Michael Smith has spent the past two months on his knees so that the backsides of Reds fans will be comfortable next year.

        That's if those backsides are sitting in Great American Ball Park anytime soon.

A worker for International Solutions installs seats Thursday in the Great American Ball Park. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Mr. Smith, a 38-year-old from California, Ohio, is one of two men responsible for drilling 84,000 holes into the ballpark's concrete seating bowls so metal posts that will hold plastic seats can be installed between now and January. The other is Doug Rigdon, 53, of Morehead, Ky.

        “That's 84,000-plus holes,” Mr. Smith said, noting there are actually 42,036 seats, which all require two holes. “It's a tough job because there's a lot of bending over. It ain't a comfortable position when you're drilling.”

        The threat of a baseball work stoppage that could go into next year hasn't kept crews from working every day to complete the $330 million ballpark in time for the 2003 season.

        Holes in the upper deck — known as the “view level” — have been drilled. Seat posts have been installed — looking like little red trees sprouting out of the concrete — in about half of the upper deck. Crews began screwing in the seat backs and the cup holders Thursday.

        That leaves drilling in the middle and lower decks of the seating bowls. And the job gets more complicated down the outfield lines, where the seats will be angled toward home plate so fans don't have to turn in their seats to watch the batter.

        Dan Trevino, foreman for Installation Solutions, said the angled seats are drilled the same, but spaced differently from the aisles.

        “The posts are twisted at a 12-degree angle,” explained Mr. Trevino, who has installed seats at more than a half dozen stadiums across the country, including PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

        Mr. Trevino's job is to mark where the holes are to be drilled. “If I make a mistake, everything is wrong,” he said.

        The seats may be red, with the Reds' insignia on the end seat of each row, but they cost plenty of green — about $3.4 million.

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