matthewweaver.com | mlb ballparks | washington nationals

Ballpark:
NATIONALS PARK REVIEW COMING IN EARLY MAY!!

Built in 1961 as a multi-purpose facility for the Washington Redskins NFL team and the Washington Senators baseball franchise, RFK Stadium is once again hosting baseball...the first time since the Senators left to become the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season.

After the 2004 season, the Montréal Expos - owned at the time by Major League Baseball - were forcibly moved from Québec and to Washington, DC. The team, named the Nationals after a fan vote, will play in RFK for at least the 2005-2007 seasons. If all goes as planned, the Nationals will open a 41,000-seat baseball-only park along the Anacostia River in 2008.

Named as a memorial to the late Massachusetts Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the stadium is located in a questionable neighborhood exactly 2 miles to the East of the Capitol. General parking is poorly signed, hard to find and inconveniently far away from the facility. At least it's cheap, though -- $10 in 2005.

RFK is another park from the "Cookie Cutter" era of the 1960s and 1970s. It is designed to be easily converted from football to baseball, but that destroys any potential for character in a baseball setting. The completely symmetrical outfield walls fit into the stadium so tightly that there are no lower deck seats in the outfield. The facility is also enclosed, making it feel much more like a football stadium than a baseball park.

The place reminds me of old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium with its configuration, but old Cleveland Stadium with its huge size, dingy concourses and open catwalks to the loges and press box. Speaking of concourses...they are narrow and cramped, but fortunately have lots of concession stands. There are some team merchandise kiosks in the stadium, but - amazingly - the official Team Store is located in a modular trailer outside of the facility.

Inside, the dimensions of the field are truly immense. The lines are a respectable 335 feet long, but center field is a whopping 410 feet away from home plate and the power alleys are each 380 feet away! Not surprisingly, home runs are an uncommon commodity in RFK Stadium.

Realistically, though, this venue is only a temporary home to the Nationals, so the city and team did not want to pump much money into renovations. The changes they did make are decent, relatively speaking, with a new grass field and electronic information boards encircling the outfield.

Ultimately, this is not a baseball-friendly stadium. The cookie cutter shape, claustrophobic feel, terrible parking and lack of fan amenities makes this the worst ballpark in the Major Leagues...yes even worse than the Baggie Dome in Minneapolis. RFK deserves its "F" grade.

How to get there:
The park is in between Independence Avenue SE and C Street NE to the East of The Capitol Building. If you're coming from the city, just take Independence Avenue East until you get to the stadium -- just remember to stay left when Independence Avenue meets Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a lot more difficult to get to RFK from Reagan National Airport in Virginia. I took I-395 to 14th Street and turned right on Independence, as the directions to get there via Route 295 are a little convoluted. From BWI Airport in Baltimore, it is a bit easier...take I-95 South to I-395 South to the Central Avenue exit. Go West on Central to Capitol Street and follow that road to the stadium.

As I said before, parking is hard to find and inconveniently located. The lower numbered lots, close to the stadium, are for permit holders only and cannot be used for general parking. Even though the signs don't tell you anything, I found the rule of thumb to be that the higher numbered parking lots (6 thru 8) are for general parking. Be prepared to walk a while, though, and if you're concerned about safety, realize that the lots are poorly lit.

City:
Washington, DC, is chock full of historical and cultural destinations. The city is a study in economic privilege as well, with the upscale Georgetown, Embassy Row and many expensive neighborhoods along the Beltway in Maryland and Virginia. There are also many rough neighborhoods and the city was made infamous as the Murder Capital of the U.S. in the 1990s. While that isn't quite the case anymore, stick to the Mall, Tidal Basin and Ellipse areas where the tourists hang out.

Stuff to do while there:
Other than the government buildings (White House, Capitol, etc.) there are the many famous monuments along The Mall and you could literally spend weeks in the Smithsonian museum complex without putting a dent the exhibits. Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon are across the Potomac River in Virginia and sports fans can catch Washington Redskins NFL games or Washington Wizards NBA games as well.

Story:
As part of my 4-parks-in-5-days trip to the East Coast, I traveled from Baltimore to Washington on the morning of August 24, 2005. After spending the day touring the monuments and sights of the Mall and Tidal Basin, I checked into my hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, to get ready for the game. After battling the rush hour traffic into the city, I eventually found my way to the stadium. I drove around the ring road multiple times before discovering the secret to parking and finally made my way to the park. (Ironically, I entered the stadium through Gate F, which foreshadowed my grade for the facility.) The game was fairly uncompetitive and I left early to get some sleep for my trip to New York City the next day.

My most memorable experience from the game was hearing the Washington fans "analyze" the game. Baseball has been away from DC for a long time and it shows. To generalize a bit, the Nationals fans don't really understand the game, though they think they do, but I appreciate their enthusiasm for having a team. (Montréal certainly didn't have the desire to support the team.) I also noticed that the fans have an inferiority complex to Baltimore. I heard several people comparing things to Orioles games and saying things like "Camden Yards isn't that great." Uh...I beg to differ.

Fun facts:
The Nationals mascot is named Screech. He is supposed to be an eagle, but I think he looks more like the Chicken Hawk from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. I say, I say, boy...ya botherin' me.

Since the Redskins moved to their own stadium, FedEx Field, in 1997, the only other current tenant at RFK is the Major League Soccer team known as DC United.

RFK Stadium was a host facility for the 2003 Women's World Cup of soccer.

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The exterior of RFK Stadium
August 24, 2005

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A 5-shot mosaic photo of RFK
from the first base line
August 24, 2005

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A 4-shot mosaic photo of RFK
from the right field upper deck
August 24, 2005

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Matt sitting on the visitors dugout August 24, 2005

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The first pitch of the game from
Nationals pitcher John Patterson
August 24, 2005

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Ken Griffey, Jr. waits for a pitch August 24, 2005

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The Nationals Team Store is
actually in a modular trailer
outside of the stadium. Yikes!
August 24, 2005