Ode to Crosley Field

June 18, 1970

So begins the process of saying goodbye to an old friend. It would be nice to say that many championships were battled for within these confines, but that is not so. There has been as much bad baseball as good played in this grand old man. But Crosley Field is indeed grand in itself. Its identity comes from the character of the place, not the teams that played within.

The new decade is a dawning of a new era for the Cincinnati Reds franchise, who starts the first of the final two series' against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. It is an important series, as the struggling Reds seek to end a four game losing streak against the second place Dodgers, who roll into town for four games in three days and stand five games back. If the Reds do not get their act together, the boys from the Left Coast could leave town a mere one game back.

So, over this last week of baseball played in this field, a journey of word and picture memories will follow.