Bob Bennett of Highland Heights bought seats to use outdoors. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        They descended in large numbers onto a grassy field near Lunken Airport early Saturday, jumping from pickups and SUVs and any long vehicles they could muster. The invasion resembled a paramilitary operation, and the objective for this army of sports fans was clear: seek and buy Cinergy Field memorabilia.

        From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., O'Rourke Wrecking Co. sold seats, signs, flagpoles, Astroturf and other things to prepare for the demolition of the east side of the stadium and installation of grass on the field.

        “It was the first Major League stadium I was ever in,” said Nick Hall, 19, of Loveland. “So when I heard about the sale, I said, "Dad, I want a set of four seats for Christ mas.' He said he'd see what he could do.”

        Compared with old Crosley Field memorabilia, Cinergy items are nondescript, made mostly of heavy plastic. Yet perhaps one day they will be revered as fondly by the fans who've spent three decades watching the Reds and Bengals win and lose in the concrete doughnut on the Ohio River.

        “It's a nostalgia thing,” said Roger Mason, 35, of Sayler Park.

        At any one time, hundreds of people — mostly men — roamed the field in search of green and red seats. A section of four sold for $100, individual seats for $25. Other items included outfield flagpoles ($400), 12-inch-square pieces of turf ($10) and turf doormats ($20). Items came with certificates of authenticity.

        The plastic seats became Saturday's Holy Grail, even though they looked weathered.

        That didn't bother Bob Bennett, 48, of Highland Heights.

        “I need seats for my deck, and I'm a terrible carpenter,” he said. “I missed the sale of wooden seats from Crosley Field (in 1970), and I think I should buy these for a conversation piece.”

        Fork-lift trucks dropped off new loads every 10 minutes. Men scrambled around with wrenches to remove bolts. They carried sections of seats on their shoulders.

        “We started with 15,000 seats ... and I can't begin to tell you how many we have left,” said Mike O'Rourke of O'Rourke Wrecking.

        After the sale, a company spokeswoman said too few seats were left to schedule another sale this week.

        The firm won a contract to tear down Cinergy. Mr. O'Rourke said the sale of the merchandise was figured into his bid.

        A part of Cinergy's outfield wall is being removed so crews outside the stadium have room to begin building the new Great American Ball Park. After a part of Cinergy is down, the outfield wall and home plate will be moved in 10 feet. The Reds will play there for two more seasons.

        By December, the playing field will receive more than 2 acres of bluegrass to replace the plastic turf, which was recently removed. People wanted it for various reasons, including covering their basement floors and making little golf putting areas in their bedrooms.

        Brian Cassidy, 26, of Aurora, Ind., waited impatiently all week for the memorabilia sale to begin.

        “I'll get a 5-by-10-foot Astroturf piece for my future house,” he said. “And I got this section of seats because one seat has the number 14 — Pete Rose's number — on it. When he's inducted into the Hall of Fame someday, I'll sit back in seat 14 and watch the ceremonies on TV.”

        Mr. Cassidy was one of the few buyers to wear Bengals clothing to the sale. Many people wore Reds caps, jackets and T-shirts as they rummaged through the seats and signs — permanent reminders of the Reds' world championships in 1975, 1976 and 1990.

        “The idea of owning a piece of the Reds organization and the city is appealing,” said Kyle King, 24, of Anderson Township. “I grew up on this team. So for me, buying a seat is like owning a piece of Reds history.”

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