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TEAM ::: WASHINGTON NATIONALS
LOCATION ::: WASHINGTON, D.C.
MY FIRST VISIT ::: MAY 19,2005
OPPONENT
::: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
MLB STADIUM RANK ::: 25 OUT OF 41
RATINGS
BALLFIELD ...
A
SCOREBOARD ... A
FOOD ... B
FACILITIES ... B
MASCOT ... A+
MY TAKE ON THE PARK
BASEBALL RETURNED TO WASHINGTON, D.C. IN 2005 AND AFTER
MAKING MY FIRST VISIT I CAN'T BELIEVE MLB TOOK SO LONG TO COME BACK TO THIS GREAT SPORTS CITY. WASHINGTON NATIONALS HATS ARE
EVERYWHERE, CURIOUS IF THEY WILL BE REPLACED COME SEPTEMBER BY THE REDSKIN HAT, BUT DURING BASEBALL SEASON, THE 'W' IS ALL
I SAW WALKING AROUND RFK STADIUM.
NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION YOU COME FROM, FOLLOW THE SIGNS FOR
DC UNITED, THEY TAKE YOU TO RFK STADIUM. UPON ENTERING THE PARING LOT, $10 IS CHARGED TO ENTER WHAT WAS TO ME A SURPRISINGLY
BIG AND ACTIVE PARKING LOT ... EVERYONE HERE TAILGATES .. THE PRE AND POST GAME PARKING LOT SCENE REMINDED ME OF MILWAUKEE
MORE THAN AN EAST COAST GAME.
LEAVING THE CAR IT IS A SHORT WALK TO THE STADIUM, THIS IS THE AREA WHERE YOU
CAN SEE THAT THEY ONLY HAD A FEW MONTHS TO GET THINGS GOING HERE ... PEOPLE DIRECTING YOU TO THE GATES WEREN'T SURE WHAT COULD
AND COULDN'T BE BROUGHT INTO THE STADIUM, THE PEOPLE AT THE GATES TURNED BACK PEOPLE, IN TIME THIS SHOULD BE CORRECTED.
ONCE INSIDE THE STADIUM, IT FEELS LIKE SHEA AND THE OLD VET ALL OVER
AGAIN. RAMPS TAKING YOU TO EACH SECTION, SEATING THAT SURROUNDS THE STADIUM, YEP, THE PLACE WAS BUILT LIKE ALL OF THE OTHERS
IN THE 60s.
THE LOWER DECK RECEIVED ALL OF THE RENOVATIONS WHEN THE TEAM WAS AWARDED. THE
SEATS ARE ALL COMFORTABLE PLASTIC, SHINEY AND NEW. USHERS ARE ALL FRIENDLY AND SEEM HAPPY THEY FINALLY GOT A TEAM BACK IN
THEIR HOME TOWN.
ONCE UPSTAIRS, THE USHERS DON'T CHANGE, BUT THE SEATS SURE DO. THE PLASTIC
SEATS ARE STILL THERE BUT THEY ARE KIND OF DIRTY AND THE FEEL IS NEGLECT. I DOUBT THE UPPER SECTION GETS ANY WORK SINCE THEY
WILL BE OUT OF THERE IN A FEW YEARS. THE SEATS ARE ALSO TIGHT, ANOTHER SIGN OF THE PLACE BEING BUILT IN THE 60s
ANOTHER AREA OF SHOCK WERE THE CONCESSIONS. FOR SOUVENIRS, THE STAFF
IS NEAR CLUELESS AND THE PRICES ARE VERY HIGH. I'M THINKING THEY FORGOT THE EXCHANGE RATE WHEN BRINGING THE SOUVENIRS DOWN
FROM MONTREAL.
FOR FOOD, THE PRICES ARE LOW, THE FOOD IS PRETTY DARN GOOD, BUT THE STAFF
NEEDS SOME WORK.
THE VENDORS WHO PATROL THE STADIUM ARE PLENTIFUL AND QUICK. YOUR
BEST BET MIGHT BE JUST TO WAIT IN YOUR SEAT FOR THE FOOD TO COME TO YOU.
A TRIP TO RFK STADIUM IS WORTH IT BECAUSE IT IS REALLY GREAT TO BE IN
A STADIUM THAT IS GENUALLY HAPPY TO HAVE A TEAM TO ROOT FOR.
HEADING TO THE GAME, TRAFFIC IN D.C. IS SOME OF THE WORST IN THE COUNTRY SO LEAVE
EXTRA TIME, LEAVE A LITTLE MORE AND TAILGATE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER NATIONALS FANS WHO WERE THERE 3 HOURS BEFORE GAME TIME.
ONCE INSIDE, GIVE THE PEOPLE A CHANCE, THEY ARE NEW AT THIS, PLUS THEY ARE ALL VERY
NICE IT IS HARD TO GET TOO UPSET. JUST TRY TO IGNORE THE $10 PROGRAM COST.
THE BEST PART OF THIS PLACE ARE THE FANS, THEY CHEER REAL HARD FOR EACH PITCH AND
MAKE THE ATMOSPHERE ALL THE BETTER.
I RATE RFK STADIUM 14th OUT OF THE 27 PARKS I HAVE VISITED. BEHIND U.S. CELLULAR
FIELD WHICH HAS MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES AND THERE UPPER DECK WAS CLEANER. AHEAD OF SHEA STADIUM BECAUSE THE PLACE IS MUCH
MORE COMFORTABLE, THE FOOD IS CHEAPER, AND IT CAN HANDLE THE PARKING. THE TRAFFIC IN ALL 3 CITIES IS BAD SO THERE WILL BE
NO QUICK EXITS FROM RFK.
THE LINE UPS
MILWAUKEE BREWERS MANAGER :: 3 NED YOST
WASHINGTON NATIONALS MANAGER ::: 20 FRANK ROBINSON
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
27 Brady Clark cf
37 Junior Spivey 2b
5 Geoff Jenkins rf
45 Carlos Lee lf
11
Lyle Overbay 1b
6 Jeff Cirillo 3b
2 Bill Hall ss
21 Chad Moeller c
53
Victor Santos p / LP
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
7 Brad Wilkerson cf
2 Jamey Carroll 2b
24 Nick Johnson 1b
9 Vinny Castilla 3b
19 Ryan Church rf
11 Jeffrey Hammonds lf
23 Brian Schneider c
15 Cristian Guzman
ss
61 Livan Hernandez p / WP
32 Chad Cordero S
BREWERS 000 001 100 2 8
1
NATIONALS 000 111 00x 3 6 0
TIME ::: 2:58
ATTENDANCE ::: 30,968
WEATHER
::: 72 OVERCAST BREEZY
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