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Given 'Snub' of RFK, Nats Even Struggling In Hollywood Circles
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"In the beginning, we wanted to use the Nationals and RFK because it made sense and was cheaper, since we're already based out of here," said Spies, who has been living in Washington during the shooting of other scenes, including one in which Davis rows with a crew team on the Potomac River.
Chartese Berry, spokeswoman for the Nationals, said she was not aware of any requests made by "Commander in Chief" producers to use RFK. She said, however, that all negotiations for broadcasting rights from out of town are handled by Major League Baseball because of licensing issues.
Oriole Park has been a popular location for movies and television shows. During the ballpark's inaugural season in 1992, actor Kevin Kline threw out a staged ceremonial pitch for his 1993 movie "Dave," in which he plays, yes, the president of the United States.
Berry said no one from Hollywood has come through RFK this season, though a Discovery Channel team shot something there recently for a documentary about football.
In Hollywood, where computer-generated images can create battles with aliens, not everything one sees is necessarily what it looks like. Because Major League Baseball refused to allow the "Commander in Chief" scenes to be filmed while fans were in the stands, most of the shooting was done well before the game.
The 200 or so extras sat in one section and were filmed from many angles, Spies said, so the images can be digitally re-created to look as though the stadium was full. The footage can be seen in the season's sixth episode and possibly the 13th, he added. Because Davis threw the pitches in Baltimore, the script will relate to the Orioles, not the Nationals.
After filming, Davis threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch.
The stadium issue, however, prompts a related question: Why were such D.C. residents as Epstein watching the Orioles instead of the Nationals?
For one thing, Epstein said, he is a Mets fan. But there was another reason. "I've had a Sunday plan up there for three or four years," he said. "I wanted to show [owner] Peter Angelos that the Orioles won't suffer because of the Nationals."
