On Monday I had the opportunity to attend Cincinnati Reds Opening Day. For anybody who has lived in Cincinnati, it is widely known that Opening Day is a Cincinnati holiday. It is also a day nobody does quite like Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is home to the first professional baseball team some 150 years ago and in the Queen City, baseball has and always will be king.
Every Opening Day in Cincinnati over the last 91 years has began with the Findlay Market Parade. The parade marches through the streets of downtown and is the highlight of the big day.
Over 100,000 people turn out to line the streets in anticipation of the parade. Everything that is Cincinnati is on display during the parade. Cincinnati staples such as Skyline Chili and Graeter's Ice Cream are represented as is the Cincinnati Zoo and King's Island.
The parade is also highlighted each and every year by its grand marshal. This year the parade was led by the greatest catcher of all time, Johnny Bench.
Fellow Big Red Machine members George Foster and Ken Griffey were also part of the parade. Bench was not the only Hall of Famer to participate. Bengal great Anthony Munoz took part in the festivities.
After the parade it is time to play ball. Before the game begins, hundreds of reporters and some of the Reds all-time greats line the field to finish off the pre-game festivities.
Longtime Reds broadcaster George Grande had the honors of throwing out the first pitch to none other than Johnny Bench.
After the entire Reds team is introduced including the clubhouse managers, it is time to play ball.
Needless to say, the Reds stood no chance on this day against Chris Carpenter, Albert Pujols, and the St. Louis Cardinals. An 11-6 loss to the Central Division favorites did little to dampen an otherwise perfect Opening Day in Cincinnati.
For as long as I can remember, Cincinnati has been a baseball town through and through. From the days of the Big Red Machine to the 1990 wire-to-wire World Series Champions, Cincinnati does it right during the baseball season.
After nine straight losing seasons, there is little baseball to cheer about come August and September. But, every April there is a buzz around Cincinnati about the upcoming season.
The buzz is still there even after an Opening Day loss. How long it stays around remains to be seen. Whether the Reds make a push for October or not, we will have to wait and see. One thing is for certain though.
Nobody does Opening Day quite like the city of Cincinnati.
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