By John Erardi and John Byczkowski
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

10 Panoramic photographs from the Enquirer's award-winning photographer, Michael E. Keating

Jim Borgman cartoon

The Cincinnati Reds drew fewer fans in a ballpark's inaugural year than any other team since the wave of new major-league ballparks began in 1989.

That's when Toronto's SkyDome opened, drawing 3.3 million fans and launching the biggest round of ballpark construction in 90 years. Since then, 15 teams have opened new ballparks, and the Reds' attendance of nearly 2.4 million is the smallest first-year crowd of them all.

This isn't lost on the Reds. The team had projected at least 2.5 million in attendance, and quietly hoped for 3 million. Capacity is 3.4 million. Including today's contest, the draw will be just under 2.4 million.

"You look at Milwaukee, you look at Pittsburgh, you look at the Reds. Of the three teams, we had the lowest attendance for the first year," says John Allen, chief operating officer of the Reds. "That's a little concerning."

There are several reasons for this. The Reds' win-loss record is the second-worst of any established team in its first year in a new ballpark. Going into today's final home game, the Reds had won 69 games and lost 92.

The Reds sold out 11 of 81 total home games and filled more than two-thirds of seats. But this year's weak attendance could falter more in 2004. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh saw attendance drop 25 percent or more in their ballparks' second years. Barring dramatic player moves, that same fate could await the Reds.

Allen says he'd be happy with 2 million fans in 2004 - a run-of-the-mill year in Cinergy Field.