By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
It was always a Northern Kentucky thing, or at the very least, a Ludlow thing.
At least we were sure it was.
Reds Opening Day.
Especially back in the old days when the Reds played at Crosley Field. Just an easy hop, skip and a jump for us Ludlow kids across the Southern Railroad bridge, through the Union Terminal and the Postal Annex and there you were.
To be completely honest about it, in many of those years we went to see the visitors, which in an eight-team National League often had rosters full of Hall of Famers.
Willie Mays and a host of all-stars led the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers always had talent all over the place although it was worth trying to beat the ushers down to the seats behind home plate to get a chance to watch Sandy Koufax warm up next to the dugout. The Braves? Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews. The Cardinals and Cubs always brought their fans along. The Pirates? Roberto Clemente. ‘Nuff said. Even the Phillies ended up with hometown Hall of Famer Jim Bunning.
And finally, with the likes of Californians Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Jim Maloney, the Reds got with it so that by the time they made the 1970 switch to Riverfront Stadium, led by local Pete Rose and Oklahoman Johnny Bench and then Oakland’s Joe Morgan and Cuba’s Tony Perez, it didn’t matter how bad a place that multi-sport stadium was for either football or baseball, the Big Red Machine was well worth it all by themselves.
But that wasn’t it, not really. The Reds were just a part of us, closer to Northern Kentucky in all three of their latest venues than to most of Cincinnati. From where I live now, you can’t tell where Newport ends and Cincinnati begins. From our view on the hill, Great American Ballpark is just a feature of the northern Newport skyline.
But it’s always been that way a little bit. I loved hearing former Kentucky governor Happy Chandler tell the story about how, when he was Commissioner of Baseball, he moved the offices from New York to Cincinnati’s Carew Tower so he could look out his window and see Kentucky.
The baseball owners didn’t much like the sound of that but in his five years, Happy made maybe the most historically consequential move any commissioner ever has when he signed Jackie Robinson’s contract despite a 15-1 vote by the owners to disallow it.
And it was Louisville’s Pee Wee Reese, captain of the Dodgers, who put his arm around Jackie that day in the infield to signal that baseball’s first black player was on his team – and vice versa. Legend says that moment that all agree happened, may well have come in Cincinnati in 1947, Jackie’s first season.
And two Kentucky guys helped make it a reality.
But my story goes back farther than that. A lot farther. The first job my great-grandfather, Henry Scholten, an immigrant from Germany, got in Cincinnati as a teenager was as a groundskeeper for the Reds. I have his 1883 season pass from the Reds’ Bank Street Grounds. Might be the oldest Reds ticket in existence.
So there I was, 90 years later, as the night stadium superintendent for the Reds after finishing up my time as a teacher and coach at Covington Catholic and moving on to NKU and Xavier as the sports information director and assistant AD. Not a bad time to get to the Reds. The “Machine” was rolling.
Getting ready for Opening Day, some years just coming out of late snow and ice, could be a headache. Although my favorite Opening Day story involves none of that. It happened a couple of years after I had left the Reds but returned to say “Hi” to my old colleagues on Opening Day.
And right outside the elevator that stopped at the Reds office level, there was maybe the most beautiful set of luggage I’d ever seen. The new Baseball Commissioner, Peter Ueberroth, was doing double duty that day and after the Reds afternoon opener, he was jetting off to a second game that night. Hence the luggage.
Unfortunately for Ueberroth, that luggage proved way too inviting a target for new Reds’ owner Marge Schott’s faithful Saint Bernard, Schottzie, who couldn’t wait to get down to the field and – how can we say this politely – relieved herself on Ueberroth’s luggage. Mrs. Schott’s laughter made it clear she found this funny. Mr. Ueberroth’s dancing around to keep from getting his shoes and suit splashed made it clear he did not as he gathered up his luggage and got out of Dodge.
But no, the Opening Day memories for me that are the strongest are those of my dad, Dr. Mel Weber, a family physician in solo practice in Ludlow, who almost never took a day off. He loved sports, could work in my Knothole baseball games before his Saturday rounds and office hours, and maybe catch a Xavier football game back in the day. Weekdays were for his patients. But he never missed an Opening Day.
Jean “Fox” DeMoisey, younger brother of famed UK basketball All-American Frenchy, was a pharmaceutical rep who lived in Fort Thomas although the DeMoisey family was originally from Walton and always took a group of Northern Kentucky docs to the game. Fox had stepped in after his brother’s untimely death as Happy’s administrative assistant and chauffeur since Happy didn’t drive and taking people to games — Sweet 16, UK football and basketball and Reds games — was what Fox did.
My dad wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Whether the Reds were good or bad. No matter who they played. It wasn’t about that. It was about good friends getting together over the years and connecting with all those who came before them. And now, those of us who come after.
Rick Meyers, longtime fixture in Northern Kentucky sports from all his years at Northern Kentucky University, is one of those. But an accident Tuesday in his yard and emergency tendon knee surgery will end his streak at 51 straight Opening Days.
“All through high school, college and ever since then,” Rick notes. His two daughters will represent him among the party of eight regulars who will make it to GABP Thursday.
Although Opening Day is something of a different world these days. Just saw a survey of what it costs for a single person to attend the home opener for every major league team and as surprising as it sounds, the Reds are No. 14 in the “least-expensive” category for the cost of a ticket, parking, a hot dog and a beer at $72.48. Minnesota Twins are the least expensive at $37.00. And if you stay home in Northern Kentucky, it’s less than $20 for the same at the Florence Y’alls’ opener at Thomas More Stadium.
But as the Reds will tell you, you can head to the Wings and Rings Room in GABP this year thanks to the legalization of sports betting in Ohio and the BetMGM Sports Book, you can get a bet down at the three betting windows, the 15 self-service kiosks or plop down in front of one of the bank of TV’s or the full-service bar and order off the Wings and Rings menu.
We’d recommend the wings. And while we’re at it, how about re-naming the room for the one Red who deserves to be memorialized there more than anyone else: Pete Rose Room, anyone?
Dan Weber is a sports reporter and columnist for the NKyTribune.