Ed and Jackie Hartmann met 15 years ago ar Riverfront Stadium. They now live in Monfort Heights with their children: Joe, 3; Meg, 5, and Jenna, 8. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        The ugly duckling begins its swan song Monday, when Cinergy Field opens its final season of Reds baseball. The stadium known as Riverfront when it made its debut with such fanfare in 1970 will give way in 2003 to Great American Ball Park, a home-suite-home with all the personality and income-producing boxes Cinergy lacked.

        And though “the toilet bowl,” as former Reds outfielder Dmitri Young once called it, is chastised as cold and artificial, it also produced memories that touched a city and beyond. Records were broken, titles won, history made. And more than that, it brought people together in ways that cannot be razed.

        This was a place to bridge generations, to pass a legacy, to find common ground blanketed in artificial turf.

        Great American may be the retro park of the future, and Cinergy may never be reconstructed the way Crosley Field was out of nostalgia. But 32 years of bonding produced some fairy-tale magic in the ugly duckling, as evidenced by the roughly 240 e-mails sent to the Enquirer when people were asked for their memories. Here are some:

MORE MEMORIES

Vote for your favorite Cinergy moment and read more fan memories in our special 'Goodbye, Cinergy' section

Proposal in a box
        My favorite Cinergy moment has a personal touch. It was Opening Day 1995, I was covering the game as a sports producer for Channel 12, as was my girlfriend, Lynne Kieser, who was the executive sports producer for Channel 12. Opening Day had been delayed several weeks that year due to the strike. Lynne and I were still on the field before the game as they started to introduce the starting lineups. I pulled a box of Cracker Jack out of my pocket, and we — as well as some other photographers around — started to eat. Lynne grabbed the prize — which happened to be an engagement ring I planted — and thankfully said yes to my marriage proposal.

        We were married a year later in 1996, a week after Opening Day. Lynne's life was unfortunately cut short by brain cancer in the summer of 1999. I will always treasure the moment of getting engaged on the field Opening Day 1995 as my greatest Cinergy memory.

        - Doug Stoutenborough, Cincinnati

The man at Gate 6
               Gate No. 6, where my father and I used to enter the stadium during the late '70s and '80s, was a favorite spot for one of the Reds' biggest fans. Standing against the wall with his transistor radio (and) walking cane, donning his beat-up Reds hat and dark sunglasses, was a blind man. My father and I would pass him each time we entered and left the stadium. As a kid, I used to feel sorry for him, not being able to go inside the stadium to see the game, but as I grew older, I realized why he would come to the stadium and listen to the game on the radio. It was the sound of the crowd cheering for Pete Rose or hearing the crack of the bat when Johnny Bench would blast one out of the park. The smell of the Kahn's brats and spilled beer. And of course the booming voice of Paul Sommerkamp announcing each player's last name twice as he stepped to the plate: “Now batting, Pete Rose ... Rose.” The blind man standing outside Gate 6 knew better than anyone what it meant to be at Riverfront Stadium.

        - Daren Dortin, Memphis

A final hug
               There is no question what my favorite and most fond memory of Riverfront is: The fifth game of the 1972 playoffs vs. Pittsburgh. This was the last game I was able to attend with my father, who shortly thereafter passed away. When Johnny Bench hit his home run, we both turned into a couple of out-of-control, emotional kids. But what a very fond memory it was, the last time I had the chance to hug my father in such a joyous moment. Thanks, Johnny and the Cincinnati Reds, for providing such a long-lasting memory. I will hold it near to my heart forever.

        - Randy Schulze, Greenhills

Mother's Day
               A long time ago on Mother's Day, I took my mother to a baseball game at Riverfront Stadium. I can remember parking, and walking across the atrium catwalk, and hearing all of the vendors pushing their merchandise. Even now I can close my eyes and feel the excitement, sitting in the stands waiting for the seventh-inning stretch for my mom's favorite song, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” where we would stand and be proud of our Cincinnati Reds. My mom is gone now. Her favorite thing was to cheer, “Root, root, root for the home team,” and soon, Riverfront will be gone, too. But the memories will live on for me of my mom and for the field I will always remember as Riverfront Stadium. For me, it means holding onto a piece of my mom, and for what she loved most.

        - Angela Brandenburg, Oakley

Heavenly premiere
               My family attended the very first game played at Riverfront Stadium. My grandmother, Genevieve Harrison, was the biggest Reds fan I knew. She listened to every game on her radio. She was in her late 70s at the time, and that “first” game was the last she'd ever see live. She could barely climb up those steps to the red seats. When she got up there, she said she was in heaven! She framed her certificate we all received for attending the first Riverfront game and proudly displayed it on her wall. I come home to Cincy every summer and see a Reds game.

