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Entries (RSS)
May 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Well said, Kristen. As a Oriole fan, who grew up in the outskirts of D.C., you know I root for the Nats as well.
Needless to say, I don’t think as Nationals Park being the greatest structure that mankind ever built, but as a baseball fan in general and native, I’d like to see the team do well and the park packed. I’ve taken them on as my second favorite team, and buy tickets quite often, but I do see Knopsynder’s point on things.
However, in the end, you are right — he did hit below the belt when it came to the characterization of baseball fans in the area. If he needs someone to be upset at or to criticize, he needs to look at the Pirates organization from top to bottom. I was there for the 2006 All-Star game and to see the apathetic fan base there (a proud one, in spite of it) was sad to see.
- Anthony
May 6th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Thanks for sharing this with us. I’m kind of glad that they didn’t try to build a retro park downtown. In a way, while trying to get away from the cookie cutter stadiums of the past, a lot of the retro parks ended up being similar. The Nats’ new park fits in well downtown I think, and in time it will be a nice waterfront park with lots of places to eat along the way. BTW, as an aside, I agree that PNC is the best of the new parks.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
OK, granted, Nats Park is not the greatest stadium — but, still, I wouldn’t insult it. I do happen to like it. The left field plaza is pretty cool, the “Red Loft” is way cool, being able to walk all around getting food and still being able to see the field is great (and a great relief to the claustrophobia one got at RFK). As for parking, hey, the kinks will be worked out. (FWIW, last Sunday, when over 30K+ showed up, we parked for free on the street just 3 blocks away).
As for the article — what a joke:
- “What’s left is a shiny new ballpark that is home to bad baseball and seemingly uneducated fans.”
Yeah, right. If DC plays bad baseball, when what do the Pirates play (does he remember that DC took 3 of 4 behind terrific pitching?) As for DC fans not being knowlegable … did he take a survey? What’s he talking about?
“What’s harder to imagine is why they are so quick to applaud Wily Mo Pena and his Mendoza Line batting average, other than the fact that he’s the one other name in the lineup that they recognize.” — Gee, maybe because he went 3-for-5 over the weekend with a double, a run scored, and an RBI? I dunno, just guessing because I don’t know too much about baseball. But, duh, even un-knowleable me has heard of Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge, etc etc
“walk away remembering little about the stadium but its enormous scoreboard. ” Nope. I walk away loving the open spaces and the Red Loft.
“few seats offer a glimpse of any of Washington’s landmarks” uhh, hello? does he know the geography of DC — yes, the stadium could have been turned around offering a great view, but then the setting sun would be in the eyes of the players.
“To be fair, the stadium is still a work in progress” — Yeah, no kidding! Sheesh. Take a look around, there’s construction *everywhere*. If he knows anything about DC, he oughtta know that new construction and “Southeast” was not often in the same sentence before the Nationals. This is a good thing for DC.
“Or maybe it will end up being another example of Washington overspending for what turns out to be a mediocre product.” Oh, now I get it. He thought of this cute line, and wanted to use it, and so he builds a whole article around it.
No, me thinks that Eric Knopsnyder is the uneducated one. Let him stay in Pittsburgh if he thinks so little of DC baseball.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
i know this is a touchy subject around here, but the “typical” baseball fan in DC is still pretty new to the game. criticizing people for being uneducated about the game is unfair, but what is fair to say is that there are an awful lot of new fans, and folks just coming to check out the stadium, who may not be as immersed in the game as those reading this blog, and the other wonderful sites out there (shameless self-promotion).
it’s not just once in a while, but at every game i managed to find myself listening to people around me trying to figure out who the players are, what position they play, even which team is ours! Saturday afternoon we sat in front of four dudes in their young 20’s that work in a law office and i found myself explaining everything from what the stats on the scoreboard meant to the double-switch. there are just alot of new fans that haven’t had a team here in town to root for, and alot of people that wouldn’t necessarily be at a baseball game otherwise.
as for the critique of the stadium itself, i think some of it is fair as well. there is still MUCH room for improvement. there’s not a single place in the stadium grilling hot dogs or other salted meats over an open fire. put a grill up on the concourse behind the scoreboard! there’s plenty of room! there are times between innings when they are showing ads—or worse yet, Clint—where they take ALL THE GAME INFO DOWN and you can’t even see the score or inning. that is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. there’s a laundry list, as we’ve been through ad nauseum.
but i get the feeling this author was looking for another reason to bash Washington. congrats to him, mission accomplished (pun intended).
see you guys Friday night.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The author of the article has offered a response to our concerns about his criticism of DC baseball fans and the new stadium via e-mail:
1. I certainly didn’t go into the weekend looking to attack Washington or its fans. I am a baseball fan at heart (I schedule vacations around major-league schedules so that I can see different venues). I was very much looking forward to seeing a game at Nationals Park. As it worked out, I got to see two of them.
