country love the Reds,” he said. “I don’t know anything else but to be a Reds fan.”
Lifelong area Reds fans, including 49-year-old Scott Ford, say they’re still driven to be in attendance today, even if this year’s Opening Day doesn’t herald the actual start of the season,
“It’s different,” said Ford, of Urbana. “I wish they could have gotten their act together as far as getting the season started on time, but you know, things happen. At least it is underway.”
Ford said his younger brother, Duane, was likely able to find standing-room-only tickets online this year because ticket availability was better than in years past.
“Opening days are special because it’s packed,” said Ford, who last attended an Opening Day in 1997. “Everybody’s real enthused and I’m not sure how they’ll do this year, but the anticipation’s always high. .”
Eric Hayes, of Springfield, said he has been attending games off and on since 1975 when he was 5 years old. He said he remembers going to opening day with his father and uncles. “The only day I really missed school was Opening Day,” he recalled.
Throughout the years, he has continued his love for baseball and the Reds. For the past nine years, he’s had full season tickets and tried to attend as many home games as he could.
Hayes said that the start of the season is always exciting, especially seeing how it will go and how the players will develop.
He said it was a relief that the Reds were playing this season, even though there first games was away.
To get to see the Reds season even before the team made it to Cincinnati, Hayes traveled to Atlanta to attend games Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, he got to see pitcher Hunter Greene make his Major League Baseball debut, as the Reds beat the Braves 6-3.
“I had seats under its dugout, probably about 16 rows and got to see Hunter Greene’s first game and it was amazing,” Hayes said. “I mean he pitched really good.”
NEW SEASON, NEW CUISINE
Great American Ball Park plans to introduce a slew of new culinary offerings this season. They include:
- Reds “Red Hot” Chicken Sandwich: Fried chicken breast topped with honey hot sauce, pickle chips and horseradish coleslaw on a brioche bun.
- Bar-B “Cone”: Montgomery Inn pulled pork, white cheddar mac & cheese, coleslaw and Montgomery Inn Barbecue sauce – served in a waffle cone.
- “Bunt” Cake Sundae: Bundt cake topped with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, whipped cream and sprinkles.
- Frisch’s Big Boy Sliders: Available for a limited time only, April 22 to April 24, at Frisch’s, Section 118.
- Lookout Dog: Field Roast vegetarian hot dog topped with white bean buffalo dip, shredded cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos and hot sauce.
- The Dragon Dog: Field Roast vegetarian hot dog topped with kimchi, garlic soy sauce and sesame aioli.
- “Rookie Cookie” Fry Box: Crushed Oreos and chocolate chip cookies, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and marshmallows – served on French fries.
- Hand-Crafted 1869 Burger: All-beef burger topped with American cheese, barbecue sauce, crispy onions and pickles on a brioche bun.
- Scouts Burrito Bowl: Cilantro-lime rice topped with grilled chicken, queso, lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo.
Visit www.reds.com/food for photos and details of all the new items, including where to find them.
SOURCE: Cincinnati Reds
