Some good moves. The Nationals are getting a reputation as a place for second chances that actually succeed. I think Dukes may be a bit more of a problem child than Young or Guillen but Milledge fits nicely in that effort. It was hard watching Church and Schneider struggle at the plate. I wish they could get Livan back to eat innings. Or better yet, few Livan types to allow the young pitchers a bit more time to develop.
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***OFFICIAL*** Washington Nationals ongoing thread (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter JZilla
- Start date
dgreen
Footballguy
No weekday day games this season. The Nats said they are concerned about parking during a workday and want to give fans a year to get used to the stadium and traffic and streets. I really think Metro is going to be the main mode of transportation, though, even at night and on weekends.
I was all ready to hop 5 stops on the Metro from my job to some day games, but I guess I'll have to wait until '09.
JZilla
Footballguy
Well, it's just me & you... either way GB
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
Going to my first game at the new Nats park against the Mess next month. Looking forward to seeing the new digs.
Today in an interview Manny Acta said it's nice to not have "things running around on the floor" when he was asked about his office. I'm assuming he meant cockroaches at RFK but he could have meant midgets.
Today in an interview Manny Acta said it's nice to not have "things running around on the floor" when he was asked about his office. I'm assuming he meant cockroaches at RFK but he could have meant midgets.
dgreen
Footballguy
He could also be referring to rats. RFK was infested with rats. Big ones.Going to my first game at the new Nats park against the Mess next month. Looking forward to seeing the new digs. Today in an interview Manny Acta said it's nice to not have "things running around on the floor" when he was asked about his office. I'm assuming he meant cockroaches at RFK but he could have meant midgets.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
Ah, that would explain it.He could also be referring to rats. RFK was infested with rats. Big ones.Going to my first game at the new Nats park against the Mess next month. Looking forward to seeing the new digs. Today in an interview Manny Acta said it's nice to not have "things running around on the floor" when he was asked about his office. I'm assuming he meant cockroaches at RFK but he could have meant midgets.
Capella
Footballguy
dgreen
Footballguy
Eephus
Footballguy
They can't decide whether to name their last starter or just forfeit every fifth game
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
JZilla
Footballguy
No worse than last year5th starter will be Lannan I think.. he was sent down but he might be back real soon.. who the hell else are they gonna out out there? Me?Fugly.
JZilla
Footballguy
I like Bergmann but.... I don't like him as the Ace
dgreen
Footballguy
How did you like it? Stadium looked awesome on TV.Zimmerman = Clutch
Great place to watch baseball. I was in left field by the foul pole. It feels really small when you are in your seats (which is a good thing). The HD scoreboard is huge and quite remarkable. I have tickets through a pool by third base, up about 30 rows. The pictures from those seats I saw were excellent as well.From the outside, it looks like a conference center with parking garages. I think the whole feel of the stadium outside will be determined by how the 'hood develops. Note really notable from the outside.The concourses are big, lots of food places with a view of the field from all three levels. Feels a bit like a mall food court though. The post slammed it in its architectural review, which was a bit harsh but made some good points especially about how there was little openness to the street when you are on the concourses.I like to watch baseball, drink beer and eat hotdogs--from that perspective it was great. Really easy to get a beer. There is a nice bar in center field with a top-notch view of the field from the mezzanine level. I had a great time and the Zim homer capped off a real nice time. Unlike Fedex, you don't feel like you just worked a full day to see a game. No problems getting in or out. The walk to Capitol South isn't bad at all for orange / blue line riders if you don't want to change trains.
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dgreen
Footballguy
I like what I've seen regarding plans for the neighborhood, but it's going to take a while.
Was there a considerable police presence all the way up to Capitol South? Was there a large enough crowd that most people would feel safe making that walk? I heard there was going to be a lot of cops around the park, but wasn't sure how far they'd stretch.
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Yeah, but Red Line riders are going to have to change at Metro Center or Gallery Place and STILL walk.I think I'll try the RFK lots and the Nats Express if I go to a game.
A good many people on the way down to the stadium and huge crowd leaving. The first half of the walk is through a nice part of Capitol Hill, the second half is just empty, little development etc, highway underpass. It's not a bad part town any longer, just a big construction site. There were police but not a huge amount when you got away from the stadium. I don't think there are any safety concerns on games days. The walk takes about 15 minutes.Green line people didn't seem to have any problems aside from it being really busy. I probably could have made it home in about the same amount of time switching trains. Metro really came through this weekend. Road it to the cherry blossoms with kids in the morning too. The real test will come during the weekday games at rush hour when they don't have the extra cars to add to the green line.dgreen said:
dgreen
Footballguy
Redwes25
Footballguy
And now up 5 runsGoing for 4-0 in a few minutes.
dgreen
Footballguy
Double play then a K.
