Opening Day with the Nats

Cheryl and I went to opening day with the Nats yesterday. I gotta tell ya, things just aren't any better at RFK at all. We heard all sorts of complaints and problems with traffic and food. There was a pathetic showing of walking vendors, and those that were about only had beer. We sat in a 200-level section and didn't see a single soda/water vendor all day. When I went up for a hot dog in the 4th inning, the first stand I went to was out of buns! The second stand I went to the hot dogs weren't done cooking! Cheryl went to a stand that boasted of "Garden Salad $6" and "Fruit Salad $5.50". When she asked the cashier if she could see one of the salads, the cashier looked at her like she had three heads. The manager of the stand said he didn't know about the salads either.

With 17,000 season ticket holders and yesterday's attendance at 40,000, we're looking at 23,000 "casual fans" that came to opening day. If they had anywhere near the experience I did, the Nats can expect them to stay away until the new ballpark opens up. There's just not much fun to be had at RFK, and that's even before we get to the team on the field. They can have all the Big-Head Presidents they want, but if you can't get a hot dog in the 4th inning, casual fans aren't coming back.