Great American Ballpark

[gman5431]

I know there was a huge discussion concerning our ballpark in the ballpark thread. Not looking for that here. What i am looking for is a vote. Please rank GABP on 0-10 scale. 0 is hell. 10 is heaven. Please provider some sort of reasoning, one drawback and one positive would be nice.

Thanks,

G Rizzle

[Captain Cold Nose]

I know there was a huge discussion concerning our ballpark in the ballpark thread. Not looking for that here. What i am looking for is a vote. Please rank GABP on 0-10 scale. 0 is hell. 10 is heaven. Please provider some sort of reasoning, one drawback and one positive would be nice.

Thanks,

G Rizzle

Do you want me to edit the poll?

[gman5431]

Do you want me to edit the poll?

Opps, yeah i'm an idiot, i was deciding on whether to have it 0-10 or 0-5 and obviously picked both, haha. Yeah if you could edit and make it 0 -10 with 0 = the worst, 1 = horrible 2 = bad 3 = bad 4 = below average 5 = average, 6 = good 7 = good 8 = great 9 = awesome 10 = the best.

Thanks,

G Man

[ectobin78]

At least the stadium is better than Riverfront Cookie Cutter Stadium. I was dissappointed, liked Detroit new ballpark better. Wished they had turned the stadium around to look at the city instead of the river.

[Captain Cold Nose]

It's fixed, as much as I could.

[gman5431]

Thanks Captain, you did good. We need some more votes. I was debating between 4 and 5. I went with 5. This ballpark is average. Lots of things they could have done better but once you are inside it is a nice place to watch the game. The view could have been better but you still have the river. The black box in center, while its slightly better now since they tried to hide it with a riverboat theme, is a horrible choice for a batter's eye considering what else they could have done.

G Man

[gman5431]

Let's go, more votes people.

G Man

[GuitarPunk2512]

very boring view past the fences, the stupid gap in the stands ( idn why stadium have them now, all it is a loss of seats and looks stupid), its homer freindly.

[gman5431]

very boring view past the fences, the stupid gap in the stands ( idn why stadium have them now, all it is a loss of seats and looks stupid), its homer freindly.

What did you vote, 4? GABP has its issues. Lets hope the new Mets Park is better.

G Man

[icee82]

You really have to think about who the architect of this stadium was...John Allen and we know why things are the way they are. There are several things that I wish had been done.

1) I wish the stadium had been turned around to face the skyline of the city. However I understand that with the wind off the river, this may not have been reasonable.

2) I wish the new stadium had some Crosley features. I think that a slight terrace would have been a nice feature.

3) I wish the fences had been moved back somewhat. I think this is part of our pitching problem. However, Philadelpha was able to win a championship with a band box so I guess anything is possible.

[redlegsfan21]

You really have to think about who the architect of this stadium was...John Allen and we know why things are the way they are. There are several things that I wish had been done.

1) I wish the stadium had been turned around to face the skyline of the city. However I understand that with the wind off the river, this may not have been reasonable.

It's also not so nice to have a highway between the ballpark and the city.

[gman5431]

You really have to think about who the architect of this stadium was...John Allen and we know why things are the way they are. There are several things that I wish had been done.

1) I wish the stadium had been turned around to face the skyline of the city. However I understand that with the wind off the river, this may not have been reasonable.

2) I wish the new stadium had some Crosley features. I think that a slight terrace would have been a nice feature.

3) I wish the fences had been moved back somewhat. I think this is part of our pitching problem. However, Philadelpha was able to win a championship with a band box so I guess anything is possible.

Completely agree on # 2 and # 3. In fact, these are my two biggest problems with the ballpark, well that and the hideous (slightly less so now) black box in centerfield. They should have implemented a terrace, would have been a cool feature. The dimensions of this park are a joke. They should correct the problem and move them back now and not just a couple feet, move them back and lets have a pitcher's park for god sakes, or at least a fair one?

