It was all about the Frosty Malt. Frozen solid in a paper cup with a thick wooden spoon “like a stick,” my dad said, it took a while to make its appearance. “They came around with the most popular items that people wanted like beer, popcorn, and hotdogs. But I kept looking.” When the vendor finally appeared, he could already taste the cold chocolatey goodness while sitting in the hot sun in July in Riverfront Stadium.
My Dad's grandma and grandpa were Reds fans. “It was a different time,” my Dad repeated often, explaining how no one watched baseball on tv when Great-Grandpa became a fan in the 1940s. Even in the 1980s when my Dad was a kid, he listened to games or looked for results in the newspaper the next morning, when my Dad was young, Great Grandma and Grandpa shared season tickets with friends from the bank, traveling to Cincinatti, 20-25 games a season. They took my Dad and a chosen friend to one game a summer. In Alexandira, Indiana, They would all jump into Great Granpa’s red Buick with a cooler full of soda. Halfway to Cincinatti, they would the stop the car at a rest stop to grab a coke from the cooler. Great Granpa was 6 foot 3 and never wore shorts.
At Riverfront, a perfect “cookie-cutter” circle on the Ohio River, Dad would emerge from the underground parking lot and see that unmistakable green astro turf bright from the sun's rays. There were four rows of seats: Blue, Green, Yellow, Red. Great Grampa always bought tickets in the green seats because an overhang blocked the direct sunlight during the game. Great Grandma would pull a pencil from her purse to keep track of the game on a scorecard. Great Grandpa would talk to the two boys about what was happening on the field. Dad marveled at how Grandma could call a homerun long before he was sure. Great Grandpa explained how when a player hits a ball there is a sound, and “if they barrel the ball” it is a particular sound that tells you the ball is gone.
How did you fall in love with baseball?
Grandpa was a big fan of baseball. It was different then. NBA didn’t exist. Football didn’t exist. In the 1920s. Baseball was the only sport. He listened to baseball games on the radio. Detroit Tigers games. He switched to the Reds fan in the 1940s when he was young man. He loved baseball.
He went to Reds games.
He took me.
Who was your favorite player?
Bo Diaz, catcher in the 1980s. Pretty good catcher, really, but not a superstar.
Couldn’t see a game on tv. In the 1980s, they didn’t film games. 1983, probably doesn’t exist. I didn’t watch. See box scores in the paper.
Grandpa: ice cream floats,
Barry Larkin.
Now? De La Cruz, hard not to be a fan. So exciting. Joey Votto. Matt mcClean, young guys.
If you become really attached, players become traded so often. Love the player while you got them, they will move on. Used to stay with team
Leave early, backseat of Buick, red cars always drove. Drive to Cincinnatii from Alexandria. Halfway rest stop, cooler of soft drinks, cans. Wipe off cans. I want to get to the game. Different time. Go to bathroom.
Parked underneath Riverfront. Parking pass. Shared season tickets, bank. 20-25 games. 1 game in the summer.
Go in gates, all seats blue green yellow red. Green seats, Didn’t like the sun. Green seats second level, great view, 1st r 3rd baseline. Overhang. Big concrete emerged, astroturf was an electric green.
You look out and slightly
Wanted to eat: frosty malt, cup, frozen solid. Wooden spoon like a stick. Spoon not great but frosty malt. Least popular. Beer hotdogs. Grandma kept score on a scorecard with a pencil. Buy scorecard each time. One flavor chocolate.
I didn’t get up much during game.
Talked some.
Always brought a friend.
Grandma, knew it was homerun. When a player hits a ball there is a sound, if they barrel the ball, certain speed, exit velocity, didn’t know, and that determines.
Grandma knew.
Everything new.
Riverfron tStaduoun 970-2001 or something. Cookie cutter stadium, bowl. Big deal in 1970s.
Camden Yards, have character.
Astroturf, different time.
My height 6’3, always were pants, collar polo shirt, stripes, glasses and prescription sunglasses. Gold watch. Reds hat, shirt, didn’t wear. M
Very frugal. 90 NCLS jacket for me and him.
Riverfront remembered.
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