Big Shock: D.C. a bad baseball town

[RShack]

despite playing in the Al Davis Memorial Football Field.

Ha! It is a dump. Plus, it has a scenic location, right on the dang freeway.

After I saw them put a tarp over the entire upper deck, I bet a guy out there they were gonna get themselves a new place closer to SJ ...

[hoosiers]

We'll see what happens in DC. I think they will have a three to five year honeymoor period in the new stadium to produce a winner before there they lose the potential fan base. That city will not support a loser.

Fortunately, the pieces are in place in the FO and the current talent in the organization to be competitive if good moves continue to be made.

[Why Not?]

What are you talking about? The Giants have drawn over 3 million for eight straight years, and the A's draw 2 million every year despite playing in the Al Davis Memorial Football Field.

I think the Washington-Baltimore Area would be just fine if the O's drew 3 million a year, and the Nats 2 million while they were still in RFK.

Both of those teams have been winning though. The Giants have drawn because of Bonds and the new park. But before 2000, they were rarely in the top half of the league. It's taken some outstanding teams to get the A's (barely) over 2 million.

[Why Not?]

We'll see what happens in DC. I think they will have a three to five year honeymoor period in the new stadium to produce a winner before there they lose the potential fan base. That city will not support a loser.

Fortunately, the pieces are in place in the FO and the current talent in the organization to be competitive if good moves continue to be made.

I think you could argue that the honeymoon is already over. Season ticket sales are lower than they were in RFK. Attendance is historically low for a new park.

[RShack]

I think you could argue that the honeymoon is already over. Season ticket sales are lower than they were in RFK. Attendance is historically low for a new park.

The place they built it... is that a place where most people aren't used to going yet? If it is, that could be part of it. It might to just take some time for people to warm up to the idea, and to gradually get familiar with a place they're not used to. Whatever it is, it's something to measure in years, not in days or weeks...

[Why Not?]

The place they built it... is that a place where most people aren't used to going yet? If it is, that could be part of it. It might to just take some time for people to warm up to the idea, and to gradually get familiar with a place they're not used to. Whatever it is, it's something to measure in years, not in days or weeks...

Agreed. But attendance tends to follow a somewhat predictable pattern. Unless DC breaks this trend for some reason, it's mostly downhill from here.

There's a notable lack of excitement about Nationals Park.

[BaltimoreTerp]

The place they built it... is that a place where most people aren't used to going yet? If it is, that could be part of it. It might to just take some time for people to warm up to the idea, and to gradually get familiar with a place they're not used to. Whatever it is, it's something to measure in years, not in days or weeks...

Opening day 1992, people weren't driving up 33rd Street because they weren't used to going downtown for baseball

[RShack]

On TV, there was a beautiful view of the Capitol. But it seemed like the guys were upstairs, with it in the background. Do you have to be in a special place to get that view?

[RShack]

Opening day 1992, people weren't driving up 33rd Street because they weren't used to going downtown for baseball

Yeah, but the Inner Harbor had already broken the ice about going downtown years before that.

[Why Not?]

On TV, there was a beautiful view of the Capitol. But it seemed like the guys were upstairs, with it in the background. Do you have to be in a special place to get that view?

The Capital is visable from RF and the extreme end of the upper deck in LF. It's not prominent at all though. The TV shots tend to zoom in on it, which is a little misleading. It's just a little too far away, which is a shame.

[twoBshorty]

I cannot believe this website is actually advertising the Anacostia Metro station as the closest stop with a parking garage. You have to be certifiably insane to walk a mile through that neighborhood after dark (or any other time, really). Anybody who is trying to evade the traffic problems by traipsing around on that side of the river needs his head examined. Talk about a great way to get shot. Southeast DC is pretty sketchy in general but Anacostia is a complete hole, it's gotta be one of the worst impoverished, violent slummy areas in the country. No fans should be wandering around there for ANY reason.

What a horrible place for a ballpark. I look forward to seeing this "urban revitalization" materialize. Hah.

[DrungoHazewood]

Both of those teams have been winning though. The Giants have drawn because of Bonds and the new park. But before 2000, they were rarely in the top half of the league. It's taken some outstanding teams to get the A's (barely) over 2 million.

So you're saying the Bay Area is just like everywhere else: they show up in droves when they have exciting and/or winning teams, they may not at other times.

[Frobby]

I cannot believe this website is actually advertising the Anacostia Metro station as the closest stop with a parking garage. You have to be certifiably insane to walk a mile through that neighborhood after dark (or any other time, really). Anybody who is trying to evade the traffic problems by traipsing around on that side of the river needs his head examined. Talk about a great way to get shot. Southeast DC is pretty sketchy in general but Anacostia is a complete hole, it's gotta be one of the worst impoverished, violent slummy areas in the country. No fans should be wandering around there for ANY reason.

What a horrible place for a ballpark. I look forward to seeing this "urban revitalization" materialize. Hah.

I wouldn't be so skeptical if I were you. You should see the amount of construction going on within a 5-10 block radius of the stadium, a lot of which is dedicated to shops and restaurant. And despite what that website might say, the new stadium is not in Anacostia. The area it's in will be just fine. We saw what happened when the Verizon Center was built here, and there's no reason why that success can't be repeated.

[Mad Mark]

I wouldn't be so skeptical if I were you. You should see the amount of construction going on within a 5-10 block radius of the stadium, a lot of which is dedicated to shops and restaurant. And despite what that website might say, the new stadium is not in Anacostia. The area it's in will be just fine. We saw what happened when the Verizon Center was built here, and there's no reason why that success can't be repeated.

One possible reason: Verizon Center got built on top of the Orange/Blue lines, right in the middle of things (though the neighborhood had run down a lot) and Nationals Park is on the Green Line, out in the "hinterlands". I'd never even been on the flippin' Green Line before my (one) trip to Nationals Park, and don't know that I'll ever be again.

It may yet work, but it's a big, big gamble.

[Why Not?]

So you're saying the Bay Area is just like everywhere else: they show up in droves when they have exciting and/or winning teams, they may not at other times.

Not exactly. Unless those teams are winning and winning a lot, attendance is terrible.

It's taken great teams, the greatest hitter of our lifetime or a great new park to get decent attendence. It has taken a period of sustained winning for Oakland to reach middling attendance levels.

Before PacBell, Frisco had similar results. When they won 103 games in 1993, they still were in the lower half of the NL. From 1997-99 the Giants won a division and finished second twice but never rose above 10th in the 16-team NL.