Nats Park Needs Some Character

Nats Park has potential, but needs our help

I’ve seen two Nats games in the new ballyard and, as earlier reported, I like it. With the HD Jumbotron, the natural ballpark look, the local cuisine, and the cool batting cage, it’s got the accouterments of a great ballpark. It’s not quite complete, though. It lacks a certain….feel. The Presidents Race adds charm, but it’s now the corporatized Geico Presidents Race, and a blatant rip off of the Sausage Race in Milwaukee and the Racing Pierogies in Pittsburgh.

Some ballparks are lucky, they just have “feel” because of their setting. For example, in Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T Park, you look out across The Bay beyond the outfield fences. PNC Park features the yellow bridges, a sweet view of Pittsburgh, and I think the Allegheny River (one of those 3 rivers they got there). Nats Park is not blessed like that. People that tell you there are great sightlines in Nats Park are lying. I haven’t been everywhere in the place, but the only time I saw the Capitol was when I was on the stairwell to the 400 level seating on the 3rd base side. From there you see the Capitol and SE Washington DC. Southeast DC isn’t pretty.

For those unlucky parks that don’t have that a cool setting, the fans have to step up a little bit and create a feel. Like the drummer guy in Jacobs Field, or roll call from the bleachers in Yankee Stadium, or drunken debauchery at Cubs games, or Ronnie Woo Woo at Cubs games. I guess it doesn’t even to be fan induced. It could be something like Bernie Brewer sliding into a beer mug, or the Big Apple raising out of a top hat at the otherwise forgettable Shea Stadium (let me reiterate that the Presidents Race is not enough). It cannot be like either thunder sticks or the rally monkey. But if we don’t do something about it, a rally monkey-eske embarrassment could happen.

Let me illustrate the lack of “feel” in Nats Park. In the 5th inning against the Marlins last week, the upper deck fans down the left field line tried to start the wave (never a good sign). The only problem was that they started it clockwise and it went for three sections until dying at the huge gap between the left field line and the center field bleachers. We can’t even get the stupid wave right at Nats Park. Something needs to be done. Pronto. Nats fans need to step up.

Luckily, through the wonders of the blogosphere, we can help. We come to you again, Legend faithful, please give us some ideas for a new Nats Park tradition. My friends were pretty useless when I asked them for suggestions. Most of the stuff they came up with was impossible, illegal, or both. I can’t get my mind off of just copying Cubs fans and making every game a party, but I doubt that’ll happen in DC. We need help. Maybe an homage to the political scene, or something unique to Southeast DC? Something to do with intern season? Something honoring Da Meat Hook? How about just a cool nickname for the new stadium? Please help Nats Park reach it’s potential. Feel free to give us suggestions in comments or e-mail them to me at eriescribe@gmail.com. We’ll post the best ideas (and try to implement them) next week.