This Bullpen Saves the Game for Many Fans
By Fritz Hahn
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 19, 2009

The buzz: With the Nationals underperforming as usual, I wouldn't be surprised if fans are having more fun at a new beer garden across the street from Nationals Park than they are inside the stadium.

The Bullpen, which opened in May in a vacant lot that's slated to sprout an office building sometime in 2010, is a frighteningly simple idea: Section off a parcel of asphalt, put up a stage for bands, add picnic tables and about two dozen sets of cornhole (the popular bean-bag-tossing game), erect a large party tent that offers shelter from afternoon sun and the inevitable Washington thunderstorm, then set up a bar underneath it.

In a neighborhood that's virtually bereft of bars and pre- and postgame amusement (other than the month-long Artomatic art fair), the Bullpen has become a popular destination for happy hour and for commiserating after losses. Crowds wander in before the game, head across the street, then come back and hang out long into the night, listening to music and watching ESPN on flat-screen TVs in the tent.

And here's the thing: There's no cover charge, so if you want to get your friends together and spend a balmy summer night outdoors drinking beers, listening to live music and playing cornhole, you can do that, even if you're not baseball fans. Just check the Nats schedule to make sure the team is in town.

The scene: The Bullpen's crowd is more diverse than at almost anywhere in Washington: a wide range of ages and races making pit stops on their way to the park or on their way back to the Metro.

There's live music Thursday through Sunday beginning at 5:30 p.m. before night games. The bands play one set before the game, then start again in the eighth inning. (On Sundays, when games begin at 1:35 p.m., the entertainment starts in the eighth.) The sounds are also diverse, including Judo Chop's '80s covers, the bluesy funk of Ten Feet Tall, the infectious indie rock of Olivia and the Mates, and the twangy roots of Justin Jones and the Driving Rain.

On weekends, kids can join in the fun with a Junior Bullpen area sponsored by the local Headfirst Sports Camps, where they can measure the speed of their fastball with a radar gun, test throwing accuracy with baseball-style carnival games and practice running the bases. (These activities run from opening until the fifth inning; after that, the Bullpen is adults-only.)

In your glass: A number of beers, from aluminum bottles of Budweiser up to 20-ounce cans of imports such as Bass, Boddingtons and Beck's. The Bullpen's license doesn't allow hard liquor, so if you want a margarita, you'll have to go elsewhere.

On your plate: Ballpark food that's easy to eat with one hand: hot dogs, Italian sausages, bratwurst, chicken and beef tacos from Glover Park's Surfside restaurant, soft-serve ice cream cones.

Price points: Eating and drinking at the Bullpen is much cheaper than across the street: Hot dogs are $2.75, Italian sausages and bratwurst are $4.55, and beers start at $5 for aluminum bottles of Budweiser and the like, $6 for 20-ounce imported cans.

Need to know: The Bullpen opens two hours before the first pitch and closes at midnight.

Also, the "restrooms" are just a row of port-a-potties, so some people may prefer to use the bathrooms at the stadium.

Nice to know: If you're the kind of person who likes to leave the stadium a little early, you'll get a prime spot at the Bullpen's long bar: The place is generally empty between the third and eighth innings, and then hundreds of people stream through the gates immediately after the last out, turning the Bullpen into party central.

What people are saying: "I like this place," said Russ Jones of Fairfax, a Nationals season ticket holder who stopped in to toss a few bean bags after the game. "[Before we came in,] we were talking about how this game was stupid, but it's a lot of fun."

Larry Parker, 29, who works at the Red Porch restaurant inside the stadium, came over with a colleague. "We had a couple of drinks and we're playing this game. . . . It's just a good place to hang out," he said.

Even out-of-towners are impressed by the Bullpen.

Doug Looney, a "transplanted Reds fan" who works for ABC-Disney in New York, and his girlfriend, Anne Marino, were in town to celebrate Looney's 37th birthday with a trip to see the Nationals stadium.

"After you've spent three or four hours outside watching a game, the last thing you want to do is go into a dingy bar -- especially on a summer evening," Marino said. "They still have the TVs and music -- all the things you want in a bar."

"But it's more like a block party," Looney added. "I can't imagine this existing in New York."