The Washington Nationals are rolling out the red carpet for fans.
More than 2,000 yards of plush velvet flooring surrounds the main entrance to RFK Stadium for the Nationals “grand Re-Opening” against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Incoming owner Ted Lerner is laying a little pizzazz on the old gray lady of a municipal stadium.
Lerner and his players will welcome fans at stadium turnstiles. So will lots more food carts. Caps, shirts and towels will be given away along with “random acts of kindness” so fans will know how politiciansfeel when trolling through a fundraiser.
For just a moment, you might forget it’s the usual summer inferno of a night and the team is playing poorly. Drink a couple of the frozen margaritas now sold on the mezzanine and you may not notice anything.
Lerner and his staff know they can’t make a difference on the field right away, but they can help fans better enjoy the games. Better food, cheaper tickets and more entertainment combines for what sports should be — a night on the town.
Bravo to Lerner. Finally, an owner who isn’t obsessed over grinding every penny from fans pockets. Quite the opposite of Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who nearly charges for the air. Lerner is a throwback to the days when sporting events were fun instead of revenue streams. And with a team that’s not much fun to watch, every bit of sideshow entertainment is a relief.
The Nats provided a sneak preview on Thursday of the food court improvements. The ground level main entrance now has one of everything offered in the stadium. Kinda like a quick food court. The Nats even raved about Lerner wanting fresh popcorn. What a radical. Guess they’ll finally have to throw the leftover popcorn from the old Redskins games away.
The place has been so neglected the Nats press release even mentioned the addition of brown mustard. What’s next — ketchup?
There are also cheesesteak, burrito and kosher hot dog stands. Certainly a nice alternative even if your arteries harden on the way to your seats.
But the best offering comes on the mezzanine level where five local restaurants on the terrace offer outstanding food for a fair price. Crab cakes that aren’t fried, huge barbecue sandwiches, big chicken wings, stuffed baked potatoes and margaritas won’t disappoint. After all, if you’re charging $10 or so for a sandwich, make sure it’s a great sandwich instead of the nasty deep fried chicken fingers at most concession stands.You can eat reasonably healthy here. On behalf of my fellow heart attack survivors, thank you.
Minor league baseball thrives by catering to families. Major League Baseball is considered the game for serious fans. The Nats have decided bored spouses and offspring can enjoy the evening, too. Bands and a kids zone should liven things up instead of settling for batting practice.
This is going to be a great week around RFK. The Cubs always draw a crowd and Barry Bonds and the circus are coming afterwards.
But what’s really exciting is this stepchild of a franchise is finally being adopted. There will be more direction of the roster and an interest in the fans in the stands.
It will be two more years until the new stadium is ready and maybe longer before the team is a contender. At least fans will know the owner worries if they’re having a good time instead of planning the next price increases. That makes it a lot more digestible.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
