Yes, its true--nearly just five months to go before Our Washington Nationals play their very first baseball game on South Capitol Street. With that in mind--I contacted Chrystal Stowe from Smoot Construction and she was kind enough to not only set up an update tour for The Nats320 Blog--but also a sitdown interview with Matt Haas--Project Executive for Clark Construction. Matt, along with Clark Vice President Ronnie Strompf are in charge of each and every detail of New Nationals Park. Last Friday, October 26th--Sohna and I not only met with Matt at 1pm, but also took an update picture tour of the Stadium Site. If you recall--last Friday afternoon witnessed some torrential rainstorms in the Washington, DC Area. Just awful. But, despite all that, The African Queen and I trudged out to the ballpark and completed the task at hand. No, it was not the most ideal picture conditions. Yet, at the same time--we were not going to pass up on the opportunity.
First up will be The Photo Tour. Then, to follow in the next few days--Our Interview with Matt Haas. But, I wanted to pass along--although the date is not locked in--we were told that November 5th or November 6th is the target date for beginning the grass laying of the baseball surface at New Nationals Park. A Key Milestone in the Construction Process. No doubt--a Major Photo Opportunity for Our Washington Nationals.
So, with that out of the way--here is Our Photo Tour of New Nationals Park from Friday, October 26th, 2007.
Views Of The Field
HDTV Scoreboard In Rightfield
The Centerfield Restaurant
The Nationals Bullpen In Rightfield
The Seating Bowl
The Nationals Home Locker Room (under the first base stands)
Nationals Hydro Therapy, Steam Room & Showers
Nationals Indoor Batting Cage--With Presidents Club Overlook Windows
Club Level & Suites
The Press Box
And, Upper Level Concourse
Sohna and I got a kick out of the fact that we can now actually walk around the entire ballpark--concourses, mezzanine, press box, even the lower access tunnels and team locker rooms--without getting lost. Even the Construction Teams from Smoot/Clark/Hunt were surprised at our knowledge of the ballpark and why certain things are being constructed in such a way. Also, it was nice to know that this ballpark is quite intimate. As--it only takes a few minutes to move from one part of New Nationals Park to far extreme on the other side. This Ballpark is COMPACT--Far easier to move around than RFK Stadium.
Up Next--Our Interview with Matt Haas from Clark Construction.
6 comments:
Outstanding job. Thanks as always from a fellow member of Nats Nation.
I'm very jealous and wish that I could join you two on your next adventure to new Nationals Park! Pretty soon you and Sohna will be giving the tours at the new ballpark!
looks great. I can't believe It's only 5 months away!
Lookin good!
Looks awesome and it's pretty exciting to see the progress... pardon me if I've already posted this, but my wife and I will be looking for 2 tickets to the opener, if anyone knows anyone with extras...
Nice pictures... they really show the stadium well and I am starting to get a really idea of what it will look like...
But that worries me. It looks bland. It looks cookie cutter. the only thing remotely distinctive is the giant scoreboard, which to me is a negative, not a positive. I want to watch a ballgame, not a tv commercial.
I mean, really, other than a new coat of paint and better concrete, what will this park have that RFK didn't? The lower deck outfield bleachers will be nice to catching home runs. And maybe some parts of the stadium will be a little closer, but mostly not for your average fan. And the luxury suites can get more money from the rich.
But for $600, this is what we get? It all seems to ordinary. There's no classic skyline, just the capitol aways in the distance. There's no unique look like the nice elongated classic lines like I saw in the ALCS on tv. There's no unique features likes the amazing Green Monster in Fenway. It's just a concrete ballpark with seats.
Yes, I know we had to build this to get a team, but for $600, I'm not sure I see the point. Why not just renovate RFK and fix its problems? It looks just as distinctive as this place does, now that all the similar stadiums to it are gone. I guess the cherry trees might be nice, but I don't think they're going to be that amazing.
I'm just kind of underwhelmed by all the pictures. Maybe it'll look better in person. Or maybe it's not for me... from what I've seen (I haven't attended yet), I actually like Houston's field with its cool hill and silly train. It's distinctive and interesting. Pac Bell Park is very nice looking and has McCovey Cove. Can hitting a ball into the Cherry Grove really compare?
All of those people who had to be moved out with eminent domain. All those alternative people who will have to relocate their clubs. All those residents who objected to the MLB sell-out... I really, really hope a bland stadium is not what we have to show for it. I hope something changes to make it look impressive, though all I can think of so far is the cherry trees.
But right now, I'm kind of questioning the point of it all...
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