This Philadelphia-Washington Nationals feud is a cute, entertaining battle — when it’s between some politician from Pennsylvania and Nationals chief operating officer Andy Feffer.
But if you are a Nationals fan, this is not a fight you want: Philly vs. D.C.
It’s like a motorcycle gang vs. a Rotary Club.
The Nationals’ campaign to “Take Back the Park” is a public relations plan in which the pre-sale of tickets to the games against the Phillies at Nationals Park would be limited to fans with credit cards registered in the District, Maryland or Virginia.
This is a nice, symbolic gesture toward Nationals fans who suffer through an invasion by Philadelphia whenever the Phillies come to town.
But it became political last week when it was reported that Sen. Robert Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, drafted a letter to Nationals owner Ted Lerner — with a copy going to commissioner Bud Selig — protesting the club’s attempt to freeze out Phillies fans.
“I appreciate the desire to enjoy a home-field advantage, but this unprecedented policy solely and unfairly targets Phillies fans,” the letter states. “As the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., uniquely plays host to visitors from across the country. In addition to the fans who visit exclusively for Phillies games, tourists from the Commonwealth [of Pennsylvania] who hope to include a game on their Washington, D.C., itinerary could be blocked from attendance.
“In the spirit of good sportsmanship and healthy competition, I urge you to reconsider the policy and immediately allow Phillies fans equal access to ticket sales at Nationals Park.”
So will the U.S. Senator from the District respond to Casey?
Oh, that’s right. There is no senator representing D.C. in Congress.
See, that’s part of the problem. If this is a battle of the fan bases, Washington is bringing a calculator to a gun fight.
Sorry, but they take all this more seriously in Philadelphia.
I can’t recall seeing a fight in the stands or a fan run on the field at Nationals Park, though there may have been such instances.
At Citizens Bank Park, fans get tased for running on the field. And those who get arrested in the stands for being disorderly sometimes projectile vomit on their victims in retaliation.
Nationals Park is empty within five minutes, win or lose, after a game — except when the Phillies clinch a division title.
In September 2010, when Roy Halladay beat the Nationals 8-0 to clinch the NL East at Nationals Park, about 5,000 Phillies fans, still celebrating at the ballpark an hour after the game ended, chanted, “We’re not leaving,” as security tried to get them to leave.
So as long as this is between a Nationals executive trying to win favor with the team’s fans and a grandstanding politician, it’s amusing. But let’s not get nuts here. Let’s remember who we all are.
Philadelphia is Joe Frazier. Washington is George Will.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
