My brother drove in from West Virginia last night to go to the game. This was our fourth straight Opening Day. (Methods of obtaining tickets: 02 - waiting in line failed, got off of ebay 03 - online 04 & 05 - waiting in line) He had to go straight back afterwards so we each drove. We got Downtown at about 10:45 and had no problem parking. $10 a couple blocks from GABP. We got lunch at Empress Chili's new downtown location and, not really caring about the parade headed down to the ballpark.

We had great seats, somewhere between Center and Right Center, front row below the smoke stacks. We watched the Mets take BP for about 40 minutes and then went to check out the new Hall of Fame. ($5 admission if you've got a ticket.) It's really pretty cool.

We got back to our section just as the National Anthem started and the B2 flew over. Things started badly with Matsui homering but Dunn answered in the bottom half of the 1st with a 3-run shot that with a few more feet would have cleared the Sun Deck. (I'm visible in this picture.) Mets came back to tie things up and things were quiet for a while. Pedro struck out quite a few Reds, but the score remained 3-3. Then Weathers and Mercker came in to promptly give up 3 runs in the 7th. (Piazza doubled off the wall pretty much right in front of me. If I'd wanted to get thrown out I probably could have touched it.) The Reds came back with one run in the bottom of the 7th and Wagner and Graves came in to shut the Mets' bats down for two innings.

And now we come to the ninth. This folks is why you NEVER leave a ball game early. Brandon Looper comes in to save the game for the Mets with a 2 run lead. Kearns singles. Dunn launches yet another into the Right-Center stands. Tie ball game. And then Randa comes up.

High drive to Left Center field!

"Is it gone? IT IS! AND THIS ONE BELONGS TO THE REDS!!!"

Go home, you're done. Hit the showers, but thanks for the runs. You bum, you got rocked, so just beat it. You got the hook so go home.

Hey pitcher, so I guess that was your fastball, I don't think you could get it past my grandma.
I'm confused, was that your changeup or your slider.
Doesn't matter because you couldn't get it by her.
Ball 1, outside.
Ball 2, up high.
You threw a strike and he yanked it out of the yard.
Yeah, now you gotta go home, you're done.
Hit the showers, but thanks for the runs.
You bum, you got rocked so just beat it.
You got the hook go home.

--Blessid Union of Souls - Go Home

It's odd, earlier in the game a hit had skittered between Randa and Aurillia and the people near me were ready to give up on him. He hits the first walk-off homer in Reds Opening Day history and suddenly he's a king. :)

It took a while to get out of town. Ended up taking Central Parkway north, zigged around the ole' Alma Mater and got on 71 at McMillan.

The one downside of the whole thing is that when I got home I found that my Tivo had recorded the game on ESPN instead of FSN so I ended up with the Pirates-Brewers game. Really would have liked to have the game to watch again. :(

All in all though it was an absolutely fantastic experience. It was soooooo worth the hous spent in line waiting for tickets. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. If you haven't been to Opening Day in Cincinnati you haven't really been to an Opening Day.

On WLW after the game someone noted that Baseball is sometimes thought of as an older person's game, a game that teens and 20-somethings have just lost touch with and observed that the turnout at today's game just didn't show that. And I have to agree. In my entire row I don't know that there was one person over the age of 30.

This should be an exciting year of Reds baseball. Can't help but get a '99 vibe off this team and the excitement surrounding them.

The names have changed but the game's the same... so grab your glove and let's play ball!
Everybody's coming downtown to watch them play... America's past time
Everybody's coming downtown just to say... hey, hey!
Everybody's coming downtown to watch them play... America's past time
At Great American Ball Park
There's a whole new game in town, everyone's invited down.
Because where one generation ends there's a new one about to begin.

--Blessid Union of Souls - Play Ball

And now a few pics.

View from our seats/Mets BP





B2 Flyover





First Pitch


The Outfield Trio


The traffic on the way home