G Man

[dgarza]

It's also not so nice to have a highway between the ballpark and the city.Remember how Jimmy Wynn hit that ball onto 75 in the 60s?

[redlegsfan21]

Remember how Jimmy Wynn hit that ball onto 75 in the 60s?

Too young, but a Home Run Derby at the GABP would be interesting if was facing the river or the highway.

[driver62]

I rated it good but not great. I also wish they had incorporated a terrace into the design.

It would have been nice to have a scoreboard in the outfield like Crosley but that would have eliminated some seats and that wasn't going to happen.

I didn't care much for every seat in the stadium being red. A few different colors would have given it more life. All red is kind of dull.

[NY16CATCHER]

I went to GABP for 4 games this summer and truly enjoyed the experience. I thought the sightlines from a fan standpoint were very good, I sat in 3 different areas and thought each one offered a very good view.

I also thought it was well maintained in comparison to some other stadiums that I have been to. All in all I thought it was excellent.

[gman5431]

Bumping this back up. More votes please. Also, what are everyone's favorite place to sit?

G Rizzle

[Indianapolis Indians]

Bumping this back up. More votes please. Also, what are everyone's favorite place to sit?

G Rizzle

I enjoy sitting on the upper deck of the third base side. Nothing like spending an evening looking at the scenery and getting a cool breeze off the river.

[gman5431]

I enjoy sitting on the upper deck of the third base side. Nothing like spending an evening looking at the scenery and getting a cool breeze off the river.

Couldnt agree more. I like the upper deck as well. Third base side - i have spent many nights there but i think i prefer behind home plate or slightly down the first baseline. That way the scoreboard is right in front of me and it seems there are always good open seats there too.

By the way, nice name and pic. I have spent one game at Victory Field and loved it. Riverwalk area was cool too.

G Rizzle

[WestSideBomber]

I am bringing this thread back from the dead (hopefully). I went to the Reds vs. Phillies game on Tuesday night. It was my first chance to see the Reds this season as I have been away at school until this week. I took some pictures that I thought I would post on here to maybe get some conversation going.

I never understand why GABP gets such a bad rap from most people. Aside from the un-needed gap, it is stunning, and even though it is very small, the Reds have invested in pitching and look at how well they are managing this year so far. There are some great views, as you will see in my pictures and my favorite thing is how simple the stadium is. There are no crazy convoluted dimensions like you have at Citi and some good cantilevers to get the fans close to the field.

[WestSideBomber]

And finally, my personal favorite picture from tonight.

[gman5431]

I was at the Tuesday game also. For some reason only your first picture showed up. It is a nice shot. I think GABP gets a bad rap for many reason but you are right, once inside its a great place to take in a game. My main beef is they could have done better - i would have liked to see the terrace come back to some extent and also would have liked to seen some deeper dimensions. At least its not a joke of a park like Yankee Stadium though.

Reds pitching is definately improved with the young guns. Lets hope they can keep it rolling. Where did you sit Tuesday? I usually sit in the upper deck, either behind the plate or down the first base line and i like it up there. Tuesday i sat out in the moon deck in right field for the first time in a while and enjoyed it.

G Man

[Eyeshade]

A very nice park. I went last year to a Reds vs. Tribe game and am going Saturday also. Great location, minor league feel (that's a good thing), great homage to the past, very average food selection, lousy scoreboard- but I see that has been corrected. Good sightlines and I personally love the riverboat connection.
Go Bearcats!

[gman5431]

Eyeshade - Thanks for the post and kind words. Have fun at the game on Saturday. Who is the guy ya'll have starting that day? Huff? Never heard of him but looks like he is off to rough start with 17+ ERA. News dropped that Reds DL-ed Edinson and Homer will come up to start on Saturday so thats exciting. Should be a good series this weekend.

