Nats Take a Step Towards Relevance

Last night at 11:58 and 43 seconds (according to Stan Kasten), the Nationals and stud prospect Stephen Strasburg agreed to terms. The deal is supposedly worth $15.1M over four years. The Nats will most likely try and get Strasburg in for a few innings in September, and he expects to be in the regular rotation by opening day 2010. This by no means fixes the laundry list of problems that the organization has, but with the team showing a little promise over the last month, this doesn’t hurt things. It’s nice to see that the Lerners decided to pry open their pocketbooks, even if they did so with a proverbial gun to their heads. If you’re looking for more info about the signing, here’s some more coverage from Dan Steinberg of the Post and Federal Baseball.

An Open Letter to Nationals Management

Friday night my wife, Misha and I went to the Nationals/Cubs game (as mentioned before). I had every intention of coming back home and writing a regular old recap until I had to sit through the taunts, jeers and chants of the opposing fans in our section. I’ve now been to four games this season, the first three against the Phillies, Braves and Blue Jays. This game was by far the most frustrating to attend as a Nationals fan, and I felt the need to write an open letter to Nationals ownership about the Nationals’ fan experience.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing you today to give you an idea of what life is like as a fan of the Washington Nationals, and more specifically, a Nationals fan attending a home game in Washington DC. First of all, I am an avid Washington DC sports fan, a Redskins season ticket holder, and I attend Nationals, Wizards, and Capitals games regularly. I have been attending professional sports events in the district for the past eighteen years, and have seen a broad range of game environments. At the age of six, my dad bought us Redskins season tickets, and I grew to love the environment at RFK stadium. Through my time as a devoted Redskin fan (since about 1991), the team has seriously underachieved. Although I’ve experienced a great deal of heartbreak by supporting them so strongly, I continue to do so with fervor.

In my first five years of attending games, I grew to love RFK, mostly for the environment if not for the football. The way the stadium would rock during crucial moments and the chants of ‘We Want Dallas’ had a different feel echoing in those old corridors. When the final sale and relocation of the Expos was confirmed and everyone learned that they would play their first few seasons in RFK, not many people were more excited than I was. After attending my first Nats game in 2005, I fell in love with that old stadium all over again. Although the team was never great in RFK, it still felt like OUR stadium and OUR team at the time. From 2005-2009, that .500 Nationals squad deteriorated to a league laughing stock. I still attended games through the 2007 season without major issues with the product on the field, even though management was criticized constantly by national media outlets.

Hopes were high in 2008 with a move to the new, lush Nationals Park. Due to school and work obligations, I was only able to attend one game at the new park that season, and I enjoyed the views and game environment a great deal. There was only problem: the stadium was empty. Each game I have attended at the park since then has brought friendly staff, good food, and a welcoming environment. However, all those things describe my experience until I sit down to watch the game. Saturday, July 18^th, I attended the second game of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs. I was given the tickets by a co-worker and former teacher that wanted to do something nice for me, so I didn’t hesitate to take the tickets. I’ve never had any problems with Chicago fans in the past (although not in a baseball setting). I’ve seen four or five Bears/Redskins games and a few Bulls/Wizards games and there have never been issues with opposing fan behavior.

As my wife and I walked to our seats in Section 105 (left field wall, row D), I saw a sea of royal blue and white. Our section was full of Cubs fans watching their team take batting practice and begging for autographs. I figured it was a little saturated considering that the game hadn’t started, but as people began to file back to their seats around 6:45, the Cubs contingency didn’t seem to shrink. When the game started, the elderly man behind us wouldn’t shut up about how trashy our city is, how whiney our fans are and how terrible our team is. That sentiment was echoed by everyone seated around us. I only noticed about fifteen Nationals fans in our entire section. The Nats jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, and I felt compelled to cheer my team on. I received repeated derogatory comments from the Cubs fans, and felt drowned out in our home stadium. When the Cubs began to make a comeback, the section began a resounding “Let’s go Cubbies” chant that echoed through the stadium. On Dan Steinberg’s advice (from the Bog), I began a counter “You’re from Fair-fax” chant back at them. I had one guy tell me to shut up, and a young woman (seated two rows behind me) tell me to “keep talking, just keep talking” as if I was the visiting fan. I turned around and asked her if she thought that less than 90% of the Cubs fans in attendance were really from the greater DC area. She said I was probably right but that I shouldn’t “talk shit” like that. This was absolutely ridiculous. I didn’t feel 100% safe or comfortable watching that game and cheering on the home team. Adam Dunn was given such a verbal lashing in left field that he must have felt like he was in Philadelphia or New York, not at home. How can a general manager expect to draw in quality players when they’re heckled like that in their own stadium?

The situation at Nationals Park is dire. Nationals fans are not welcome in their own park, and opposing fans are welcomed with open arms (I’m looking at you Stan Kasten). In what world does a management team expect to build a strong fan base with such a terrible product on the field and a hostile environment in the stands? Two rows in front of us, a father and his young son sat with their Nationals hats, worn from the sun and the love of their home team. The boy, probably around seven years old, was trying to start chants for each Nationals batter that came to the plate with his dad’s help. The kid probably doesn’t remember a time when DC didn’t have a baseball team and when he didn’t wear that hat everywhere he went. As he and his dad tried to get a “Let’s go Gonzo” chant going for Adrian Gonzales at the plate, my heart broke a little bit for them. My wife and I were the only two fans that helped them keep the cheer going. The dad turned back at me and smiled as thanks for our encouragement. Not to sound sentimental, but it upsets me to think about that little kid missing out on the environment I was graced with as a young Redskin fan.

