·        Connected:  Crews this week installed the truss bridge between Great American Ball and the Firstar Center Plaza.  The 76-ton assemblage stretches across Broadway near the corner of Broadway and Pete Rose Way, connecting the Firstar Center to a baseball park for the first time since the pedestrian footbridge to the Cinergy Field plaza was demolished on   August 1, 2000. 

The bridge, which is the largest truss, or open span, in the ball park project, is anchored on both ends to massive concrete columns by huge bolts.

·        Batter’s Eye Concrete Installation Begins:  Crews also have begun placing concrete in the batter’s eye area of the ball park.  The “batter’s eye” is the area in straightaway center field.  Major League Baseball rules require this area to be a dark uniform color to allow the batter to see the ball in the pitcher’s hand, hence the name.

·        One Last Time:  The Cincinnati Reds have released their 2002 schedule.  The final home game of the regular season is scheduled for Sunday, September 22 vs. the Philadelphia Phillies.  Final demolition of Cinergy Field will begin shortly after completion of the season. 

The Reds hope to send off their current stadium in a similar fashion as when they vacated Crosley Field 32 years earlier.  On June 24, 1970, the Reds defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in Crosley Field’s last game.  Consecutive home runs by Johnny Bench and Lee May in the bottom of the eighth inning sent fans home with one last good memory from the old park.  Unfortunately, that success did not carry through to the Cinergy Field opener on June 30, when the Atlanta Braves defeated the Reds 8-3 to christen the then Riverfront Stadium.

·        Holiday Schedule:  The Great American Ball Park jobsite will be officially closed on Christmas Day, December 25 and New Year’s Day, January 1, as will all county offices and the offices of the construction management team.