Nationals' Events in Maryland Anger D.C.

Gray called a closed-door meeting with council members yesterday to discuss the situation and how to address it. Minutes later, council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), one of the Nationals' biggest cheerleaders and chairman of the committee on finance and revenue, was on the phone with Kasten. Evans was one of the most irate members yesterday, telling Kasten that "the Nationals have an obligation to hold their gala here." Gray was trying to contact Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to dial up Nationals principal owner Theodore N. Lerner.

Kasten, interviewed after his conversation with Evans, said there are no plans to change the venue.

Fenty, one of the loudest critics of the stadium when he was a council member, did not directly respond to requests for comment. Neil O. Albert, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, however, issued a statement on behalf of the administration.

"I have personally spoken with Edward Cohen, co-owner of the team and he has assured me that throughout this coming baseball season and well into the future, they will hold many events in the city and we look forward to participating in those events."

A few council members learned of the plans over hors d'oeuvres at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Monday, where city officials were celebrating the renaming of the building in honor of the city's first mayor under Home Rule.

Emily Durso, president of the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C., said she learned about a month ago of the team's plans and called Nationals executives. "I said, 'Please tell me this isn't true.' "

"They're moving all of the events to the suburbs," she said. "The Bethesda one was, like, uh-oh, is this a trend? I've told them we understand that they are a regional team, but the hotels here pay for the stadium."

The hotels have also been working closely with the Nationals to help create buzz for Opening Day in the spring. There are promotions in the works that include signs at the desks of concierges, baseball caps to be worn by front-desk employees and a program that would allow guests to buy game tickets at the hotel.

The Nationals considered holding FanFest in the District, but the convention center and hotels could not accommodate the team's late January event date, said Chartese Burnett, the Nationals' vice president of communications. The Lerners are based in Bethesda. Meanwhile, Prince George's County is ready to welcome the Nationals, said Denise Roberts, a spokeswoman for Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D).

"National Harbor is the biggest talk of the town," she said. "Naturally, organizations are going to want to have events here."

D.C. Council members said the Maryland events are the latest inconsiderate act by the Nationals. Two weeks ago, the team announced in a news release that fans could park for free at RFK, property controlled by the city, although the city has not approved the plan.

"This once again truly demonstrates why we should have been a little shrewder about selecting owners for the Nationals," council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) said in a statement. "They haven't even gotten into the stadium yet and they are taking their events elsewhere. We would hope that the Lerners would rethink this decision. After all, this is not the Maryland Nationals. They are the Washington Nationals, and they should be holding any event concerning Washington in Washington."

Staff writer Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.