Teach me about the Washington Nationals

[RoJoHen]

A couple summers ago, I was visiting a friend in DC, and we decided to go to a Nationals game. First, we bought our tickets right at the ballpark. For a Cubs game around here, you almost always have to order tickets online otherwise you'll never get a seat! Second, the tickets were $8. Equivalent tickets at Wrigley would have been at least $30. Third, this is what the park looked like throughout the entire game:

That is the most fans there were the whole time. And this was a gorgeous day, the perfect weather for baseball. I was blown away.

This event made me decide that I should dedicate myself to being the world's biggest Nationals fan. However, I really don't pay much attention to baseball records or anything. I love a good game, but I am really bad about following the season. The only thing I know about the Nationals are that they recently built a new stadium and that Ryan Zimmerman is there somewhere.

So, tell me what I need to know.

 

[SmoothieX]

I take it you are either a casual fan or not from the US. If I say something totally obvious, excuse me.

1. That was at the old RFK Stadium. Not exactly a baseball cathedral. They've since moved into a nice new baseball only stadium.
2. They had no balls and two strikes going into it. They are not a new upstart franchise. They are the old Montreal Expos, who were run by MLB (no ownership group) and had no money for years. They couldn't compete. It wasn't like the residents of DC were banged down the door clamoring for a team, MLB just plopped them down there.
3. They are a lousy team that doesn't have a devoted enough fan base yet to stick with them when they stink.
4. A random game in the middle of the summer, especially a weekday day game, is not always a big draw. People are at work. The newness of the season has worn off and if your team is 20 games back, there's no pennant race to look forward to.
5. Did I mention how bad they are?

I'm actually going to see the Nats in action two weeks from today. I'm checking out the new Citi Field. I haven't seen the Mets in years. Frankly, I hope they beat the snot out of the Nats, but that's just me.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

That was at the old RFK Stadium. Not exactly a baseball cathedral.

Oh lordy, is that the understatement of the millennium. RFK has got to be one of the ugliest pieces of shit buildings ever constructed by Man. Who knows what the hell they were thinking when they built that monstrosity. Even Boston City Hall has more charm, for cryin' out loud. It's a terrible tragedy that a great human being like Bobby Kennedy had to have such a shit pile of a stadium named after him...

Fortunately, the DC United soccer team (the only tenant RFK still has) will also be building a new stadium as well. So hopefully RFK will be dust within a couple of years!

They've since moved into a nice new baseball only stadium.

Yep. I've been to Nationals Park as well. It is a beautiful ballpark. True, the Nats don't have a great attendance record so far, but I say give them time. Now that they've got a decent place to play, I think the crowds will pick up. Nobody wanted to see them at RFK because that place sucks.

 

[RoJoHen]

I take it you are either a casual fan or not from the US. If I say something totally obvious, excuse me.

I'm really more of a casual Cubs fan than anything (I'm from Chicago), but I feel like the Nats need more fans, so I want to be one, if only because I think it would be funny.

The thing about me and sports is I have no idea how to keep track of them. People have tons of knowledge stock-piled in their brains. They watch ESPN all the time. They know the right websites to visit. And they watch the games.

I rarely have time to do any of those things, so my current sports knowledge is always very limited.

 

[Starbreaker]

Washinton was 19/30 teams for ballpark attendance last year. That's pretty good. Not to say most people weren't there for the Braves/Mets/Phillies though.

Find a good site that gives free SMS messages if you like texting. I get score updates from the Braves and final scores for a lot of other teams so I can keep up.

Braves gonna whoop that ass again tonight though. Hope there's not another rain delay...

 

[RoJoHen]

I managed to get tickets to the Cubs home opener on Monday. It's the only day this week that it's supposed to rain. I will be pissed if that happens.

 

[Kira's Mom]

They suck. All you need to know. But they're in D.C., and we wanted a team, so we're learning to love them. Slowly. A nice new stadium helps. And there's the amusing Presidential Races every home game during the fourth inning. They sucked when they were still the Expos, too.

My team is the Mets, but I have soft spots for the Nationals and the Rockies (used to live near Denver when they first got the team).

I'm actually going to see the Nats in action two weeks from today. I'm checking out the new Citi Field. I haven't seen the Mets in years. Frankly, I hope they beat the snot out of the Nats, but that's just me.

Oh, they'll beat the snot out of them, among other things.

 

[Starbreaker]

Yup. Yup. Nats are gonna be 0-6 before they get out of Atlanta!

 

[RoJoHen]

My friend told me the other day that the Nats were predicted to lose every game this season, which I think would be hilarious.

 

[Starbreaker]

They came close to a win last night, but no cigar.

 

[Kira's Mom]

My friend told me the other day that the Nats were predicted to lose every game this season, which I think would be hilarious.

That would be sad.

 

[Starbreaker]

My friend told me the other day that the Nats were predicted to lose every game this season, which I think would be hilarious.

That would be sad.

And almost statistically impossible.

The 1899 Cleveland Spiders own the worst single-season record of all time and for all eras (with one exception) finishing at 20-134 (.130 percentage) in the final year of the National League's 12-team era in the 1890s.

 

[RoJoHen]

My friend told me the other day that the Nats were predicted to lose every game this season, which I think would be hilarious.

That would be sad.

And almost statistically impossible.

Just think...no one would ever be able to take their record away!

 

[Starbreaker]

You know... after watching their poor defensive plays today (leaving bases uncovered), they might have a shot.

 

[Aragorn]

The area lost the Washington Senators TWICE (they are now the Twins and Rangers). I would think jerking people around would affect how they feel about the sport. Of course, that was a while ago a lot of baseball fans there probably don't remember the Senators.

It also doesn't help that you have a screwed up, horribly run team (the Expos) move there and you inherit a lot of their money problems and ineptness.

 

[Nerroth]

Fortunately, the DC United soccer team (the only tenant RFK still has) will also be building a new stadium as well. So hopefully RFK will be dust within a couple of years!

Or, the PG county deal will fall through, as it might (damnit) and United have to play in RFK for a while yet...

...or worse, RFK gets the wrecking ball anyway, United end up with nowhere in DC or the surrounding MD or VA counties to go, and end up having to be re-located away from the area.

I would really hate that.


(Some of DC's rival fans are already calling the team 'St. Louis United'...)


To think of how much money was thrown at building the Nationals a ballpark, when a fraction of the cost could have had a stadium deal done for the most successful professional team, and easily one of the best-supported sides, in the history of American soccer... sigh.

And I'd bet RFK never rocked for the Nats they way it has for United, either.

 

[RoJoHen]

I can't believe they won the other day. I'm so upset.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Didn't Manny, of all people, almost end up with the Nats? That would have been funny. He'd have been so bored he'd have torn out his own dreadlocks by the end of the first week.

 

[nevermore]

So, tell me what I need to know.

They suck. Worse than the Orioles.

The area lost the Washington Senators TWICE (they are now the Twins and Rangers). I would think jerking people around would affect how they feel about the sport. Of course, that was a while ago a lot of baseball fans there probably don't remember the Senators.

Also, that was when the other regional team was decent. Different story these days, so maybe more people will jump ship to the DC team this time around.