Nats new stadium

[89Hen]

Progress on the Nationals new stadium in DC is coming along rather swimmingly.

WEBCAM (http://clarkconstruction.oxblue.com/clarkhuntsmoot/)

http://www.jdland.com/dc/images/halfn-30-6-200703-3.jpg

[appfan2008]

Is that supposed to be ready for opening day 08?

I heard parking around the stadium is supposed to be treacherous, is that the case?

[Marcus Garvey]

What's the deal with the parking garage? Is it going to be built above ground? I recall the original proposal was for an underground garage so the surface could be developed the help the turn around the neighborhood. But then the ownership group was bitching and whining that an underground garage would take to long to happen!
xbangx xbangx xbangx WTF? Like they weren't already getting a $611 Million stadium for free?

[bobcatfan06]

Is that view from behind home plate? If so, what a weird configuration of seating...strange.

[appfan2008]

yeah why do the levels change... i have never seen anything like that!

[89Hen]

Is that supposed to be ready for opening day 08?

I heard parking around the stadium is supposed to be treacherous, is that the case?
Most likely, but that's no different than RFK is now. Many people Metro to the games (I do).

And yes, Opening Day '08.

[AZGrizFan]

Is that view from behind home plate? If so, what a weird configuration of seating...strange.

In looking at the picture on the webcam, it appears homeplate will be approximately where the main body of the blue crane is sitting. If that's the case, my guess is that the "altered" seating is wrapping around to where the girders currently end, with luxury boxes below those seats....and my guess is that THAT'S why the seating shifts upward...

I actually like it. A little originality, and not like all the other "new stadiums. xthumbsupx

[89Hen]

Is that view from behind home plate? If so, what a weird configuration of seating...strange.

yeah why do the levels change... i have never seen anything like that!
No, I think what you're seeing there is right field and the first base side looking from left center field. Home plate would be to the right in that photo. Here is looking directly in to home plate...

http://www.jdland.com/dc/images/stadium-interior-infield-200703-1.jpg

[89Hen]

Renderings...

http://www.jdland.com/dc/images/stadium-ne.jpg

http://www.jdland.com/dc/images/stadium-rendering-0612.jpg

[Marcus Garvey]

Anybody else think that in 30 years, baseball fans everywhere will bemoan the fact that most of the "new" retro-style ballparks are pretty similar?

[seantaylor]

This one is unique. It's glass and cement mostly. A cool tidbit: it will have Cherry Blossums in the park. Also, it's HD scoreboard is aiming to be the biggest in sports, passing either the Ravens or the Braves. Should be one of the best in the game when it opens.

[Mr. C]

It would make a lot of sense if they put elements of the old, classic parks for each city in the new parks. For example, incorporate some of Griffith Stadium's feel into the new park. Thanks for posting the pics and drawings.

[Mr. C]

Most likely, but that's no different than RFK is now. Many people Metro to the games (I do).

And yes, Opening Day '08.
Gotta love the Metro system in the Washington, D.C. area.xcoolx

[aggie6thman]

I had no idea the stadium was that far along! Looks great, hopefully dream of going to all the stadiums in the country comes true after I graduate!

[bobcatfan06]

Ok, so that was just a weird view. From the renderings it looks like a beautiful stadium. Wow, good job, DC!

I will always support the Nats because my team is the team that got stolen from DC (Rangers).

[AZGrizFan]

Anybody else think that in 30 years, baseball fans everywhere will bemoan the fact that most of the "new" retro-style ballparks are pretty similar?

I don't know....I kinda like it.

One thing I DON'T like, is the recent insistence on only having one level of stands in the outfield. Can't remember the last ballpark they built that had multiple levels like Yankee Stadium or the old Tigers Stadium. xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx

[appfan2008]

Ok, so that was just a weird view. From the renderings it looks like a beautiful stadium. Wow, good job, DC!

