One of his fondest childhood memories was sitting on his dad's lap along the first-base line in Riverfront Stadium during the 1976 World Series and watching Dan Driessen play up close.

So it came as no surprise to his wife that she'd have to spend Saturday morning trolling through the history of the team that dominated Nintrup's childhood.

"I've been driving her nuts to come to it," said Nintrup, after his wife dutifully watched a video on Reds' history Saturday during the opening day of the much-anticipated Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

"And it's definitely worth it."

PHOTO GALLERIES

• Photos from Monday's gala • Inside the Hall of Fame

Hundreds of Reds fanatics gathered Saturday for the public opening of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum at Great American Ball Park. Early reviews were positive.

Visitors to the new museum watched the video Cincinnati: Home of Professional Baseball; peered at the Palace of the Fans, a miniature replica of the Reds ballpark built in 1902, and walked past plaques of Reds Hall of Fame inductees that hung from the ceiling.

Younger Reds fans squealed with laughter as they played in the interactive children's exhibits.

"The Pete Rose fans love the wall of 4,256 baseballs," said Greg Rhodes, Reds team historian and director of the Hall of Fame and Museum.

"You feel like the wall of balls keeps going up and up and up, and the hits just keep coming.

"But there's so much stuff to see here, you see Reds fans of all ages walk in here and find something that evokes a special baseball memory."

Rhodes' favorite artifact: the bronzed trophy baseball from 1869.

Old-time baseball history seemed to be walking the halls Saturday morning as more than a dozen grown men arrived dressed in 1800s-style baseball uniforms - white knickers, red socks and jerseys, with ornate "Cs" on their chests.

They were members of the 1869 Red Stockings, a Sharon Woods throwback baseball team, sponsored by the Reds, that travels the country playing by old-time rules.

But even members of that team, despite their appreciation of far older baseball history, said they were most looking forward to seeing artifacts from the powerhouse Reds teams of the 1970s.

"The Big Red Machine memorabilia were the biggest things for me because that was when I was 10, 11 years old," said Dave Koch, 38, of Sharonville. "That was the first time a lot of Reds fans ever saw the Reds win the World Series."

Like many who filtered into the museum on its first day, Koch got goose bumps from the 1975 World Series clips shown in the short movie about the history of the Reds.

Jerry O'Toole, son of 1960s Reds pitching ace Jim O'Toole, enjoyed the interactive exhibits for his children - especially the Reds announcing booth and the pitching-mound area. But for himself, O'Toole loved to be able to see his dad's history.

"I wasn't born when my dad retired, so it was wonderful to get the chance to walk through his history," said O'Toole, who brought his three young children with him. "My dad's just so proud of this. He was like a kid at Christmas when he was here the first time. I've never had the opportunity to go to Cooperstown, but my brother told me this is even better than Cooperstown."

E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com