The bad news is the Washington Nationals organization still has no clue how to handle a full stadium of 40,000 fans. Traffic was snarled, lines were long, parking was scarce.
The good news is the Nationals will not have to worry about crowds; the team is so dreadful the franchise can expect 20,000 fans a game — on a good day, facing a hot team.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the fan experience on Opening Day a solid 4, and my team won, so I left happy. Actually, it’s more accurate to say the Nationals lost.
If you are the kind of fan who likes drama and lots of runs and the frequent changing of the lead, then Monday’s game was a thriller.
But if you expect to see professional baseball at the level that is accepted in the major leagues, the Nationals are not for you. Not at this point in the season. Not at 0-7.
Take this play in the top of the eighth inning. Phils pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett smacked a line drive to Nats left fielder Adam Dunn. Figuring it was a routine single, Dunn took his time fielding the ball and throwing it in. Bruntlett took second base.
The word lazy came to mind.
Or minor league. Second baseman Anderson Hernandez turned a routine ground ball that should have been a double play into a juggling act. He flubbed another routine grounder. A few fans on the first base line saw Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans pound his glove and said: “Put in Jack!”
Why did Nats manager Manny Acta put righty Saul Rivera on the mound against the Phils’ lefty power hitters? Rivera promptly hit two batters and let Ryan Howard park one in center field. He served up a homer to Raul Ibanez. Four quick runs on a dumb coaching decision and a wretched pitcher.
But the fan experience is more than the game itself. You have to evaluate getting to the park, eating and drinking, mingling with friends, getting home.
My buddy Jim Beane and I decided to drive to RFK Stadium and take the free shuttle bus to the park. The lot’s signs were hard to follow. We arrived at 2 p.m. and joined hundreds in line. It took an hour to ride and walk to the gate, where we met another crush of people. There were five entrances at home plate; only two were open. Fans missed the opening pitch thanks to lousy management.
The main concourse was jammed, and lines were long for everything. Up top, where we sat, there was plenty of room, shorter lines, plenty of hot dogs, much beer within reach.
On another positive note, though the Nationals were dreadful on defense and pitching, their batters did launch a few home runs, and shortstop Christian Guzman went a perfect 5 for 5.
My advice: Wait until the weather turns a bit warmer, use the Metro, get the cheap seats upstairs, lower your expectations for crackerjack baseball.
You are likely to have a great day.