I will always support the Nats because my team is the team that got stolen from DC (Rangers).
Yeah I would be surprised if DC could pull off such a magnificient stadium!

[andy7171]

I don't know....I kinda like it.

One thing I DON'T like, is the recent insistence on only having one level of stands in the outfield. Can't remember the last ballpark they built that had multiple levels like Yankee Stadium or the old Tigers Stadium. xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx
Are you talking about the complete wrap around? I know Camden Yards and Jacobs Field have upper tiers in the outfield in fair territory. The upper deck in Camden Yards wraps around to almost centerfield. And doesn't the A's new place have a giant god aweful multi-tiered suite/bleacher deck monstrosity?

[89Hen]

Yeah I would be surprised if DC could pull off such a magnificient stadium!
xconfusedx It's 1/3rd done. Do you think they're not going to complete it?

[89Hen]

Gotta love the Metro system in the Washington, D.C. area.xcoolx
Why the xcoolx ? I think the DC Metro is one of the better systems around. I can (and do) take it to anywhere except Georgetown.

[Marcus Garvey]

To be honest, I take issue with this whole "retro ballpark" thing on two points:

1) The idea of building ballparks "downtown" because that's where they used to build them.
False. While I see nothing wrong with a downtown ballpark to rejuvinate business in the area, none of the old ballparks were downtown. In the first 2 decades of the 20th Centruy, downtown land was too expensive and scarce to be used for a ballpark, so they were put, most often, in residential neighborhoods.

2) Assymetrical outfield dimmensions for asymmetry's sake!!!!! GRRRRRR!!!
This one really burns me. The old parks were asymetrical out of need. The land available for a park couldn't accomodate a symmetrical outfield, so they shoe-horned it in. Old Commisky Park was symmetrical, but nobody remembers that. The argument that it's "cool," to make it assymetrical makes me think of the racing stripes Homer Simpson put on his model of the Springfield Nuclear Plant!

[HiHiYikas]

I was a partial season-ticket holder for the Nats' first season, so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to get to the park from out of town. I found the Metro system wasn't bad - it just wasn't a great way to get to games from outside the District.

I've taken trains to 9 different ballparks - it's usually the easiest way in and out. I always take the light rail to Camden Yards, for instance. That's easy because (1) parking at stations is free, and (2) a round-trip baseball-special ticket is like 1 or 2 dollars, (3) it's way cheaper and easier than driving/parking in the inner harbor.

DC's Metro doesn't really offer any of those conveniences. It costs 7 or 8 bucks to park (and you have to buy a $3 'Pass Card' to use to pay for parking), the train fares are higher, and the rides can be very long. Franconia-Springfield to the Stadium stop is usually a 45-minute ride.

Meanwhile, you can zip right in to the RFK parking lot, which is located at the end of the freeway, where there is little traffic. For a giant sports venue, It's a very easy parking lot to get in and out of. And parking is only $12.

I'm excited about the new park, but I don't know if I'll still be in the area in 2008.

I would be surprised if the giant HD screen is the biggest in baseball for very long. Citizens' Bank Park in Philly owned that distinction for precisely as long as it took Ted Turner to figure out that his terrible centerfield monstrosity wasn't the biggest in the game anymore.

Marcus makes great points about the 'new style' parks. Retro for retro's sake is silly in a way. I don't think many people will lament the similarity of new parks down the road, though, simply because so many of the new style parks have replaced giant concrete and carpet doughnuts. And you've got to remember that nostalgia isn't about reconstructing the past, it's about creating a romanticized notion of the past that consumers find appealing.

I highly doubt any new parks will go full-out retro and have a 'whites only' section, very very tiny seats, or no women's restrooms.

[andy7171]

I wish Baltimore had DC's Metro. The light rail is nice if you only have to go North South and have all day to do it. What sense does it make for a mass transit train to stop a stop lights like a regular car?

