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Robert F. Kennedy Stadium |
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Washington DC |
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Number of Games: 2 |
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First Game: August 16, 2006 |
Nationals 9, Braves 6 |
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Last Game: August 17, 2006 |
Braves 5, Nationals 0 |
I never got to Montreal (although
I did make it to San Juan). When the Expos
finally headed to DC, I admit I was grateful...for while my chances of going to
Quebec had fallen off severely, I had some excuses to visit my kid sister and
other buddies of mine who congregate in DC. If it were another city, I'd
have
considered
waiting a few years until the big new
ballpark
was finally built, but any excuse for an American history lover and patriot like
me to head to our nation's capital and hang out with people I love...hey, I'll
take that.
The ballpark suffers from the same problems as other
multi-purpose stadiums: it's simply not meant for baseball, and it shows.
Like Dolphin Stadium, this is especially football-oriented. From the many
football players honored on the wall of fame to the George Marshall plaque on
the outside, it's clear that the football memories do and always will dominate
this place.
Even beyond this, RFK Stadium is simply not a nice place
to watch a baseball game. For starters, there is an expansive batch of first-level seats
that are below the second deck. Scoreboards and fly balls are invisible
from here,
so
a good deal of the game is spent looking at the televisions hanging beneath the
second deck...and their screens are so small that one cannot really see the
ball-strike count. Additionally, the PA system is almost unhearable back there.
During a hot sunny day game, I can see the appeal, but at night, I'd rather be
under the stars. After about four innings, my kid sister (with whom, by the way,
I have now enjoyed ballgames in four different major league
ballparks...approaching the record set by my dad, but which will surely be
eclipsed by
my wife) and I moved up to the upper deck. Highly recommended. If
you're going to go to RFK Stadium, there's no need to spend a lot of money on
the lower deck,
particularly
if you're far back. Save a few bucks and go up high.
Once up there, stretch out (there will be plenty of room) and look around to section 535. There, find the white seat up surprisingly high. That's the seat where Frank Howard hit the longest home run in RFK Stadium history. On the way out, dodge the ushers (who are annoyingly eager to get everyone away after the game) and sit in the seat. It's a heck of a long way from home plate.
After a marvelous time with my kid sister, I returned area
natives and longtime buddies Tom and Elizabeth. I like hanging out with locals at the
ballpark who might be able to tell me something about the team's history.
Of course, the Nationals don't have any history, so it's a bit more of a
challenge here. But my DC buddies got to tell me something about the
ballpark's political history. Tom expressed intense dislike for the racist
beliefs espoused by Calvin Griffith and George Marshall's. He talked about the efforts to build a new
ballpark
and
the incredible political firestorm therein. And all of this before the
game began! Once the game got going, I taught Elizabeth to score.
She caught on quickly, and her handwriting is in my book forever.
Of course, Tom and Elizabeth are two of the very few
people who are from the DC area. As a result, it's tough to play the
"regional feel" game. However, RFK stadium does well. The bust of
RFK himself joins the monuments to Griffith and Marshall (perhaps serving as a
liberal anchor situated between the two). And rather than a
Milwaukee
sausage race or the Pittsburgh pirogi race, Presidents race in RFK stadium.
Who to root for...Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, or Teddy Roosevelt? Why
not a lesser-President race between Hayes, W.H. Harrison, Arthur, and van Buren?
Or a day when all 43 race, including Cleveland twice? I'd love that.
On the whole, there's not a whole lot going for RFK
Stadium--it's a charmless relic,
more
so even than several other multipurpose stadiums of its era. But the
company can't be beat, and I can't wait to take in the new ballpark with them.
BASEBALL STUFF I'VE SEEN HERE:
Brian Schneider and Ryan Zimmerman hit home runs to lead a big Nationals assault on John Smoltz.
Oscar Villareal combines with three relievers on a 4-hit shutout for Atlanta.
Ryan Langerhans manages to walk four times in four at bats. He scores twice.
Next stadium (chronologically)
Written January 2007.