Nationals Stadium

Despite being back in the D.C. area for three years now, last Friday was the first time I ventured to a Washington Nationals baseball game. Here were my observations:

1) It's great having a local team that hasn't yet hit peak popularity. Unfortunate Yankee and Red Socks fans have to buy their tickets through secondary sources and at inflated prices, in advance, and sit in packed sections surrounded by wiseguys or townies, respectively. For us Nationals fans, we can still buy our tickets at the stadium, at original price, and sit with relative privacy in our sections. I would like to see our team do well, but not so well that the place gets regularly sold out and packed with screaming bastards from the suburbs.

2) It's also great living a fifteen minute (I timed it!) door-to-door walk to the stadium. In the old days, at Yankee Stadium and Fenway alike, there was always that sense near the end of the game that "crap, now we gotta deal with stadium traffic and be on the road for hours". It's liberating to know that you can be home minutes after exiting.

3) It's also a very nice stadium, with a great layout--though I wonder why the stands don't completely encircle the field at all levels? I'd think even some cheap seats can be sold at the top tier behind the outfield, for those days when the stadium does sell out. If it's a supply and demand issue, they can always block off those sections during the low demand games.

4) Concessions were, to be expected, marked up, but not in a ridiculous way. The hot dogs were pretty good, though I hadn't tried their other concessions.

5) Thirteen innings are an incredibly long time. But the Nats did win!

6) Screaming teenage girls? It gets old real quick! Nothing like people waiting for a stadium-screen to tell you when to cheer, you sheeple. I imagine this would have ruined the concert experience for Beatles fans back in the day, too.

7) It was very tempting to want a beer! Urge to kill, rising....