Mine was on August 20, 1971---Reds vs. Pirates. Ross Grimsley was starting for the Redlegs against the Pirates' Bruce Kison. I had saved up my change for a couple of months and kept it in one of my pawpaw's King Edward cigar boxes. I wrote "Cincinnati Trip" across the top. I think I had $32 or $33 saved up. That was a fortune to this eight-year old at the time.

 

Crossing over the bridge into the Queen City, I got my first glimpse of Riverfront. It was a powerful and emotional moment. I think I brushed back a tear or two. Gametime wasn't until 8:05 pm , so we had time to go the zoo. All I remember from the zoo was my daddy mimicking one of the monkeys and my little sister getting lost from us. My mind was on the Reds.

 

Later that afternoon, I remember walking across to Riverfront, then stopping at a vendor's booth on the concourse outside the stadium. I remember the vendor yelling at my grandma, "he's swimming in it lady," referring to the Reds' cap I tried on, which was apparently too big for my head. She bought it for me anyway. My sister got one of those little mini Reds' bats(we finally found her at the zoo petting someone's dog).

 

I remember walking into the stadium and seeing that green turf for the first time. My heart was racing. It was the 3,244 th day of my life and it was , without question, the best one so far. We sat up in the "nose bleed" red seats behind home plate(paid 3 bucks a ticket). During batting practice, just about every ball hit looked to me like it was headed over the 404 ft sign in center. It was an illusion(or maybe wishful thinking) because most of them just settled comfortably into the glove of a player snagging flies in the shallow outfield.

 

The game itself was an easy Reds win, as Grimsley hurled a complete game four-hitter in a 6-0 Reds win. " Doggie" went deep, as did "The Big Bopper," Lee May. The Pirates committed three miscues in the field. We committed a miscue after the game--- we forgot where our car was in the parking garage at the stadium and it took us nearly an hour to find it(about a half longer that it took us to find sis). Of course, I didn't care. I was one of 26,452 people that had just seen my beloved Redlegs win a baseball game.

 

Another interesting tidbit. The 1B umpire was big John McSherry. Some 8,991 days later and about 90 feet from where he umpired on the day of my first game, McSherry called his last strike--- he died behind the plate from a massive heart attack on Reds' Opening Day in 1996.

 

Here's the box score:

 

Pittsburgh Pirates 0, Cincinnati Reds 6

 

Game played on Friday, August 20, 1971 at Riverfront Stadium

Pittsburgh Pirates ab r h rbi

Cash 2b,ss 4 0 1 0

Clines rf 4 0 1 0

Robertson 1b 3 0 0 0

Stargell lf 4 0 0 0

Sanguillen c 4 0 0 0

Hebner 3b 4 0 1 0

Oliver cf 3 0 1 0

Alley ss 0 0 0 0

Hernandez ss 2 0 0 0

Mazeroski ph,2b 1 0 0 0

Briles p 0 0 0 0

Kison p 1 0 0 0

Stennett 2b 1 0 0 0

Totals 31 0 4 0

Cincinnati Reds ab r h rbi

Rose rf 4 2 2 0

McRae lf 4 1 2 1

Bradford lf 0 0 0 0

May 1b 4 2 3 2

Perez 3b 3 1 2 2

Woodward 3b 0 0 0 0

Bench c 4 0 0 0

Foster cf 4 0 2 0

Helms 2b 4 0 0 0

Concepcion ss 4 0 0 0

Grimsley p 4 0 0 0

Totals 35 6 11 5

Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 4 3

Cincinnati 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 x – 6 11 0

Pittsburgh Pirates IP H R ER BB SO

Kison L (3-4) 6.1 10 6 4 1 3

Briles 1.2 1 0 0 0 3

Totals

8.0

11

6

4

1

6

Cincinnati Reds IP H R ER BB SO

Grimsley W (9-5) 9.0 4 0 0 2 4

Totals

9.0

4

0

0

2

4

E–Hebner (11), Oliver (6), Mazeroski (4). DP–Pittsburgh 2. 2B–Cincinnati McRae (19,off Kison). HR–Cincinnati Perez (22,1st inning off Kison 1 on, 2 out); May (34,7th inning off Kison 1 on, 1 out). IBB–Perez (2,by Kison). IBB–Kison (2,Perez). U-HP–Bob Engel, 1B–John McSherry, 2B–Ken Burkhart, 3B–Lee Weyer. T–2:04. A–26,452.

Game played on Friday, August 20, 1971 at Riverfront Stadium

Edited October 2, 20169 yr by Science Friction

1964. Old Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street in Baltimore. I don't remember much about it except I pasted the ticket stub and the program in a scrapbook. Don't even remember the other twam or who won.

1964. Old Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street in Baltimore. I don't remember much about it except I pasted the ticket stub and the program in a scrapbook. Don't even remember the other twam or who won.

 

Papa, you probably remember Grimsley. The Reds traded him to the Orioles after the '73 season. He won 18 games for the Birds in '74 , with 17 complete games.

1964. Old Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street in Baltimore. I don't remember much about it except I pasted the ticket stub and the program in a scrapbook. Don't even remember the other twam or who won.

 

Pretty sure you attended this game

I don't have any specific memories of my first baseball game.

My father often says he doesn't understand how I can remember details of something that happened over forty years ago and yet sometimes can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday.

I don't have any specific memories of my first baseball game.

 

What year was it? Reds game?

Pretty sure you attended this game

 

One of the all-time great Bob and Tom bits!

Papa, you probably remember Grimsley. The Reds traded him to the Orioles after the '73 season. He won 18 games for the Birds in '74 , with 17 complete games.

 

Strange but true! Ross, his wife Bird and new born son Patrick lived next door to "The Boss" and I back then. Went to so many Reds games, as his guest it's hard to remember all of them.

He was the most superstitious person I have ever met in my life but was a great guy and we all had a ball, going out to dinner attending the Swords hockey games and just being young married kids, enjoying life.

Not much. I know the Reds beat the Astros and that's about it.

I met a Rosie Red who lived in downtown Cincy. We exchanged addresses and she sent me a reds sticker. Don't recall the game.

I don't remember a thing. I went to a lot of Reds games growing up.

Pretty sure you attended this game

 

:laugh:.....and I'm sure he kept score on his stone tablet.

Sometime in the early 60's at Crosley Field. The Reds played the Houston Colt 45's. I don't remember anything specific about the game. I do remember the Colts walking out from the clubhouse right next to us from under the stands on the 3rd base side.

 

I also remember eating lunch at Union Terminal. We drove up 42 from Louisville and back.

I remember one game my Dad took me and my brother to in the early 60's at Crosley. I remember the grass was so green, the immense space between home plate and the backstop (which was a giant plexiglass wall at the time). We had great seats a few rows behind the visitor's dugout.

 

It was Redlegs taking on Don Drysdale and the Dodgers. My Dad was not a Drysdale fan and knew Drysdale had a short fuse in those days. I remember my Dad and his buddy heckling Drysdale a little every time he came back to the dugout. Well, after quite a few Hudy 14-Ks the heckling got pretty good and Drysdale was now answering back at my Dad when coming back to the dugout. It was about an inning later Drysdale was coming off the mound and my Dad and his buddy were just really giving it to Drysdale, who had had enough and started to come in the stands. Of course at that point eveybody else was yelling and Drysdale's teammates pulled him back. My brother and I were scared to death at that point. Then an usher and security guy came down and told my Dad and his buddy they had to leave. So, one of my earlier MLB baseball memories is getting tossed out of a game.