Nationals Park Is Top Notch; the Team Eventually Needs to Follow Suit

By George Solomon
Sunday, March 30, 2008

Charlie Slowes, the radio voice of the Washington Nationals, has seen all but one of the team's 486 games since the club moved here from Montreal in 2005.

The one contest that stands out for Slowes -- and many fans -- was the first game at RFK Stadium: April 14, 2005, 33 seasons after the Senators left Washington for Texas.

"I watched adults come into the stadium with their children and begin to cry," Slowes said. "That's how much baseball returning to Washington meant to so many people."

Slowes was standing in the center field plaza of the new 41,888-seat Nationals Park on Friday, gazing at the perfectly cut outfield grass and clay diamond, the blue seats glistening in the early evening, the Capitol dome visible from the upper deck, the players preparing for their first practice on their new field and workers putting the finishing touches on Washington's newest landmark.

"This place just blows my mind," Slowes said.

How apt a description for the new ballpark that "officially" opens tonight when the Nats and Atlanta Braves begin their regular season, with President Bush resurrecting the tradition of the Presidential Opener in Washington (several days after MLB's official opener in Tokyo) by throwing out the first pitch to Manager Manny Acta and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

But tears, like we saw three years ago? I don't think so, unless you count the critics still upset that the city agreed to foot the $611 million bill for the stadium.

Ted and Mark Lerner, the team's primary owners, as well as team president Stan Kasten and GM Jim Bowden, know the days of nostalgic tears are over.

Declining attendance at RFK in 2006 and 2007 proved that. And while a new stadium gives any team a one-year attendance boost, the club's decision-makers understand fielding a competitive team is essential.

"We needed the stadium, but understand the entertainment on the field has to be good," Kasten told me Friday. "We've made real tangible progress in this area."

By progress, Kasten means the Lerners' investment of millions in player development since buying the team from MLB nearly two years ago for $450 million. In addition to ownership's commitment to young players, fans also hope in the coming years the team's major league payroll increases to compete with some of the top revenue-producing clubs.

"The best part about spring training was our young arms," Bowden said, "and what our young kids did when they got a chance to hit."

Said Acta: "We're not the '27 Yankees, but we're better than last year. The offseason additions give us more depth and that's progress. We're shooting to play over .500."

What will Nick Johnson, one of the few four-year Nats, remember about his RFK experience? "The way the stands moved when the fans behind third base jumped up and down."

"How cold our bullpen was in April and May," replied Chad Cordero when asked the same question. "Now we have heaters in the bullpen. And a steam room and two hot tubs in our clubhouse."

Ah, to be young, in "The Show," and playing in a five-star ball park.

A Few Blogs Worth Your Time

Not big on reading blogs, except for the lively Dan Steinberg on http://www.washingtonpost.com, Gilbert Arenas's "Agent Zero: The Blog File," and Caps owner Ted Leonsis's "Ted's Take."

Arenas's ramblings about his future (he can opt out of his contract at the end of the season), his own daily medical assessments and mood swings are worth reading.

Just as engaging are Leonsis's blurbs that bounce from cheering his rejuvenated hockey team in a style worthy of a Chinese propaganda minister to responding cleverly to readers and gloomy predictions on the future of the newspaper industry (forecasts so dire at least one aging scribe is considering learning to drive a Zamboni, in case his company pension fund dries up).

Last Standing: Area Women

Who would have thought that the two local college basketball teams left standing when the weekend began would be the Maryland and George Washington women. The Terrapins, a top-five team all season, figured to get through to the round of 16. But GW (27-6) took a tougher road beating California, 55-53, at the buzzer in Stanford, Calif., on Monday.

"Go figure: We're behind the whole game and a bad pass by Kimberly Beck turns into what I called an alley-oop to Sarah-Jo Lawrence, who scored," said veteran GW coach Joe McKeown.

The Colonials play Rutgers in the Greensboro Region today.

Golden Memories

I know I'm way behind the times when it comes to recognizing Mixed Martial Arts Cage Fighting as something more than alley brawls or slugfests in a cage. If someone wants to pay $28.50 to $128.50 for a ticket to the April 26 Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) -- Invasion at Patriot Center, be my guest (though I question George Mason's involvement).

But for anyone to compare this lunacy to boxing, well, they never read A.J. Liebling's "The Sweet Science" or any of the dozens of other wonderful writers covering a sport that, while risky and at times lethal, is a sport once dominated by skilled professionals.

This week I read about the death of Art Aragon, 80, a lightweight and middleweight boxer who went by the nickname "Golden Boy" in the 1950s for wearing gold trunks and a gold robe. Aragon, who went 89-20-6 in his career before retiring in 1960, drew huge crowds when he boxed in Los Angeles arenas.

He only had one title fight, losing to Jimmy Carter (different guy) in 1951, but fans still remember Aragon's classic battles against Chuck Davey, Carmen Basilio, Billy Graham (different guy) and Chico Vejar.

The Los Angeles Times recounted Aragon's friendship with actress Mamie Van Doren and the late Marilyn Monroe.

In retirement, Aragon acted in films and, according to the New York Times, was a bail-bondsman with a business card that read: "I'll get you out if it takes 10 years."

"Boxing requires a lot more skill; it's a totally different discipline," said Bob Arum, veteran boxing promoter and boss at Top Rank Inc. "But Ultimate Fighting has done a good job of promoting their event to young white males who look like the fighters."

Have a comment or question? Reach me at talkback@washpost.com.