For sentimental reasons and a chance to attend the final Opening Day at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati Reds fans bought 40,051 tickets in a record-setting 26 minutes Saturday morning.

        Ticket windows opened at 9 a.m. on the Cinergy Field plaza. By 9:05, blue seats were gone. The green went next at 9:10 and at 9:26, even the nosebleed seats had been snatched up.

Jeff Hill of Anderson Township camped out for tickets to Opening Day. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Last year, Opening Day tickets sold out in 55 minutes.

        “It's the very last Opening Day at Cinergy. Everyone wants to be a part of that,” said Pat McCaffrey, the Reds' director of season-ticket sales.

        With their treasured tickets in hand, fans said the promise of the Reds' first pitch and a chance to bid farewell to Cinergy Field were too tempting to resist.

        “It's a great feeling,” said Jeff Hill, 23, of Anderson Township, who held six Opening Day tickets. “It's like winning the lottery.”

        Mr. Hill missed work Friday to queue up at the ticket window on Cinergy Field's plaza. At 1 p.m. he was the 11th person in line.

        By 9 a.m. Saturday, hundreds had joined him. Many camped overnight, keeping themselves warm by tossing footballs, huddling in sleeping bags, standing around bonfires and getting excited about the Reds' April 1 opener against the Chicago Cubs.

        If Cinergy Field's last season resonates with crack after crack of Ken Griffey Jr.'s bat and the sight of Barry Larkin snaring line drives, that would be bliss, according to their midnight ramblings.

TICKET INFO

To buy Reds regular season tickets:     • Go online at cincinnatireds.com or at any tickets.com outlet, including Meijer, Play It Again Sports and Hader Hardware.     • By phone, call 381-REDS or 877-647-REDS.     • Visit the Dugout Shop in the Westin Hotel, downtown, or the Cinergy Field ticket window.     • Top six rows: Available 9 a.m. day of game or after most other seats have been sold.     Tickets for the Reds final series at Cinergy Field, Sept. 20-22 against Philadelphia, are not on sale yet. The on-sale date for that series will be announced later.     For information, call the Reds Ticket Office at (513) 421-4510, ext. 4300.

        “This is what true fans do,” Mr. Hill said. “Everyone out here is a true fan if they stay out here in 30-degree weather.”

        Last year, Opening Day attendance was 41,901, including standing-room-only tickets. After the 2000 season, part of Cinergy's left field section was removed to make room for construction of the Great American Ball Park.

        The reconfiguration removed nearly 14,000 seats, giving the stadium its smallest capacity since the stadium opened in 1970 as Riverfront Stadium.

        Construction continues to affect annual seating, said Cal Levy, the Reds' marketing director.

        In 2003, Great American Ball Park — the Reds' new home being built next to Cinergy Field — will seat about 42,000.

        On Saturday, some fans wondered how early they'll have to line up for those prized tickets.

        “I will camp out for two days to get tickets for that opening game,” said Gordy Fizwater, who took his place in line at 3 a.m. Saturday, soon after closing his bar, Happys Bar & Grill,in Fairfield.

        That move, though, had many fans forecasting a sentimental 2002 season at Cinergy.

        The ballpark opened during the season in 1970 and saw the Big Red Machine's spectacular seasons of 1975 and 1976, when the Reds won back-to-back World Series championships.

        “That's the only stadium I have ever known. Seeing it go is kind of sentimental,” said Josh Miller, 23, of Alexandria, Ky. But, “it's also nice to see something more modern coming to town.”

        Jeff Eckerle, 39, of Fort Thomas, was thrilled to have Opening Day tickets in hand.

        “There's relief because you never know if there's going to be a computer glitch,” he said.

        Beth Hildebrand and Tony Grim, an engaged couple from Green Township, arrived at the plaza at 7:30 a.m. Ms. Hildebrand was hoping to buy tickets for her fiance as a belated Valentine's Day present. She was pleased to get Top Six seats — the highest six rows in the red sections.

        “It (will be) nice to say you were at the last Opening Day at Cinergy Field,” Ms. Hildebrand said.

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