I have to admit it’s hard to believe Great American Ball Park has been around since 2003.

When I was a lot younger I remember taking bus trips to old Riverfront Stadium or we’d make a family day trip and catch a game on a Sunday.

Of course, with my sister having lived in Baltimore for decades I usually spent summers watching Orioles games, or finding my way to Pittsburgh or Cleveland.

One year in Cincinnati we had just parked and were walking around the city and bumped into my then barber Larry Shears.

Perhaps my favorite memory from back then took place in early August of 1987.

My brother David and I, obviously big Reds fans since we were both wearing our youth league baseball uniforms (Elizabeth Reds) to the game, got to watch Eric Davis hit a walk-off bomb in the 11th to beat the Giants, 5-4.

Although it took a lot longer than I ever expected, I finally made my first excursion to GABP on Sunday to take in the Reds versus the Los Angeles Angels, who won 9-6.

However, on Saturday it wasn’t time for baseball just yet, but rather Fieldhouse Cage Fights 3/New Line Cagefighting Fight Night 44.

Overall, I felt it was a really good show, but the most obvious disappointment was not getting to watch Dawghouse Gym’s Tonya Hopkins make her MMA debut.

Obviously, Hopkins was more than ready, having trained hard as she dropped 20 pounds to make weight.

Evidently once her opponent got a good look at her, she opted to scurry away from Memorial Fieldhouse and head back home, leaving Hopkins without a fight.

Now, that wasn’t the case for Ravenswood’s Jordan Varney in his MMA showdown versus the previously undefeated Caiden Armstrong, who not only lost via TKO in the third round but had created some tension via texting with the former Red Devil.

“I felt great man. That’s the best I’ve ever felt for a fight,” admitted Varney, who also trains at the Dawghouse and will be back in action on May 16 in Wheeling to defend his 135-pound foundation fight series title. “I worked on my ground game a lot leading up to it so I knew going in that I didn’t have to worry about his jiu jitsu.

“His striking surprised me in the first round mainly because he tried to smother me, but going into the second I already knew I had the fight won on the feet and on the ground just by the way he was desperately trying to run me down, so I just started flowing like I do in the gym.”

Varney, who will become a father in June when he welcomes a little girl into the world, added “it all felt normal and comfortable to me. Every aspect of the fight I was comfortable and at peace knowing that he couldn’t take me down either, except for that sweep he caught me with, but I fought right back out of it and secured the finish.”

Despite having a texting spat, which was all initiated by Armstrong, Varney held no ill will at the end of the day.

“He was not running his mouth at all. He was being very nice to me at the fights, which I respected and gave him respect back,” Varney explained.

“I think he had already seen the end of the fight before it had taken place. I could see in his eyes the whole time he knew what he had coming for him.”

Well, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect on Sunday at the game as Jose Soriano clashed with Andrew Abbott, but the Reds starting pitcher didn’t have his best stuff.

The Angels were doing their best “Wee” Willie Keeler impression of “hit ’em where they ain’t” as Abbott was lifted after allowing seven earned in three innings.

Soriano’s plight was much better as the hard sinker throwing right-hander dominated the Reds lineup on a season-high 106 pitches with seven frames of two-hit ball and 10 strikeouts.

Improving to 4-0 after the victory, Soriano became the first Angels pitcher since Jered Weaver in 2011 to win his first four starts.

Even though there wasn’t a Mike Trout round-tripper and the only bomb by LA came off the bat of Oswald Peraza, at least we got to see a three-run homer in the ninth by Elly De La Cruz.

Hopefully, I’ll get back to GABP sooner rather than later and also make a return trip to the Red Leprechaun Irish pub.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com