I can recite the Reds lineups from most decades starting in the 50's and going through the 90 World Series. There was a radio with Waite Hoyt, Al Michaels or Marty and Joe on it in every part of the house so you didn't miss a play if you had to run upstairs or down to the basement. For 15 years I shared a set of box seats with 7 others -- 3rd row, dead even with 3rd base, behind the visiting dugout.
Then came the gouging: you want box seats you've got to buy a license, oh and by the way, those seats you have are too valuable to waste on folks like you, we're going to let you buy your tickets another 15 rows back.
Then came the new stadium -- Instead of building the stadium at the edge of Over the Rhine, with a view to Mount Adams, and expanding the night life area of the city, the owners insisted on building on the river despite the fact that ground that they needed could not be built upon until the old stadium was demolished. So now we have the only ballpark in all of major or minor league ball in which home plate is in the northwest corner and not the southwest -- the only one in which the batter must look into the sun. And then there's the notch, created so that there would be a view to Mount Adams, and taking out about 7,000 seats in a prime sight line.
I left the Reds. That's why I wasn't there yesterday and why I won't be there any time soon.
