The first unique aspect of Nationals Stadium that I noticed while walking to it was the centerfield entrance. That is the main concourse of the stadium since it is the closest to the metro and faces the city. The traditional home plate entrance has a facade that reminds me of the old Yankee Stadium. The path leading up to it has a list of important years to the team (that I ignored). This is all a complete waste because nobody uses this entrance. I took this picture 10 minutes before the game began. 
The most impressive feature of the inside of the stadium is the large video scoreboard. The Nationals website boasts that it is a 4,500 square foot HD screen. The rest of the stadium, however, is fairly boring. The design is "prototypical 21st century ballpark". The background scenery includes the parking garage and a few nondescript buildings. The placement is a curious decision because they would have a great view of the capital if the stadium would have been rotated 10-20 degrees counterclockwise. Another overlooked feature is the centerfield lawn (the spot where Zimmerman's walk-off home run landed). The lawn and the gap to the right of it look out of place. The park as a whole seems fairly "cookie cutter".The prices for tickets and food at the Nationals Stadium were high compared to other parks, but is understandable compared to the rest of D.C. The biggest surprise from the entertainment department were the fireworks blasted off at the beginning of the game and after the win. It was a great way to stir up excitement for the game. Although, that energy was killed immediately by the boring, slow, out of place music between innings. Outside of the logical "Oversized Head Presidents Race", they offered little else in terms of entertainment and promotions. Overall, the ballpark and the stadium atmosphere was decent, but forgettable.
4 comments:
Agree with you on all of your observations. "Forgettable" is a good way to put it. Oh, and you forgot how the sound wasn't synched with the video on the scoreboard! Very annoying.
The "main entrance" observation is very interesting. I cannot believe you got that shot 10 minutes before the game! There is no way any other ballpark in MLB would have their main entrance that empty.
And it's funny how you call it "cookie cutter" (and it is, compared to the new parks). If this stadium had been built 20 years ago it would have been lauded as the answer to all the original cookie-cutter parks. But, twenty years too late, lacking originality, and being poorly placed...and you've got nothing great.
Baseball is the only professional sport that has different rules for different stadiums.
Every NFL field measures 100 yards long, every NBA hoop is 10 ft high, etc. There are no set dimensions for the baseball outfield, every park is different. (Not to mention things like the Green Monster)
I love that uniqueness about baseball parks, which is why I'm sad that so many parks are built in the same style.
I like crazy angles on the walls, hills on the warning track, obstacles on the outfield walls that make complicated ground rules, I want all that stuff.
My suggestion to the Nationals? Make a bust of the current president with a big open mouth and put it in center field.
Anyone who hits the ball into the president's mouth gets a ground rule triple.
Haha, that would be unique.
You would definitely have hated the ballparks in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Texas that were built in the 70s. Have you seen pictures of those? They're identical to one another!
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