The first thing Skip Prosser knows about the Cincinnati Gardens is that it smells. Old and musty. Years of stale beer and salted peanuts, sweat and mildew, like an old basement packed with people. The kinds of smells that stir memories. And there are plenty of those.
Old buildings have a certain aura.
There have been a lot of great games here, a lot of tremendous players who have played on this floor. You can't help but remember that. A distinctive feature of the Gardens is the carved athletic figures - three on each side of the front entrances. The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout between Xavier and the University of Cincinnati. The Gardens will still be open for business, but future Shootouts will not be played here.