My Love for Baseball Began at Riverfront Stadium

My love for baseball began at an early age. As a child nearly every summer involved making a trip to visit my Aunt Jewel and Uncle Charles in Michigan. Often, coming or going, we would manage to spend one night close to Cincinnati, OH and take in a baseball game at Riverfront Stadium. As many little sisters do, I looked up to my big brother (10 years my senior). While he cheered for greats like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and others also known as the Big Red Machine, that is exactly what I learned to do!

Through the years, my brothers, parents and I attended many Cincinnati Reds baseball games. I have so many fond memories of staying just across the river in Covington, KY and taking a shuttle to the park or sometimes even walking across the massive bridge to and from the games. The tradition continued after Jimmy and I met. We would attend the occasional game at what became Cinergy Field and first introduced our oldest daughter, Jessica to the park at just four months old.

Despite my love for baseball, when my husband suggested early in our marriage that we set a family goal with our three daughters to spend every summer vacation attending baseball games, I didn’t initially jump onboard. Let’s be honest, no matter how much you enjoy baseball, it’s hard to sacrifice going to the beach…. Thankfully, he persisted and I reluctantly agreed, not confident how long this ideal would last. Here we are, 14 years and 21 parks later and it was the definitely one of the best decisions we could have made for our family. Our family has bonded over this goal and has seen more of our beautiful country than we would have ever had the opportunity to see otherwise.

Thankfully although our daughters are 17, 19 and 21 currently, they are still just as committed to the goal as ever! Our schedules have become more challenging however we always find a way to make it work and I have no doubt we will find a way to make it to the nine remaining parks. I anticipate many more fond memories as this journey continues.

Thank you for being a park of this journey with us. I encourage you, whatever hobbies or interests your family has, find a way to enjoy together as a family starting at an early age. Before you know it, your children will be grown and the memories are irreplaceable! ❤️⚾️❤️ – Rebecca