G Man

[dgarza]

Anybody notice how the scoreboard skews players' statistics?
The Reds seem to purposefully make opponents look worse than they are, and Reds better than they are.
They do this during the course of the game by posting situational stats instead of seasonal averages.

If Jay Bruce is really batting .225, the scoreboard will say he's batting .310 with RISP.

If the Cubs' Soriano is really batting .290, the scoreboard will say he's batting .250 with a full-count.

This annoys me. And they do it about 90% of the time.

[The Korean]

I have been to the ballpark 2 times in my life. Its a pretty good ballpark. And has a cool corporate name. 7/10

[Solair Wright]

Not to veer off topic, but those are really nice pictures of Great American Ball Park, WestSideBomber. The quality in those pictures are amazing.

Anyhow, to be honest, I've not been to Great American Ballpark, so I can't say much about it. It looks nice though, but I've yet to visit there. I mean to go there sometime sometime during this summer, but we haven't decided on a day to go.

[brewers08]

4- below average

[NineWorldSeries]

Bumping this back up. More votes please. Also, what are everyone's favorite place to sit?
G Rizzle

Well, I feel well qualified to answer this. I've sat in every single price level in GABP, and possibly every single section (I think i might have missed a couple).

My favorite places:

$5 seats, Section 537. This might seem crazy, but the cheapest seats in the house are also some of my favorite. You are right on the end of the upper deck with fantastic views of the river.

Last row (row V) of the view level. Again, far away from the action, but these seats are always guaranteed shade and a fresh breeze, two things that rarely happen on the waterfront in Cincinnati (aka "Hell's Humidifier").

Last row (row Y) of the bleachers. Same reason as above.

First row of the Sun/Moon deck. These are great seats and you are right on top of the action. Many fans think this is the best section in the ballpark.

Party Deck in Left Field. Very expensive (and only available as a group rate) but a great place to watch the game with padded seats and an air-conditioned suite behind you!

Last row (row E) of the View Level Box behind home plate. These are where my seats are this year, and they are great. There's noone behind you, the view of the field is great, and most importantly, there's no obstructed view from the plexiglass "windows" on the railing like there is in many parts of the View Level Box.

Sections 519 and 520. These are on either side of the "Gap" right behind home plate. I love sitting here for the views of downtown, the terrace right below you, and the field.

[gman5431]

Anybody notice how the scoreboard skews players' statistics?
The Reds seem to purposefully make opponents look worse than they are, and Reds better than they are.
They do this during the course of the game by posting situational stats instead of seasonal averages.

If Jay Bruce is really batting .225, the scoreboard will say he's batting .310 with RISP.

If the Cubs' Soriano is really batting .290, the scoreboard will say he's batting .250 with a full-count.

This annoys me. And they do it about 90% of the time.

Haha, i havent noticed that but that is dumb. I dont like situation stats for the most part anyways. Even when they put them up for ESPN games, like so and so is hitting .230 after being down 0-1....c'mon now.

Bruce is now down to .212.....good god.

The new scoreboards are beautiful though, a nice upgrade. Lets hope they start putting good info on them from time to time.

G Man

[gman5431]

I have been to the ballpark 2 times in my life. Its a pretty good ballpark. And has a cool corporate name. 7/10

Corporate names are horrible, but the Reds got lucky to get one that hides itself. I have met some people who didnt know it was a corportate name. Thats lucky.

G MAn

[gman5431]

I never buy anything except the cheapest seats because 95% of the time you can move any where you want. So i always get the $5, and if they are sold out, then the $7. I like to sit in the upper deck behind the plate or slightly up the first base line. A couple weeks ago i sat in the moon deck for the first time in a while and i liked it there as well. I think the one place i like the least would be the bleachers because of the uncomfortable backs to the chairs and also the fact that the scoreboard is right behind you. It is lifted up from the field so the view is nice but you cant see all of the river either.

G MAn

[gman5431]

So the final average for GABP is right about what i expected it to be, 5.4, an average park.

G Man