Published: May 06, 2008 12:12 am         

Eric Knopsnyder | Hardly a Nationals treasure

WASHINGTON — The best thing that can be said about major league baseball’s newest stadium is that … well, it’s new.

After taking in a pair of games at Nationals Park over the weekend, it’s easy to see why the stadium hasn’t elicited the same kind of buzz that other new baseball stadiums have in the past few years.

That’s because the park doesn’t live up to all of its possibilities.

It could be a riverfront stadium like Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. But it’s not.

It could deliver a picturesque view of the city, like Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. But it doesn’t.

It could have tapped into the carnival-like atmosphere of Eutaw Street at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is located just an hour northeast. But, sadly, it failed there as well.

What’s left is a shiny new ballpark that is home to bad baseball and seemingly uneducated fans. Maybe it’s unfair to judge a city’s baseball IQ on a few games with the Pirates – after all even the most ardent baseball cities often need big promotions to draw fans when the Bucs are in town – but that’s all I have to go on so far.

Although many cities might have already turned on third baseman Ryan Zimmerman for his slow start, it’s understandable – some might even say admirable – that Washington fans still give him the biggest cheers. 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.

There are some commendable features to the $611 million structure, with the biggest being that it is the first green stadium in the U.S. It’s environmentally friendly in a number of ways, including the use of high-efficiency lighting, recycled materials and a groundwater run-off system that aims to protect the nearby Anacostia River.

But the average baseball fan isn’t going to notice those features. Most likely, he’ll walk away remembering little about the stadium but its enormous scoreboard. It is certainly noteworthy, with a 4,500-foot high-definition scoreboard that is great for replays, but is that really what the Nats want fans to remember about the stadium?

Maybe it is. And that would not be too surprising, as the ballpark seems to be geared more toward the casual fan than real baseball aficionados.

It’s evident from the way that they are incessantly playing sound clips – from “Green Acres” to “The Addams Family” theme songs – between pitches to the way that team mascot Screech – an annoying eagle, not the annoying teen from “Saved by the Bell” – tried to entice the crowd to start doing the wave. In the second inning.

I’m never a fan of doing the wave at sporting events, but I especially don’t see the need for a mascot to encourage it, especially so early in the game.

It’s not that I’m against all gimmicks at ballparks. I understand that despite of the success of bare-bones relics like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, some fans need between-inning diversions. I thought it was a stroke of genius to have Teddy Roosevelt chasing the Pirates’ Pierogies with a knife and fork during the Presidents’ Race on Saturday.

And I know that some of the new ballparks that I love have a number of ways to lure in casual fans, and I’m OK with that. What confused me about Nationals Park is that a team that tries so hard to elevate the entertainment level inside the stadium did so little to draw those fans inside the stadium.

There are some spots, such as the walkway in left field, with a great view of the Capitol Dome, but few seats offer a glimpse of any of Washington’s landmarks. In fact, the pricey club-level seats behind home plate – where I sat on Friday night – offered almost no view. The backdrop to the game included a big Nationals banner and a few non-descript buildings.

Sitting in the cheap seats on Saturday afternoon was actually more enjoyable. Though I was further removed from the game, the 400-level seats down the left-field line were still close to the field and offered a better panoramic view for $45 less.

Maybe that’s why the expensive seats were nearly empty for both games I attended.

Of course, a lack of parking might also be keeping people away. The Nationals gambled that people would still turn out for games that they can’t drive to, with mixed results so far.

There is a Metrorail stop nearby, which makes for easy access, although as packed as the trains were for a pair of almost meaningless games against the Pirates, it’s hard to imagine what they would be like should the Nationals ever get good.

There is almost no parking near the stadium, but one nice feature is that if you are willing to pay the premium prices and lucky enough to get a parking pass, it can be purchased online.

To be fair, the stadium is still a work in progress. Nationals Park is being counted on to rejuvenate the Southeast section of the city and turn a downtrodden, light-industrial area into a booming commercial district. And with a better team on the field, and a deeper attachment to a club that is in just its fourth season here, maybe that will happen.

Or maybe it will end up being another example of Washington overspending for what turns out to be a mediocre product.



Eric Knopsnyder is the sports editor of The Tribune-Democrat.

     

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