That's the Ticket...or not

Nats tickets were distributed this week, and there are a lot of unhappy campers out there, both according to the Post (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36595-2005Jan25.html) and to personal observation. A colleague (who, like my syndicate, was in the first, "preferred" group) asked for infield boxes, ended up out along the right field line. We got lucky, I guess - no infield boxes, but still near home plate in the terrace boxes. Word on the street isthat come August, once everyone has had one go-round at RFK and realizes it is not the prime ballpark occupied by the team owned by He Who Shall Not Be Named up in Ballmer (no Boog's, no charming warehouse,etc.), getting good seats won't be an issue. August is dead time in DC, anyway, but I'm optimistic that the Nats will draw well in '05. The real test is '06 and '07; new ownership would be well-advised to make sure to build up this team pronto to compete. This is no AL East, and a little smart investment should enable the Nats to compete with Atlanta and NY, not to mention Florida and Philly.

Esteban Loiza and Antonio Osuna

Well, you and I might find a better way to spend $3.7M -- a small condo in the U Street corridor, maybe -- but Bowden blew it on Esteban Loiza ($2.9M) and Antonio Osuna ($800K). See http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1970303. Maybe Loiza's not a bad bet; if he's turning in something like his magical 2003 season at the All-Star Break, he'll be good trade fodder (though don't look for the Yankees to take him again). Osuna may be a servicable reliever, but he's no longer the flamethrower who debuted with the Dodgers in the mid-90s. Still, I'd really like to see this team be aggressive with the young guys.

RFK

Few and far between are those that know much about the RFK baseball seating, so I'll take what I can get. This one's a tip from a woman I met at Barnes & Noble when we were watching our two year olds play with the Thomas Train Engine set. I was wearing my Nats cap, always a good conversation starter, and she told me that her husband is an old Senators fan, from back in the day. According to him, the upper deck behind home plate hangs out pretty far over the upper deck. The tickets there -- this section is now called "infield lower reserved" -- are only 15 clams, and may be the best deal in the park. See http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/was/ballpark/seating_pricing.jsp
If true, I'm not altogether surprised, as similar seats at the old Milwaukee County Stadium (a venue of similar vintage) were a good view and a great value. They were much closer to the field than any upper deck at one of the new ballparks; you ended up feeling like you were looking over the umpire's shoulder. Likewise, Wrigley Field's upper deck is a great place to watch a game. Once I've actually visited RFK, I'll give a full report on seating, concessions, etc.

(By the way, in searching the web, it's clear that we have a neophyte franchise here. The website www.dcnationals.com is for a Canadian national skateboarding championship, while www.washingtonnationals.com is a fan site, essentially a placeholder with two photos.)

Nats Re-Sign Nick Johnson

Nats re-signed 1b Nick Johnson yesterday for $1.45M. This could be a tremendous bargain -- if Johnson can stay healthy. He batted just .251 last year with only 7 HR, missing the final two months after injury, but the former Yankee is only 26 this season, and has a tremendous minor league track record of OBPs in the .400s. He just might be the Nats' most intriguing player this year. 25 HR and OBP around .400 is not out of the question for him.

Now, the moves...

OK, now let's take a look at the moves our Nats have made this post-season. Or, more accurately, the moves that Jim Bowden has made, for as best I can tell he's the ONLY one minding the store. And that's the problem: Bowden, understandably, is out for Bowden. He very likely may not have a job when new ownership comes in, and his incentive is to DO something -- anything -- with the limited budget he has. And thus explains the moves he's made. Handing the 3b job to young Brendan Harris makes sense for a team that is not going to compete for the playoffs this year, but it doesn't make any sense for Bowden personally. No headlines will be created by an announcement, "We're going with Harris at third." Signing Vinny Castilla, late of Colorado's thin air, gets headlines. Not Carlos Beltran To The Mets headlines, mind you, but it got Bowden's name in the news. And I'm not accusing Bowden of malfeasance -- he was hired, after all, to do something, and given a (relatively small) budget, and by golly, he's doing something with it. Trolling the minors for Rule 5 players isn't going to fill the budget, or be very exciting, so he signs the "cheaper" players. Announcing that Maicer Izturis is going to start at SS doesn't use the budget (or garner any attention), so he signs Cristian Guzman and then trades for Jose Guillen. Long-term, moving guys like Izturis and burying Harris is not smart management. This is a team that needs to build its young core, even at the expense of some additional losses in the inaugural DC season, so that when it's ready to compete -- 2007, 2008? -- it has saved the dough (and has room for) the Lance Berkmans and Mark Priors of the world. Let's hope that new ownership is found soon and gets someone with a long view of the franchise.

And we're off...

OK, Day One of the NatsGuy Blog. Since I'm an attorney in this town (surprise, surprise), the postings may be intermittent. However, my qualifications go beyond simply having lived for more than a decade in the heretofore barren baseball wasteland we call DC. I'm also a recovered journalist, proud sabermetrician, and a contributor to espn.com (I'm a Neyerian, not a Gammonsian). So, here goes.

What's the nicest part, thus far, of being a Nats Fan is certainly not the endless political wrangling, the half-assed moves of Jim Bowden (more on that later), but instead the emergence of the Nats Fan here in the DC area. In mid-December, I got my first DC Nats cap (road blue, adjustable New Era -- a quality cap, though, to be frank, I prefer the fitted Franchise brand, but I haven't seen that for the Nats yet. And what gives with the MLB-issue caps -- they are just huge, sitting like half a foot above the head. Most players appear to wear them a size or two small, and then pull them down. Then again, most ballplayers are a bit bigger than your average DC lawyer). Anyway, about the Nats cap. I started wearing in regularly (on weekends, that is -- business casual does not yet cover ball caps). And I immediately started to get nods in the supermarket, and on the street, casual nods from men (mainly), pointing to their head, and giving a slight nod and a smile. For men my age (a little south of 40), that's what qualifies for being really stoked -- the point and nod (I suppose we're a bit beyond the "That rocks, dude!" kind of enthusiasm).

I'm very optimistic that the Nats will be a new focal point for our community, and usher in an era of community spirit that I haven't seen here (then again, the Skins have been godawful most of the time I've been here in DC, and, to compound things, moved to that depressing mausoleum out in Landover).