It’s funny how tastes change. When RFK Stadium — then called District of Columbia Stadium — opened in 1961, I was blown away. Of course, I was 10 years old, but America was a contender in the space race, and this structure looked every bit like something out of Buck Rogers. I was fine with it during the 1962-71 run of the expansion Senators, but when baseball returned in 2005, it had become an anomaly. A big, round concrete lump.
Oh sure, I experienced multiple waves of nostalgia these last 3 seasons, but eventually nostalgia turned to something else, more like nausea, or fatigue. RFK Stadium had gone from high-tech to no-tech in45 years, and a change was overdue.
This week I was given a tour of the new place, currently known as Nationals Park. Despite the mud and construction flotsam in abundance, it’s easy to see why this particular design won out. If you asked me to describe the place in a single word, I’m ready to answer.
Compelling.
From the ballpark’s footprint to its amenities to its sight lines — both baseball and non-baseball (the city’s skyline at night) — when you come for a game at this place next spring, you’ll not be disappointed. My tour was all-inclusive, meaning I saw every square foot of the place, and several things stuck with me.
The views of the field — from the cheapest seats in the place — are great. If you’ve got the wherewithal to be a season ticket holder, I can’t imagine there’s a play you won’t be able to see from wherever you are — including the concession stands. Nationals Park has an open concourse; when you get past the turnstile, there’s the field in front of you, not some long cinder block hallway concourse that requires you to go through some ramp to get to your seats. You walk in, the field is in front of you, and the concession stands are behind you. The newer minor league parks in the area all have open concourses, so imagine that on a much grander scale, with more concessions — and restrooms — than RFK, plus dedicated areas for kids and other events like weddings and private parties.
The player amenities at Nationals Park are plentiful, from the palatial home clubhouse, to the huge weight room (the mirrored walls would also allow for a Nats’ ballet troupe, but I wouldn’t count on that), to the indoor batting tunnels. Ryan Church and Brian Schneider were both given ballpark tours not long before they were traded to the Mets, so missing out on this place has to sting a little, though Shea Stadium is being replaced by the new Citi Field in 2009.
Confession: I was prepared not to like it. My point of reference for new ballparks is Camden Yards, and I came to believe you had to have a lot of brick facades to make a new ballpark look traditional. I was wrong. This place feels like home. There may be some parking issues the first couple of years, but the club is working on that. You might want to envision the park in that neighborhood in 2012, when the development around it is complete, and Southeast Washington becomes a genuine destination.
Hear Phil Wood Saturdays at 10 a.m. on SportsTalk 980 AM.