        - Susan Harrison Laing, Miami

Family ties
               I never played baseball, but I'll always remember the times my dad took me and my two brothers, Trey and Erik, to Reds games. It was a place where we all bonded. It was the whole experience of being together, going downtown and having those father-and-son baseball experiences. Just like in the movies. It wouldn't have mattered if we didn't even like baseball. It was that experience of being with my dad and my brothers that will stay with me forever.

        - Joshua Hardin, Pleasant Ridge

A homecoming gift
               The greatest time I had at Riverfront had to do with the Vietnam War. I was due to be discharged in September of 1970 and had not been home for almost three years. My parents had always kept me abreast of the Reds, and I was excited about the World Series. When I arrived home, my parents had a homecoming present for me: Tickets to the World Series in a brand-new stadium. I cherish those moments to this day.

        - Larry Plank, Western Hills

Safety first
               I remember going to Riverfront as a teen-ager with my Uncle Herb. We would usually sit in the red seats, and because that section was so steep, I would have to take my belt off so Uncle Herb could use it and his belt to strap himself into his seat. He was afraid that he would lose his balance and fall down into the green seats.

        - Jim Vonau, Columbus

The view was good
               I always enjoyed watching games there because you had a good view from just about every seat in the stadium. I didn't like the red seats, but even there, the vision was good. But I am looking forward to the new stadium. I think the view of the river is going to be great.

        - Ernie Robinson, North Avondale

Returned souvenir
               One of the first times my father (who passed away in 1999) took me there, I got an autograph from Pete Rose. We were up in the red seats later during the game, and the autograph card slipped from my hand and fell all the way down to the blue section, where a woman picked it up and put it in her purse. I was only 8 or 9, I started to cry, and my dad went all the way down there, found the woman and got my card back. I still have it. One of the last things we did together before he got sick was, I took him to a game at Riverfront. I refuse to call it Cinergy Field.

        - Mark Sparks, Germantown, Ohio

A city reborn
               Yes, I remember the Big Red Machine of the '70s and the thrilling '75 World Series. But having grown up in Cincinnati in the '50s and '60s, Riverfront was much greater than any team that occupied her field. Riverfront gave life to a city that was about to die. I remember when the city prepared for her birth. We were glad to see places like the old Atomic Bar fall to the wrecker's ball. In the spring of '68, I remember the thrill of seeing the steam pile drivers each morning place the steelwork for a stadium. Riverfront gave birth to the metropolitan area as a true community. There were the periodic helicopter traffic and construction progress reports given by Lt. Art Mehring, the city's favorite cop! The city was truly proud of her new stadium. It's been 25 years since I lived in Cincinnati. From my office, I look at the skyscrapers of Atlanta, but over my desk is a large picture of Riverfront. What will I do now?

        - Mike Hamilton, Norcross, Ga.

Field trip
               I was a student at Berea College in the early '70s. It was my first time away from home, and I was having trouble adjusting. A couple of guys I had met suggested a “road trip” to Cincinnati to catch a Reds game. Five of us piled into a Chevy LUV pickup, going up early enough to catch batting practice and generally make a day of it. What a day it was! Those four guys are still my best friends, and the Reds are still our team!

        - Mark Estepp, Matewan, W.Va.

Love story
               My favorite memory of Cinergy Field is from Opening Day 1987. My college buddies and I have a tradition of going to Opening Day every year. Little did I know that the 1987 Opening Day would change my life forever! It turned out, by chance, my best friend's girlfriend scalped a pair of tickets right before the game and ended up sitting about 10 rows behind us. She came to the game with a co-worker who had recently moved to Cincinnati. I went up to say, “hi” to my friend's girlfriend and was also introduced to Jackie, who is now my wife of almost 12 years! Riverfront Stadium will always be remembered as the place where my love of baseball introduced me to the love of my life!

        - Ed Hartmann, Monfort Heights

A big hit
               I am a New Jersey fan of the Reds. In 1970, my father took a business trip to Cincinnati. The phone rang one evening, and he was on the pay phone calling me from the brand-new Riverfront Stadium, catching a game. I heard the crowd roar over the phone and asked what happened. He said that Jim Merritt had just hit a home run. In 1980, while a student at Ohio Wesleyan, we took a road trip to Riverfront for a game. During the game, I asked a sorority sister for a date to an upcoming dance. She said yes. We now have four sons together. Great memories!

        - Doug Brown, Tewksbury, N.J.

Vote for your favorite Cinergy moment and read more fan memories in our special 'Goodbye, Cinergy' section

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