Nationals' Events in Maryland Anger D.C.
Locations Offend District Officials

By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 7, 2007

District officials are outraged that the Washington Nationals plan to go to Maryland for major events celebrating the team's first season in the city-funded $611 million stadium complex.

The baseball club's charitable arm will host its annual black tie "Dream Gala" at Gaylord National, a new hotel across the Potomac in Prince George's County, and the team will hold its FanFest, a day-long celebration, in Bethesda.

There are no firm plans, as of yet, to hold a kick-off event in the District, though the team says it is working on that. "I guess we're like Charlie Brown or Rodney Dangerfield. We can't get respect," council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said yesterday. "This is just an outrage."

Last fiscal year, $36 million in business and nonresidential utility taxes, including those from hotels, were collected to help repay the money borrowed for the stadium.

Stan Kasten, president of the Nationals, said the Dream Foundation chose Gaylord National, at the new National Harbor development, because the hotel came free of charge. Money raised at the event goes to D.C. children, he said, including the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy to teach baseball to children.

In March, the foundation paid about $250,000 to have the event at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, where Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, served as honorary chairman. One of the highlights of the evening was a tribute to RFK Stadium, where the team played temporarily. Next year's gala is also being planned for March.

"What about the fact that there is a whole lot of money going to D.C.?" Kasten asked, adding that the $250,000 can now go directly to the foundation.

He added that the team is holding events all over the region because the Nationals consider themselves a regional team. They are in the process of scheduling several events to promote Opening Day, and some would be held in the District, he said. The plans just haven't been solidified.

Council members dismissed Kasten's reasoning.

"We gave them a $611 million free stadium. I think that entitles us to have their gala at our businesses," council member Carol Schwartz (R-At Large) said.

Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who voted against the final baseball stadium deal in 2006, called the move "offensive."

"That's like taking a stick and poking your eye. What a level of ingratitude. The timing is worse than ever. We're opening the $611 million stadium and . . . to have the annual banquet in Prince George's County, that's staggering," he said. "I would hope that we could work this out."

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.