Sportsfrog.com

Look, I love baseball. I’ve collected baseball cards, memorized stats, and visited as many ballparks as I can (20 major league parks to date). I cry when I watch Field of Dreams, I own a Roy Hobbs jersey, and am a complete sucker for baseball history.

Anything that is borderline historical in regards to baseball is right up my alley. But the Washington Nationals games at RFK are absolutely, positively not. Which is why Michael Phillips’ piece for mlb.com rings completely hollow, and feels totally forced:

During the Nationals’ stay, it transformed into something far greater than the sum of its parts. From the 2005 playoff chase to usher Ronald Simms dancing to “Sweet Caroline,” fans have been shaking the old stadium since Day 1 — quenching their 33-year thirst for baseball in the district.

No, I’m sorry. It did not quench most people’s thirst. A more accurate description would be that it threw sand down the parched throats of DC-area baseball fans.

A trip to RFK for baseball feels like you are entering a mausoleum. It is big, cold and empty. Most of the “good seats” were bought up by people in the politico game, and most of those are empty. I’ve seen a foul ball fall into sections so empty that a couple of kids literally sauntered over to get it. So, even if you wanted to pay the inflated prices for seats where you might actually be able to recognize a player, you can’t. The seats you do get are so far away from the action that you are not remotely in a position to have an opinion as to whether or not a pitch was a ball or a strike.

If you want to get a hot dog, plan on missing at least a full inning of action. Even though there are only a few thousand people at the park, there are barely any food stands open, and even fewer vendors. A trip to RFK to watch the Nationals is thoroughly joyless, and that’s one of the main reasons that attendance has fallen from middle of the pack in the first season to near the worst attendance in baseball (for this supposedly “thirsty” fan base) in only two seasons.

As far as the performance the Nationals have put on the field, it has been abysmal. They will likely finish their three-year stint somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 games under .500, in large part because Major League Baseball decided to own the team and invest as little as possible into it. So please, stop.

Let’s hope the stadium next year is a good one. Let’s hope there is actually investment in the product on the field. Let’s hope the stadium helps to reinvigorate one of the worst neighborhoods in the country. Because the three years at RFK have put a big blemish on the legendary stadium’s good name.