Yep. This could be the season where they lose 100 games and Bowden finally gets whacked.
JZilla
Footballguy
Bad times
The shoddy pitching is really catching up with them for sure, last year's smoke & mirrors somehow kept them respectable but you cant keep that up for long.
The lack of offense, especially in the middle of the lineup, is a real killer right now. The stranding of baserunners is atrocious. That should pick up. They have good bats and I would expect them to start clicking a little bit. Not enough to keep them out of last place though. Just not a very good team.
The shoddy pitching is really catching up with them for sure, last year's smoke & mirrors somehow kept them respectable but you cant keep that up for long.
The lack of offense, especially in the middle of the lineup, is a real killer right now. The stranding of baserunners is atrocious. That should pick up. They have good bats and I would expect them to start clicking a little bit. Not enough to keep them out of last place though. Just not a very good team.
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JZilla
Footballguy
I love this kid Nieves.. it's a shame there will be no room for him once crusty old Lo Duca comes back... why did we get that guy again?
Lannan is on fire. Too bad Chico and Bergmann are busts.
I am cautiously optimistic that these guys will keep playing ~.500 ball for a while
Lannan is on fire. Too bad Chico and Bergmann are busts.
I am cautiously optimistic that these guys will keep playing ~.500 ball for a while
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dgreen
Footballguy
Just a little hitting from the middle of the lineup would help.
JZilla
Footballguy
Went to the game today.. we had a great time. None of the miserable concession waits that Dr. D and I experienced a couple weeks ago. 72 and sunny, a perfect day, we had seats on the right field line 6 rows up. I highly recommend catching a weekend day game, it's really coming together at the new park (and the team is starting to win a little too).
We showed up early enough to catch the tail end of Pirates BP, and I JUST missed a foul ball... shameful.. it broke my fingernail.. If I was an inch taller or weighed 20 lbs less Id've had it. All was not lost though; this kind gentleman tossed us a ball, which was pretty sweet for the kids. They also got an autograph from the mighty Saul Rivera.
We showed up early enough to catch the tail end of Pirates BP, and I JUST missed a foul ball... shameful.. it broke my fingernail.. If I was an inch taller or weighed 20 lbs less Id've had it. All was not lost though; this kind gentleman tossed us a ball, which was pretty sweet for the kids. They also got an autograph from the mighty Saul Rivera.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
Did you guys go to the video game/theme thing in LF? One thing about that park is that it is and will be very family friendly. Glad to hear you had a good time gb.
JZilla
Footballguy
We went into that arcade for a little while.. it looked like they had some sort of Guitar Hero competition going on and I tried to get my older daughter to play but she didn't have the guts. The karaoke game was so much louder than everything else anyway, seemed like GH would have been pretty difficult. The younger kid did get the Build-A-Bear of course.I guess people were a lot hungrier when you and I went at night... I spent hardly any time at all in line, and we bought a lot of crap.
dgreen
Footballguy
I went yesterday, too. I took my daughter and my plan was to just pick up some $5 grandstand seats. Unfortunately, they were sold out of those. No problem, I'll get some $10 seats. Nope, those were gone too. After failing to get 2 seats together in two of the $18 sections, I finally found two together in the last $18 section with tickets available.
Other than spending $26 more on tickets than I wanted to, everything was great. I had my first Ben's halfsmoke. Even though it was a little cold by the time I sat down to eat it, it was still good. Next time, I'll just pick up a Ben's halfsmoke at one of the Nats Dogs stands by my seats so I can eat it quicker. The fries weren't all that good, though. Maybe next time I'll combine a halfsmoke with some 5 Guys fries? Overall, the food choices are great.
While I'm totally a free market guy, I wish they hadn't let that one building be built so tall on Half St. between the stadium and the Capitol. It really obstructs what could be a much better view. Still, some great views of the city and the game. I can't wait for the neighborhood as a whole to turn around.
We sat in our seats for the first three innings, walked around for a couple innings, then sat in some different seats the last few innings. Along with the arcade and Build-a-Screech, there's a playground and moonbounce for kids. Unfortunately for my daughter, the playground was closed when we walked by in the 9th. Next time, we'll have to get there early to do stuff like that (and get $5 seats).
The Red Porch and Red Loft looked like really cool places to hang out. They really need to start selling standing room only tickets. A couple thousand people end up watching the game from various standing spots anyway.
Oh, and they're winning, which is always nice.