The reason I will always cherish my memories of going to Redskins games will be based upon the family that we had in our section. You cannot replace the shared high-fives and hugs in times of celebration and the shared dejections in times of loss that bring a fan closer to his fellow fans, and his team. That is something that this young kid is going to miss out on until Nationals’ management gets their act together and quits encouraging so many opposing fans into the park. Put in the work, spend the money, and put a competitive team on the field so kids like that can grow up with a team worth caring about. Until then, baseball in DC will continue to flounder, and fans like me will continue to struggle with the support that we through your way.

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I just wanted to say a quick “thank you” to each of you out there that have spread the word about this blog. We’re now up to 200 fans on Facebook, including many people that I don’t even know. I’ll keep working hard on here and will continue to bring you my opinion and analysis on sports in the district to the best of my ability!

That being said, my wife and I are off to the Nats/Cubs game in Southeast within the hour, and I’ll be down in Warrenton for the next few days. Between class this week, doctor’s appointments and teaching standardized tests, posting time might be at a premium, so don’t worry if I’m not updating everyday. I’ll try and do at least every other day at worst. Thanks again for the support, and I’ll post pictures from the game when I get home!

Bruce Boudreau is Now DC’s Most Tenured Head Coach

At the time of his promotion from head coach of the Hershey Bears to the head coach of the Washington Capitals, Bruce Boudreau joined Joe Gibbs, Eddie Jordan, and Manny Acta as boss of a major sports franchise in the district (sorry Barra Brava, you all don’t get counted in this one). Now, little more than 18 months later, the other three have all left town, leaving Boudreau with the most seniority of this group. When presented with this info, his response was "I don't know if that's good or bad. We better keep winning." Good call in this town Gabby. Let’s take a brief look on how we got to this point.

Eddie Jordan

Jordan was introduced as coach of the Wizards prior to the 2003-2004 season. He began with a thud, finishing that year with a 25-57 record. Jordan then led a 20-game improvement that propelled the Wiz to four straight playoff appearances, which was unheard of in this city for quite sometime. The Wizards started out an injury-riddled ’08-’09 season 1-10, and Jordan was let go in favor of Ed Tapscott. Many believe that Jordan was on a short leash after three consecutive playoff losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but I believe management was just jealous of his acting skills...

Joe Gibbs

“The Savior” came back to DC in the spring of 2004. He led the team to two playoff appearances and only one playoff victory in four seasons. After dealing with the tragic loss of Sean Taylor (consequently the first draft pick in his second go-around) and struggling with being away from his ailing grandson, Gibbs retired shortly after a Wild-Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks in early 2008.

Manny Acta

Acta was hired following the 2006 season as a positive, patient influence for the young Nationals. Acta led the team to a 73-89 record in his first season as manager. While the team was expected to be one of the worst in major league baseball, Acta managed to weather poor personnel and upper-management decision over the following year. Entering 2009, Acta was on a short leash and was dismissed yesterday after a 5-0 loss to the Houston Astros. As comical as the situation on the waterfront has become, you have to feel a little bit for Manny and the effort he has made and attitude he has possessed through it all. I’ll let my buddy Jim Eustice sum up what we all should be feeling today as Jim Riggleman takes over for the remainder of the season:

Jim Riggleman, whose high school I've been to (it's in Rockville, so it automatically sucks), values discipline over Acta's patience and positive reinforcement. If you were one of the Nationals' young pitchers, which would you prefer? If morale is already low, how can it help to take away the patient, level-headed optimist?

How does it help Acta to scorn free agency? How would a few veteran pitchers helped in the starting rotation and the bullpen? Sure, the hitting in Nationals Park is fine, but what does that matter when they don't have pitchers that can keep the opposing team from scoring 7 runs?

Manny Acta never had a chance. That's why I can't get behind the Nationals. The team's leadership continues to sell a horrible product. I feel sorry for the Nationals fans because they've been starving for a team for decades and now the get this: all-around disarray and incompetence.

Yep, sounds about right. Here’s hoping that the Nationals quality young pitching doesn’t respond poorly to Riggleman’s style. I certainly hope they’re able to salvage something out of this season, but no one knows for sure. Mets here we come!

Stan Kasten = Village Idiot, Nats Beat Sawwwks

Nationals Team President Stan Kasten spoke to the National Press Club today and called himself a village idiot while addressing the current rebuilding situation here in the district. While fielding a 100-loss team doesn't make him a genius, there are plenty of other people that have resided in the District the last several years that might deserve that title more. Anyway, our inept Nats smacked around John Smoltz in his Red Sox debut tonight (currently leading 9-1) in the eighth. We may suck now, but with Z-mann and company, Kasten might not be a village idiot in a few years...if he can last that long. In his last 4 outings, Zimmermann has given up 5 earned runs (22 2/3 IP). We'll get there one day.