Not going back to the Nationals real soon
The best part of the Redskins picking up Donovan McNabb is that we rescued a happy man from an unhappy city. So, thank you, Onion. "I'd like to thank all the Eagles fans who were always there to demand the whole world from me every week, who expected me to do everything with almost nothing, and who blamed me for the team's every failure." Exactly. We may have high expectations here in Washington, but we're not angry lunatic haters. We embrace courage, effort and redemption.
But I'm not pleased these days with the Nationals. I had a chance to go this Friday and passed, still stinging from Opening Day. The team's catering to Phillies' fans was ridiculous. Not only did they dominate in the stands, but the PA had a special announcement to help them find their buses after the game. And they accounted for a good portion of the Jumbotron's welcomes. I've never been to Yankee Stadium, but I bet they don't help the Boston fans get home safely. Except maybe in the first or second inning or later if the buses are driving off a pier.
We can and should do better. Let Teddy Win makes two good points:
1) "… victory cures all ills." True. But…
2) Waits for food are now inexcusable. "You really want to cut these people some slack since it's the beginning of the season, but 2 years of experience tells us not to chalk this up to "working the bugs out." As in previous years, we saw people reach the front of the line and still have to wait 5 minutes for simple food orders while a more-than-capacity staff stood around waiting for the next guy to fill the order."
I admired the Yankees and their fans this week for their outpouring of respect for the departed-but-visiting World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, a hero. Welcoming a visiting friend is different than welcoming a visitor.
April 14th, 2010 at 11:26 PM
dude, remember how you got the email from the nats ticket guy after you declined to renew your season ticket package? try emailing him about the jumbotron crap and see what happens – maybe he'll give you a free pair of tickets to a game against a team with no fans anywhere close to DC.
April 15th, 2010 at 5:36 AM
I think he would be more responsive had I actually renewed!
April 15th, 2010 at 3:14 PM
I missed an inning-and-a-half getting food late in the game on opening day. It was well past the lunch rush.The workers were disinterested, they complained to me about the number of hours they had been on their feet, and displayed absolutely no interest or urgency in taking care of customers. God forbid the Nats should ever get good and draw crowds beyond opening day.
April 16th, 2010 at 6:57 AM
It's amazing how dependent we are on that knowledge. "Well, at least the crowds will be smaller the rest of the year…." We need to get Zimmerman to bring us food.