Skip to navigation
Skip to main content
Home
About
Parade Grand Marshals
Opening Day Stories
Opening Day History
Opening Day Ticket Stubs
Contacts
Applications
Band/School Application (Closed)
General Application
Information
Parade Route
Parade Rules and Regulations
Parade Lineup Position
Entry Points / Gate Numbers
Parade Photos
Opening Day Stories
Robert H. Castellini
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cincinnati Reds
My favorite Opening Day memory was seeing Hank Aaron hit his 714th home run on April 4, 1974, to tie Babe Ruth’s all time home run record. The day was filled with great anticipation, and I was in the stands with co-workers and customers. An associate was sent up to the concession stands for drinks, and he came back to hear that Hank had hit the historic home run. He asked us never to tell his family he had missed the hit. We proceeded to tell his wife...
Chris Eckes
Operations Manager/Chief Curator, Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
My favorite Opening Day memory …It's so difficult to pick just one. I've been very fortunate to have been able to attend each Opening Day (save one) since 1984. I guess that first Opener would have to be at the top of my list. My uncle purchased tickets and took me and my cousin. It was the first opener for both of us. I was twelve and he was thirteen and neither one of us had ever been to the Stadium when it was so full of both people and excitement.The...
Jamie Ramsey
Cincinnati Reds Asst Dir. of Media Relations & MLB blogger: Better off Red
As a kid growing up in Reds Country, I never missed watching a Cincinnati Opening Day on TV. It wasn’t until 1998 that I finally got to "attend" my first lid-lifter, but not as a fan, rather as a tuxedoed-member of the Reds Ground Crew. Yep, I was one of those dudes in tennis shoes and formal wear, pushing dirt around the Riverfront Stadium playing field. One of my first assignments that day consisted of holding the leash of a very well-known St....
Mike Shannon
Editor-in-Chief of Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine
My favorite Opening Day memory... The best job I ever had, besides being an author of baseball books, was working for Comair at the Greater Cincinnati airport as a gate agent. The specialness of Opening Day was evinced even in that milieu. During a conversation between two Delta pilots one day I heard one of them describe how he’d been awakened one chilly morning at his downtown hotel by some gawd-awful racket. "I heard loud music playing right outside my...
Tom Browning
Former Cincinnati Reds Pitcher and 1988 Perfect Game Pitcher
In 1991, I hit a bases-loaded double late in the game to beat Mike Scott and the Houston Astros. I pitched well too! My first Opening Day start caught me off guard; I was more nervous than I expected. I struck the first batter out and my legs went numb. 55,000 screaming fans will do that to you. I didn't pitch past the 4th inning but we won. Bio of Tom BrowningFormer Cincinnati Reds Pitcher1988 Pitched a Perfect Game Tom Browning, the Cincinnati Reds'...
Kit Andrews
LOCAL 12 Anchor
25 years ago, a guy I'd just met asked me to accompany him to Opening Day. While I didn't know him very well, who can pass on that ticket? I asked him to pick me up at the station. We were running late, and I convinced him the parking place in front of the old Red Cross building was "just fine… it's Opening Day, police have better things to do than tow this car." The weather was beautiful, the game was good, and the company was...
Sheila Gray
Co-anchors the Fox 19 Morning News on WXIX-TV
I grew up about an hour and a half north of Cincinnati in Sidney, Ohio, so I was raised as a Reds fan and remember fondly the days of the Big Red Machine. Johnny Bench and Pete Rose were heroes to me, and I wore out a T-shirt with Johnny’s number 5.When I was in school, I won tickets to Reds games several times by making the honor roll, and it was always a big deal to drive down to Cincinnati, watch my Reds play at Riverfront Stadium, and stay up late....
Bill Cunningham
700WLW and 700wlw.com weekdays from Noon-3pm
I meet Marge Schott at Findlay Market. I would pet Schottzie, then greet the people and sound the horn with with Marge for the Findlay Market Parade to start. I would ride in the Parade with Marge and wave to the the Great Americans of Cincinnati. We then would go to Riverfront Stadium and sit in Marge's box and watch the Reds WIN!
Lance McAlister
Host Sports Talk, 6-9pm, 700 WLW
My favorite Opening Day memory was 1980.I was 14 years old, walking into the stadium with my dad. We heard the news that Frank Pastore was going to be the starting pitcher. Tom Seaver, the scheduled starter, was sick.I asked my dad, "Who is Frank Pastore?" Three hours later I knew the answer....he was the guy that shutout the Braves 9-0 as the Reds won on Opening Day.Opening Day is about hope and faith....the renewal of Reds baseball. Opening Day is our...
Scott Sloan
Host Sports Talk, 9pm-Midnight, 700 WLW
There are two seasons in Cincinnati: Winter and baseball.My favorite moment is walking into the park on what is usually a cold, windy and often rainy Monday in early April and literally witnessing the seasons change. Catching that first glimpse of green outfield turf, hearing the pop of the ball in a glove and smelling the hot dogs grilling instantly erases what seems like six months of gray skies, brown grass and salt stains. Bio of Scott Sloan9pm-...
Pages
1
2
next ›
last »