[appfan2008]

xconfusedx It's 1/3rd done. Do you think they're not going to complete it?
I just mean something probably wont go right or something will happen to it in the future... i mean this is dc we are talking about

[89Hen]

2) Assymetrical outfield dimmensions for asymmetry's sake!!!!! GRRRRRR!!!
AGREED!! Something I've complained about for a while. Makes no friggin sense.

[89Hen]

I just mean something probably wont go right or something will happen to it in the future... i mean this is dc we are talking about
I don't know. The MCI/Verizon Center has been a real gem in the city. If this were a school they were building, I would agree with you. :(

[AZGrizFan]

Are you talking about the complete wrap around? I know Camden Yards and Jacobs Field have upper tiers in the outfield in fair territory. The upper deck in Camden Yards wraps around to almost centerfield. And doesn't the A's new place have a giant god aweful multi-tiered suite/bleacher deck monstrosity?

Yeah. I love upper decks in the outfield. Really encloses the sound.....I haven't seen the A's new place though.

[AZGrizFan]

AGREED!! Something I've complained about for a while. Makes no friggin sense.

What are going to be the dimensions of the Nat's stadium, Hen? xconfusedx

[89Hen]

What are going to be the dimensions of the Nat's stadium, Hen? xconfusedx
Left field: 332 ft.
Left-center: 377 feet
Center field: 409 feet
Right-center: 370 feet
Right field: 335 feet

[AZGrizFan]

Left field: 332 ft.
Left-center: 377 feet
Center field: 409 feet
Right-center: 370 feet
Right field: 335 feet

So, it plays to Marcus's point then.....xeyebrowx xcoolx

I understand his issue, but I have BIGGER issues with doing crap like they did in Houston, with the damned HILL in centerfield for no reason other than to be unique. WAFJ. xcoolx xcoolx

[89Hen]

So, it plays to Marcus's point then.....xeyebrowx xcoolx
It agrees with MG. That's pretty symmetrical.

[AZGrizFan]

It agrees with MG. That's pretty symmetrical.

I'd say it disagrees with Marcus. He's saying he dislikes assymetrical parks purely for the sake of being assymetrical. DC could have made this park 335 down the lines, 370 to the power alleys and 405 to center, but they chose to make it juuuuusssstttt off enough to NOT be symmetrical....for no other reason (apparently) than to be assymetrical....

Is that not the way you understand it? xconfusedx

[Marcus Garvey]

Actually, these dimmesions agree with my point (the point that stadia builders are retarded asses). When dimmensions are that close to symmetrical, but not, they're making it "Asymmetrical for the sake of assymetry." Chase Field in Phoenix is simmilar in that regard.
Remmber, you can't spell "Assymetry" without A-S-S!
I think all 3 of are on the same page, just getting words confused! :D
There are legitimate reasons beyond space constraints to put up assymetrical fences. Old Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota is a good example. The prevailing winds caused balls to carry futher to left-center field, so that power alley was deeper.
But for most of the new parks, it's just superflous!

[89Hen]

I'd say it disagrees with Marcus. He's saying he dislikes assymetrical parks purely for the sake of being assymetrical. DC could have made this park 335 down the lines, 370 to the power alleys and 405 to center, but they chose to make it juuuuusssstttt off enough to NOT be symmetrical....for no other reason (apparently) than to be assymetrical....

Is that not the way you understand it? xconfusedx
Apparently that is what Marcus meant, but I was thinking of the fields where the wall is a polygon instead of an arc. I have no problem if the wall is slightly off as long as it is an arc and fairly consistent. I was talking about...

http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/clubhouses/stadiums/hou.gif

[andy7171]

Yeah. I love upper decks in the outfield. Really encloses the sound.....I haven't seen the A's new place though.
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/oak7088.jpg
Oaklands Ballpark
Sweet seats at the top of the upper deck in center field, eh? xrolleyesx

[89Hen]

Oaklands Ballpark
Sweet seats at the top of the upper deck in center field, eh? xrolleyesx
That entire outfield section was built for the Raiders, not the A's.

http://www.bestsportsphotos.com/images/network_small.jpg

[andy7171]

That entire outfield section was built for the Raiders, not the A's.

http://www.bestsportsphotos.com/images/network_small.jpg
Yeah you're right. Don't they cover it with a giant trash bag for A's games?

