When a tentative 2001 schedule showed the Pittsburgh Pirates would provide the opposition for the Reds' home opener, Scott Sauerbeck was enthused. But the introduction of the imbalanced schedule forced the National League to shove a game against Atlanta in front of the Reds-Pirates series, denying Sauerbeck, a Pirates reliever and a Cincinnati native, the chance to experience the tradition he knew so well. Being from Cincinnati, I was looking forward to being in the actual home opener. But instead of playing in front of 38,000, I'll be playing in front of 18,000. No big deal.
Hard work pays off.
Cinergy Field's grounds crew continued striving to soften the infield. Head groundskeeper Doug Gallant said soil conditioner was worked into the infield's dirt portion to add some texture. Early in Tuesday's game, the only ballpark-related glitch was the lights, which hadn't been turned on when the Reds took the field to start the game. The lights still weren't at full power when Pirates leadoff hitter Adrian Brown was batting. With Ken Griffey Jr. still sidelined by a sore left hamstring, Ruben Rivera appeared poised to receive his first start in center field against Pittsburgh left-hander Terry Mulholland tonight.