2. My critique of the stadium was meant as just that - my opinion of what it was like to see a game there. I wouldn’t say I had a bad experience. It just didn’t live up to my expecations or what I have gotten out of visits to most other major league stadiums. (This was my 13th, as I try to make it to every one of them).
3. After hearing feedback (including from a D.C. native on my staff at the paper), I don’t think I did a very good job of expressing what I meant with the “seemingly uneducated fans” comment. I didn’t mean to insult all Nats’ fans. I’m sure there are plenty of dedicated ones out there, as there are for every major league club. However, I think fans can have a huge impact on how a stadium feels.
Imagine if Fenway were half-empty and the fans that were there were more concerned with what was happening off the field than what was transpiring on it. The experience would be vastly different.
And, to be fair, the PNC Park experience is hurt immensely by the fact that weeknight games routinely draw 15,000 or fewer. (That’s also my big complaint with the wave - too many people are interested in doing the wave in the eighth inning of a tight game instead of paying attention to what’s happening on the field).
I also hoped that my column conveyed the notion that since that Nats are in their infancy, there is hope that this will change in the future. For now though, the fans there do little to enhance the game.
What was really amazing to me was that a team trying to build a fan-base didn’t have more gimmicks to attract outsiders.
4. I’m certainly not an expert on Washington geography. That was the point: My column was an outsiders’ guide to the stadium meant for readers in my geographic area interested in visiting the stadium. I’ll believe the poster on your blog who said it would have been impossible to include a great view of the Capitol Dome because of the setting sun. I just hoped their would be a better way to include some of D.C.’s legendeary sights.
5. The biggest disappointment to me was that there seemed to be so much promise for a D.C. ballpark, but that it failed to deliver on it despite the enormous price tag. I have nothing against the Nationals or, really their ballpark. I’m sure it is much better than RFK (I never made it to a game there), but there are plenty of others where I’d rather attend a game, including a handful within a few hours’ drive for my readers.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I’m really, really tired of people from other towns expecting our stadiums and our fans to live up to their expectations. I’m born and raised here and I love Pittsburgh - i go to two or three Steelers games a year because its so fun. But thats Pittsburgh - this is DC. We have more cultural and entertainment options per capita than any other city in the country - save perhaps New York. That, combined with the transient nature of the population make it very difficult to expect the same experience here as you would get at PNC. This was a cheap shot column and a rather cowardly reply. Stay home Knopsynder - your fishwrap needs you - we dont.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
i think the one thing that most people lose sight over, including Mr. Knopsynder in his article, is that the price of the stadium—while listed at $650 million—didn’t cost anywhere near that to build. Easily 40% of the total cost was in land purchasing and clean-up fees. So to say that “it failed to deliver…despite the enormous price tag” is either misinformed opinion or disinginuity.
i think out-of-town visitor’s perceptions of the park is really, REALLY clouded by the lack of immediate infrastructure, construction debris and otherwise “unready” atmosphere around the park. while we were waiting for autographs Sunday, there were a bunch of Pittsburghers waiting for their team bus to pull out of the tunnel, and they were wondering where to go for dinner and a beer around the stadium. when i told them there was no such place, yet…man the got indignant! but even in their profanity, they have a solid point. there is no local atmosphere around the ballpark, and i think it really hurts. it’s a shame the immediate infrastructure couldn’t keep up with the construction of the park.
but sadly, i’m afraid, the atmosphere around the stadium is going to have a corporate feel just like the stadium does. part of what makes Fenway so great is the Cask and Flagon (and many, many others). partof what makes Wrigley so great is the Cubby Bear (among many, many, many others). even Camden Yards has the redneck haven of Pickles Pub. hard to see joints like that popping up in the retail spaces of $800,000 condo buildings.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Kristen,
I appreciate you both showing the comments to the author, and posting his response.
I understand better now where he’s coming from, but, I still don’t get it. And/or he didn’t fully get it. From many parts, but not all, of the stadium you get a terrific view of the capitol dome, and it’s beautiful at night. From where I was sitting on Sunday (and, btw, there were 30K+ there on Sunday) I saw the Washington Monument, too.
The Plaza is great (there was a DJ there spinning tunes before the game), and the writer absolutely needs to check out the Red Loft, which is, apparently, proving so popular that the owners want to expand it.
And he would also understand our feelings better of the new park had he had the “pleasure” of watching a game at RFK.