[89Hen]

Yeah you're right. Don't they cover it with a giant trash bag for A's games?
I think so. Playing baseball in a football stadium (Oakland, Miami, RFK) or playing football in a baseball stadium (old Memorial, Portland Sate, old Shea) sux.

[andy7171]

I have fond memories of going to O's games in Memorial. $3 bleacher seats in the early 90's. Them days are gone.
I saw a couple CFL games and one or two Ravens games when they first moved here. The obstructed view seats were absurd.

[AZGrizFan]

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/oak7088.jpg
Oaklands Ballpark
Sweet seats at the top of the upper deck in center field, eh? xrolleyesx

You know, I think that looks awesome. No comment on how good the VIEW might actually be, but the design looks awesome, at least to me.... xpeacex

[AZGrizFan]

Apparently that is what Marcus meant, but I was thinking of the fields where the wall is a polygon instead of an arc. I have no problem if the wall is slightly off as long as it is an arc and fairly consistent. I was talking about...

http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/clubhouses/stadiums/hou.gif

Ahhhh. Well, if I had to choose, I could live with DC's design.....THIS, on the other hand, would drive me nuts. xeyebrowx xeyebrowx xeyebrowx

And THAT, friends, is a very short trip. xcoolx xcoolx

[appfan2008]

The Atlanta Braves stadium is relatively new well I guess eleven years now but there wall is a complete arc no sharp angles or wierd areas!

[HiHiYikas]

I didn't realize the new Oakland stadium was multi-sport. I thought everybody got together and decided once and for all that was a bad idea. The stadium looks nice for a football/baseball facility, though.

[89Hen]

I have fond memories of going to O's games in Memorial. $3 bleacher seats in the early 90's. Them days are gone.
I saw a couple CFL games and one or two Ravens games when they first moved here. The obstructed view seats were absurd.
O's games, fantastic. Ravens games, comical. I couldn't believe I was sitting in a stadium hosting an NFL game. I know it was only temporary, but it wasn't for the Colts. xeekx

[andy7171]

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/mem.jpg

Those were the days!

The new one ain't so bad though...

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/camdenmainf.jpg

[Marcus Garvey]

I didn't realize the new Oakland stadium was multi-sport. I thought everybody got together and decided once and for all that was a bad idea. The stadium looks nice for a football/baseball facility, though.

It's not a new stadium, it's the same old Oakland-Alameda Colliseum that the A's have always played in since moving from Kansas City. THe outfield section is completely new, having been built 10 years ago to get the Raiders to return to Oakland. Prior to that, they simply set up a much smaller temporary section along that sideline. The "round" portion of the stadium is the original part.

The A's are looking to build a new stadium in Freemont, and some sportswriter in the Bay Area had a great suggestion for the Raiders "new" stadium. Play in Berkley for a season or two while the "old" portion of the stadium is torn down. Build a new section around the field with all the amenities of a modern stadium. After all, they pretty much have half a new football stadium.

[89Hen]

The new one ain't so bad though...

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/camdenmainf.jpg
I'm not sure anyone has improved on the Yards. xthumbsupx

[89Hen]

THe outfield section is completely new, having been built 10 years ago to get the Raiders to return to Oakland.
xconfusedx I would have said it was 5 max.

[Col Hogan]

I'm not sure anyone has improved on the Yards. xthumbsupx

I am a lover of Fenway, but have to admit the Yards are an outstanding place to watch a game. I'll be along the third base line this year when the Sox come in August...last year I was in the upper section behind left field.

Great park...for those who have not visited, if you are a baseball fan, put Camden Yards on you agenda...