Other than spending $26 more on tickets than I wanted to, everything was great. I had my first Ben's halfsmoke. Even though it was a little cold by the time I sat down to eat it, it was still good. Next time, I'll just pick up a Ben's halfsmoke at one of the Nats Dogs stands by my seats so I can eat it quicker. The fries weren't all that good, though. Maybe next time I'll combine a halfsmoke with some 5 Guys fries? Overall, the food choices are great.
While I'm totally a free market guy, I wish they hadn't let that one building be built so tall on Half St. between the stadium and the Capitol. It really obstructs what could be a much better view. Still, some great views of the city and the game. I can't wait for the neighborhood as a whole to turn around.
We sat in our seats for the first three innings, walked around for a couple innings, then sat in some different seats the last few innings. Along with the arcade and Build-a-Screech, there's a playground and moonbounce for kids. Unfortunately for my daughter, the playground was closed when we walked by in the 9th. Next time, we'll have to get there early to do stuff like that (and get $5 seats).
The Red Porch and Red Loft looked like really cool places to hang out. They really need to start selling standing room only tickets. A couple thousand people end up watching the game from various standing spots anyway.
Oh, and they're winning, which is always nice.
It would also be nice if they moved people into those Presidential Seats down behind home after the game started so the best seats in the park weren't empty most of the time against teams like the Pirates and other scrub teams. I understand the high rollers need there seats, but if they don't show by the 3rd inning, let the peons sit down there and enjoy the game.
dgreen
Footballguy
I'm not sure about most new ballparks, but this new ballpark is directly in the middle of a huge pile of crap. There is absolutely nothing to do within a short walk of the stadium. There is no "I happened to be in the neighborhood" reason for attending a game. You either make plans to go or you don't go.
Most of the fans seem to be the outer burbs. I got on the Orange line in Vienna. The platform was full like a weekday morning; it was packed with riders. We picked up quite a few people at Dunn Loring, W. Falls Church, and E. Falls Church and were packed like sardines at that point. By the time we entered Arlington and into DC, there were only a handful of people trying to get on at each stop. It seems the majority of the people going aren't really close to the stadium and have absolutely no reason to be really close to the stadium unless they are going to a game.
Planning to go to a game isn't just saying, "Hey, let's go to a game for a couple hours." It's, "Let's take the kids to a game. We'll leave our house at 12 to get to the Metro by 12:30 to get to the park by 1:15 to get in our seats by 1:35 for the first pitch. Then, when the game is over at 4 to 4:30, we'll head back and be home by 6 for dinner." It's nearly a 6-hour affair for a family in the burbs, which, based on my scientific survey, seems to be the main customer.
I'll admit attendance has been a little disappointing. But, this is DC. DC always has 1000 things happening at once. It's an event town and a Tuesday night game against the Marlins or a Sunday afternoon game against the Pirates simply aren't big events. I believe the only sellouts have been the first game back at RFK, the opener this year, and the three Yankees games a couple years ago. Those were all events to see and be seen. Add on to all of this that this is still a young franchise with no deep routed fan base and you aren't going to pack the house on a regular basis.
Most of the fans seem to be the outer burbs. I got on the Orange line in Vienna. The platform was full like a weekday morning; it was packed with riders. We picked up quite a few people at Dunn Loring, W. Falls Church, and E. Falls Church and were packed like sardines at that point. By the time we entered Arlington and into DC, there were only a handful of people trying to get on at each stop. It seems the majority of the people going aren't really close to the stadium and have absolutely no reason to be really close to the stadium unless they are going to a game.
Planning to go to a game isn't just saying, "Hey, let's go to a game for a couple hours." It's, "Let's take the kids to a game. We'll leave our house at 12 to get to the Metro by 12:30 to get to the park by 1:15 to get in our seats by 1:35 for the first pitch. Then, when the game is over at 4 to 4:30, we'll head back and be home by 6 for dinner." It's nearly a 6-hour affair for a family in the burbs, which, based on my scientific survey, seems to be the main customer.
I'll admit attendance has been a little disappointing. But, this is DC. DC always has 1000 things happening at once. It's an event town and a Tuesday night game against the Marlins or a Sunday afternoon game against the Pirates simply aren't big events. I believe the only sellouts have been the first game back at RFK, the opener this year, and the three Yankees games a couple years ago. Those were all events to see and be seen. Add on to all of this that this is still a young franchise with no deep routed fan base and you aren't going to pack the house on a regular basis.
dgreen
Footballguy
That is embarrassing to have all those empty seats. I doubt they'd ever let someone slip into those seats. It was pretty easy to buy a $5 seat at RFK and sit in the lower level. The section ushers seemed to be a little more attentive yesterday, so I'm not sure how easy it is to slip into the 100 level sections with a 400 level ticket.
