Nationals' New Stadium

by killa on Dec 7, 2007 7:57 PM EST Comment 22 comments

I don't write diaries much, so apologize if we all know this, or aren't interested. I've read numerous prospect/major league reviews referring to RFK lately, and it seems some of us don't know about the new stadium, and that the pitcher's heaven and abysmal fan experience known as RFK (I'm fairly local) won't be used any more. In any case, here is the link to the new stadium:

http://www.jdland.com/dc/stadium.cfm Additionally, here is the virtual tour link for the stadium: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ballpark/virtual_tour.jsp

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Sorry

Sorry guys, not sure why that 2nd link isn't highlighting...copy and paste...

by killa on Dec 7, 2007 7:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

new stadium

there is a show on Discovery Channel, either Extreme Engineering or something similar, did a whole episode on the building. very interesting.....

people who think they know everything really annoy those of us that do

by larryp2sickels on Dec 7, 2007 11:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

stadium

Looking forward to the new stadium for the fan experience. But it's hard to say how any stadium will play until we get some data. A park's leaning towards pitchers park or hitters park has to do with alot more than dimensions.

by McLovin on Dec 7, 2007 8:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Though I can definitely see hitters shooting for the Nats bullpen in RF. That can't be more than 320, can it?

by Yakker on Dec 7, 2007 8:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

baseball prospectus

project the new stadium to play neutral, which is a big gain offensively over RFK.

It is a little smaller, and there is virtually no foul territory. The stadium has openings that will allow for wind (RFK was dead), but it's hard to know what the prevailing wind will be.

Still, the park is at sea level, which we cannot change.

by vaclipper on Dec 8, 2007 6:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

http://clarkconstruction.oxblue.com/clarkhuntsmoot/

by phuturephillies on Dec 7, 2007 8:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Doubt it

At least next year, since he broke his hamate bone in November. (Injuring the hamate bone is notorious for sapping power.)

by omambiyick on Dec 7, 2007 8:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re:

seriously, he broke the hamate in the offseason? Geeez.

by McLovin on Dec 7, 2007 8:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sarcasm?

Not sure if you had or hadn't heard. He broke it taking BP in November.

by killa on Dec 7, 2007 8:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

This is really cool and has got to be pretty exciting for Nats fans.

I don't know too much about this part of D.C. What's it like?

I'm confused, though. I thought I remembered seeing some earlier shots of the stadium when the first chose the location which looked right out onto the river (a la PNC or Pac Bell), but now all we see in the background are boring office buildings. Did they re-orient the stadium? Or is it just the build-up in the vicinty?

by Yakker on Dec 7, 2007 8:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

stadium

The stadium is in SE near the Anacostia River. Eventually, I believe the Nats and city hope the area will resemble Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and there are plans for mixed retail near the new park, but right now it is industrial. Parking issues have not been resolved, but the Green line has a stop nearby.
BTW--Nats fans who prepay their season ticket package by the middle of December get a limited edition replica of the stadium! Yes!

by dwiest12 on Dec 7, 2007 9:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Area

Honestly, I am 1.5 hours away in WV Eastern Panhandle, so I've delayed looking into the neighborhood. It almost has to be easier to RFK to get to though, and a better area. It is near the Anacostia River.

by killa on Dec 7, 2007 9:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Easier to get to?

Probably. It's right off S. Capitol St., so it's certainly easier to get to by car. As for the Metro, there's a stop right near both, so that would depend on where you're coming from.

Better area of town?

No. Still in SE. They're planning on building up around it, but that could take a little while. For now, I wouldn't recommend venturing very far off the beaten path.

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Dec 7, 2007 9:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Easier

I guess I'm lumping my experience in with the locals, I am from WV. But the part of town is completely sh*tty (no bars, restaurants, and a metro ride away), completely unacceptable for a major sports venue.

by killa on Dec 7, 2007 11:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No different, really

It's only a mile down the road from RFK, also on the Anacostia...

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Dec 8, 2007 1:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not to mention

That Rule V they just snagged is limited to 1B.

But really, it's more like

1B: Dmitri Young
DL: Nick Johnson

Joba the.... Apologetic?

by ufoboy90 on Dec 7, 2007 9:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

the area

I live in a suburb of DC. The area the park is in is not good at all, but I guess the hope is to rehab the area and clean it up.

by phuturephillies on Dec 8, 2007 1:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Nats line up

I doubt Johnson will be ready to open the season, so Young should start. If Johnson is healthy, then the plan was to have Young play some LF. I think Kearns will play almost every day. Milledge will play a lot too, but Dukes will play some CF too. Pena will be the starter going into camp, but Dukes could win some time there. Dukes will probably be the 4th OFer, but will get a fair amount of playing time. The Nats have said they might start him in AAA, but given his issues, I think they'll want to have Acta and Young keep a close eye on him.

The nats also have decisions to make in MI. Belliard, Guzman, and Lopez can all make a case for starting. They might non-tender Lopez after his horrible season, but if they don't he's a nice come back candidate.

by vaclipper on Dec 8, 2007 6:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Parking

will be an issue, at least for the 1st season. If you drive, get there early. They're building a parking garage, but this part of town was mostly commercial and residential. They also are considering offering free parking at RFK and running shuttle buses to the game.

While it is on a Metro stop, it's the green line and most people will have to switch trains, which can take a while at night. They're upgrading the station, but I hear it will still be small.

As an alternative, you might consider parking near the Gallery place Metro (near the MCI center). There are a lot of good bars and restaurants, and it will be just 3 stops on the Metro.

by vaclipper on Dec 8, 2007 6:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not really

There will be a subway station that lets out directly into the stadium. My recommendation is to park at a subway station and take the train in. It's much quicker than driving in downtown DC in rush hour traffic anyway.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Dec 8, 2007 5:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

SE DC (where the stadium will be)

Just so everyone knows, I live a bike ride away from the area around the new stadium. It's an area of MASSIVE rebuilding. If you drive past, you'll see a dozen giant cranes working on rehabs and new buildings. It's a work in progress but it's going to end up a nice combination of residential condos and office buildings (no single family or small apartments, AFAIK) so I imagine in a few years, it'll look rather smart.

And, yes, there is a metro stop a block away from the stadium so transportation will be relatively easy and I'm sure it'll be easy to access from I-395/295.

In generally, it's a nice location considering they're building into a "project" area. Believe me, I know what a "bad location for a stadium" is having just moved from Philadelphia.

by Lunkwill Fook on Dec 8, 2007 1:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs