tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post7416321604632904744..comments2024-03-28T10:50:33.234-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: Shhh! Don't wake up Baltimore/DC!Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-13034171542106278902014-07-10T07:35:54.483-07:002014-07-10T07:35:54.483-07:00@d28, I would actually prefer they stay in Oaklan...@d28, I would actually prefer they stay in Oakland for sentimental reasons and have a new ballpark that is only for baseball built. But in lieu of that, moving to market that has a deeper and broader pool of more upwardly mobile fans who would continue to spend their money in a commercial area surrounding the park would be great too. I think public transportation might be better as well. <br /><br />That said , the A's could play in a county fairground and I'd bring folding chairs and still support them. Froggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05425616684415704428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-55126022382675349842014-07-10T07:11:05.287-07:002014-07-10T07:11:05.287-07:00I think the O-fan turnout at nats park really is a...I think the O-fan turnout at nats park really is all those area fans who don't go to Baltimore anymore, but never switched over and were happy to don their jerseys once more and show up. This area was without baseball except for the Orioles too long for some of those fans to switch. If the Nats continue to be good, and as they age, that turnout is going to decrease in the future.KingCraniumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05548710618441304537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-16470751968438955212014-07-09T19:58:10.595-07:002014-07-09T19:58:10.595-07:00So is anyone else glad MW didn't listen to Har...So is anyone else glad MW didn't listen to Harper's suggestion about a week or so ago that perhaps Werth should be benched? NL Player of the Week, another dinger tonight. Doubles by the bushel. Seems like some of the power has returned, eh?Richard Parkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-54316633354655551222014-07-09T16:32:33.558-07:002014-07-09T16:32:33.558-07:00Harper-- Unfortunately for my Nats ticket plan, I&...Harper-- Unfortunately for my Nats ticket plan, I've been here since the end of April. <br />I've only been to a couple games out here though. Having heard over and over how bad the stadium was, I expected something much worse than what is actually there. Sure I liked the Giants park better, but if I were an A's fan I would watch a winning ball team there. Even if the place has issues, its just not that bad. I think there must be another issue besides the stadium. <br /><br />Froggy -- why do you hope the A's move to San Jose? because theres more money there? d28noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-20018736848394686682014-07-09T16:03:04.696-07:002014-07-09T16:03:04.696-07:00I haven't read the Boz article and probably wo...I haven't read the Boz article and probably won't. But otherwise, a lot of good comments here from the group. I think it is common sense that winning drives attendance, as does tradition and generational influence. <br /><br />I grew up spending summers as a kid with my grandparents in Oakland in the early 70's and in between teaching me how to make their Seagram's Seven and waters, they would launch me off to the Oakland Alameda County Colosseum and Charlie Finley's A's. I spent many a summer game in the bleachers watching greased pig chasing and hot-pants contests, preseason games with and orange baseballs, and a motorized rabbit that came up out of the ground to give baseballs to the umpire. Good times!<br /><br />Because of Charlie O, (and Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Blue Moon Odom, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, ...(sigh) I'll forever be an A's fan...on the AL side and a Nats fan for the NL. <br /><br />I do think what irks the Angelos is the realization that Baltimore will never have the economic demographics that DC does, especially with the revitalization of Navy Yard. I'll bet the average Nats season plan holder's income is much higher and the average fan spends more per game as well. Which is precisely why I was hoping the A's would move to San Jose.Froggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05425616684415704428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-7956943722140479572014-07-09T13:28:33.448-07:002014-07-09T13:28:33.448-07:00Quoting a Thomas Boswell radio interview after the...Quoting a Thomas Boswell radio interview after the Nationals' first home game 14 April, 2005:<br /><br />"It's a ridiculously bigger, richer, more sports-oriented town than it was when I grew up here in the 50s, 60s...it's just a different place. And baseball will find that out."<br /><br />Somehow, I kinda think MLB knew this before they moved the team from Montreal to D.C. Just a hunch.Bote Mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-22174215758802937492014-07-09T13:03:59.827-07:002014-07-09T13:03:59.827-07:00I was surprised by the number of O's fans Mond...I was surprised by the number of O's fans Monday night, not because I don't think they have a following in the area (for 33 years they were the closest MLB team, and the local media spent a lot of time trying to convince us that they were the "home" team), but because the last few times I've been to OPACY there weren't that many O's fans <i>there</i>. <br /><br />The O's do draw better on weekends, and also have the massive influxes when Yankee and Red Sox fans take over the stadium. But even with that it's not good. Just last week the O's had a four game stand against Texas that averaged 18,103 fans, bottoming out just over 13,000 for one game.* For a first place team in midsummer, after schools are out, that's kinda pathetic. <br /><br />And even with the Yankee and Red Sox fans their weeknight attendance isn't very good. I went to a game early last September between the Yankees and the Orioles. The two teams were still in the Wild Card hunt, so you had a marquee opponent, a game between winning teams (the O's were 77-67, Yanks 76-67) with pennant implications. The <i>official</i> attendance was 17,456 - paid, not turnstile count - and of the fans that showed up at least a third were Yankee fans. Possibly more. Which is why I was shocked that about 14-15,000 O's fans showed up at Nats Park Monday night.