Crosley Field

[Ron Madden]

Ron, do you have a link to that?

https://www.redszone.com/forums/show...Field-Pictures

There are some awesome photos in that thread if you take the time to see'em all.

[Ky Fried Redleg]

https://www.redszone.com/forums/show...Field-Pictures

There are some awesome photos in that thread if you take the time to see'em all.

I'm gonna look at every single one. Thank you very much !!!

[RedsBaron]

The first MLB game I ever attended was when I was age 9 or 10 in 1965. My parents took my sister and me to the game from Huntington, WV on the train, my first ever train ride. We the took my first ever cab ride from the railroad station to Crosley Field. Yes, it was the smallest park in the majors, but when I walked inside and beheld the green grass and colors I thought I was in a majestic, magical palace. It was bat day. I got a Deron Johnson bat which I later used in Little League play.
We returned to Crosley in 1966. We had seats near the Reds dugout, which was on the third base side. We got to the park early while the Reds were tasking batting practice. I still remember Pete Rose was hitting fungos to the bat boy, while Pete was facing the stands. There were not yet many fans in that area. Rose seemed to notice me and then hit a soft liner into the seats. An older kid beat me to the ball. I still believe Pete intentionally hit the ball into the stands for me.
We also attended games in Crosley in 1967, 1969 and 1970. I believe we skipped our annual trip in 1968 because the unrest and riots in many American cities that summer made my dad decide to avoid large cities.
In that era, players freely signed autographs before the game. Rose signed my program in 1966. In 1969 I got autographs from Rose, Perez and Bench on the same program, which I still have. We saw Hank Aaron and the Braves one season, I think it was in 1969. In 1970 dad let me decide between going to Riverfront when it opened or making a final visit to Crosley. I chose the latter, seeing Willie Mays and the Giants play the Reds.
Crosley was terribly outdated, tiny and cramped, and parking was difficult.
I loved it.

[KeefeCato]

The first MLB game I ever attended was when I was age 9 or 10 in 1965. My parents took my sister and me to the game from Huntington, WV on the train, my first ever train ride. We the took my first ever cab ride from the railroad station to Crosley Field. Yes, it was the smallest park in the majors, but when I walked inside and beheld the green grass and colors I thought I was in a majestic, magical palace. It was bat day. I got a Deron Johnson bat which I later used in Little League play.
We returned to Crosley in 1966. We had seats near the Reds dugout, which was on the third base side. We got to the park early while the Reds were tasking batting practice. I still remember Pete Rose was hitting fungos to the bat boy, while Pete was facing the stands. There were not yet many fans in that area. Rose seemed to notice me and then hit a soft liner into the seats. An older kid beat me to the ball. I still believe Pete intentionally hit the ball into the stands for me.
We also attended games in Crosley in 1967, 1969 and 1970. I believe we skipped our annual trip in 1968 because the unrest and riots in many American cities that summer made my dad decide to avoid large cities.
In that era, players freely signed autographs before the game. Rose signed my program in 1966. In 1969 I got autographs from Rose, Perez and Bench on the same program, which I still have. We saw Hank Aaron and the Braves one season, I think it was in 1969. In 1970 dad let me decide between going to Riverfront when it opened or making a final visit to Crosley. I chose the latter, seeing Willie Mays and the Giants play the Reds.
Crosley was terribly outdated, tiny and cramped, and parking was difficult.
I loved it.

I know they played the Giants on the last series. Was the one you saw earlier in the season or the last?

[Ron Madden]

I was also at the last game ever played at Crosley Field.
My best friend growing up and his father were huge Willie Mays fans. They would try to go to at least one game of a series whenever the Giants were in town, they always took me with them.

[RedsBaron]

I know they played the Giants on the last series. Was the one you saw earlier in the season or the last?

That's a good question. The short answer is I'm not sure. I checked out the Reds 1970 schedule on BaseballReference.com. It shows two series against the Giants at Crosley Field in 1970. The first series was Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, and the second series, the final series ever at Crosley, was Monday-Wednesday, June 22-24. I know the game we saw was not the final game ever. My memory is we usually made our annual outing for a Reds game in May-June-July. Dad didn't take much vacation, but his regular days off were Sunday and Monday. The game I attended in 1970 may have been Sunday, April 18, but my best guess is it was on Monday, June 22. I guess the long answer is also I'm not sure. Actually the most vivid memory I have of the event is just seeing Willie Mays around the batting cage. I have no memory of what Willie did and I do not remember any specific game details, not even who won-I just remember I saw Mays.