<br /><br />*For comparison, the Nats' lowest single game attendance this season is 20,869 - and that was for a weekday afternoon game on April 10 against the Marlins. The Nats' attendance may not be what it could be, but compared to the O's they're doing great.John C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-58301099797258831252014-07-09T12:44:24.308-07:002014-07-09T12:44:24.308-07:00@Kenny B - Well said!!@Kenny B - Well said!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-66058531285230362942014-07-09T09:57:26.946-07:002014-07-09T09:57:26.946-07:00Winning increases attendance. 'Nuf said. Glad ...Winning increases attendance. 'Nuf said. Glad attendance is up in the DC/Baltimore area. The Nats are building a really solid fanbase out of all those 20-30 somethings who take their kids to the park and say "I'm a Red Sox fan, but I pull for the Nats at the games." They're getting sucked in by a likable team and not-particularly-hateable organization (I don't know that too many sports organizations are affirmatively "likable"). What's more, their kids are dyed-in-the-wool Nats fans who will tell their kids about Strasburg, Zimmerman, and Harper.<br /><br />The whole O's/Nats Showalter blowup feels like Baltimore trying to get a rivalry going to boost attendance for both teams. There's a weird relationship between these two teams. Baltimore has a kind of inferiority complex because they are a smaller market, but they have the team and stadium with more history/tradition/etc. Meanwhile a lot of Nats fans have love for the O's after years of pulling for them as the only team in the area, but have fully converted to the "upstart" nationals. And of course the whole thing is complicated by the previous existence of the Senators (and their departure *twice*) and the actually rich history of baseball in DC. So DC is not without some claim to baseball lore. We fly that 1924 World Series flag in the outfield after all (and the last time I was in the Diamond Club bar, they had the line score from the final game of that series up above the bar, which I thought was super cool).<br /><br />Whatever, love the Nats and will continue to support them and do my part to keep baseball here for good this time.Kenny B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01104648417209196641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-78284761450393761712014-07-09T09:23:51.798-07:002014-07-09T09:23:51.798-07:00For what it's worth, I was at Camden Yards for...For what it's worth, I was at Camden Yards for a game a few weeks back and was shocked by how empty it was. I know it's a larger stadium, but still-it was only about half-full. Still a beautiful stadium but I find the game atmosphere to be better at Nats Park. O's fans are a nice bunch though, even though their manager is a prick. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-57766925822184999932014-07-09T09:23:01.116-07:002014-07-09T09:23:01.116-07:00@Jay - Couldn't agree with you more. I dunno i...@Jay - Couldn't agree with you more. I dunno if Buck actually believes the O's/Angelos were wronged. But he clearly doesn't care and just wants to score some cheap points with his boss, while being a general a**-hole at the same time<br /><br />"kind enough to let them have a team" ha...is that what it's called when a toddler finally gives up on throwing a temper tantrum? The kid was "kind enough" to finally eat his vegetables? Gimme a breakBjd1207https://www.blogger.com/profile/08595153543505790679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-12764516933340563722014-07-09T09:02:29.205-07:002014-07-09T09:02:29.205-07:00Did anyone see Buck's comments from last night...Did anyone see Buck's comments from last night? The attendance at the Nats-O's game is proof that DC was great for Baltimore and it was awful nice that Peter Angelos allowed DC to have a team.<br /><br />Wow - confirms what huge "jerks" Showalter and Angelos are. There's a reason I hate the Orioles and that about sums it up.Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-61695654381418566982014-07-09T08:44:54.903-07:002014-07-09T08:44:54.903-07:00d28 - I don't know if a one time excursion to ...d28 - I don't know if a one time excursion to a park can be used as evidence that the park isn't an issue. I loved my rain-delayed New Comiskey experience and for me a trolley ride from downtown St. Pete to Tropicana and feeding Devil Rays made that place seem ok. I'm not going to say those places don't have issues though. <br /><br />You say you spent the summer there - like weeks? Months? Did you make it out to Oakland a few times? Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-44965037410862027132014-07-09T07:58:32.092-07:002014-07-09T07:58:32.092-07:00I've spent this summer in the SF/Oakland area ...I've spent this summer in the SF/Oakland area -- went to Fister's game against the A's... and Stras' game against the Giants. <br />Must say that the Giants stadium was great, the fans were awesome, fun to talk with. I can see why attendance is good there. Transportation was a breeze, too. <br />I had such low expectations for the A's Colosseum that it turned out to be charming to me. The tarp is embarrassing, though, and the fans didn't know a shrug about baseball ... kinda like going to a Nats game and it feels like its everyone's first ballgame in section 222! The only problem was that the distance to the field from the seats is too far, but the view is great from the outfield bleachers. <br />Still its great place to watch a ballgame, and man do they love Gio! The attendance problem in Oakland shouldn't be blamed on the stadium.d28noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-86146606346478570952014-07-09T07:56:32.522-07:002014-07-09T07:56:32.522-07:00And who wants to go to Baltimore? Hey yo!
(I lik...And who wants to go to Baltimore? Hey yo! <br /><br />(I like Baltimore just fine.) Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-73908615550313742702014-07-09T07:52:26.035-07:002014-07-09T07:52:26.035-07:00There were a LOT of O's fans at Monday's g...There were a LOT of O's fans at Monday's game in D.C. It will be interesting to see how many Nat's fans show up in Baltimore, but my guess is not as many. It stands to reason that there are more D.C. residents who are Baltimore fans than vice versa. Donaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295227567170577873noreply@blogger.com