Lost in the buzz over Adam Dunn being signed to a two-year contract yesterday, Our Washington Nationals announced four new and smaller Season Ticket Packages. 13, 12 and 9 Game plans that include one Free Game as a bonus. Although Opening Day Tickets are not included in any of these foursomes--many fans have asked Washington to offer smaller Season Ticket Packages over the past few years. And considering the ever looming economics crisis in our country--these new choices could allow some to remain involved regularly with Our Team--something they may not have been able to do otherwise. These four packages cover a range of choices: 1st Half Plan, 2nd Half Plan, Sunday Only Plan and an All Season Long Plan (tickets for games throughout all six months of the regular season). What is not offered is a Pick Your Own Games Plan, but this is a very good start and a nice response to feedback from fans.
Here are the complete details from the team's press release:
WASHINGTON NATIONALS INTRODUCE MINI-PLANS FOR 2009 SEASON
Mini Plans of 13, 12 and Nine Games Including A Free Game Now Offered To Complement Season Ticket Packages
The Washington Nationals today introduced four mini-plans for the 2009 season at Nationals Park. Beginning today, fans may choose from a Sunday-only 13 game plan for the price of 12 games, a first-half or second-half nine-game plan for the price of eight, or a 12-game plan that covers the entire season for the price of 11. This season is the first the Nationals will offer ticket packages of this size.
“In a continuing effort to provide one of the best bargains in sports and entertainment we are pleased to make our affordable ticket packages even more attractive by introducing mini-plans,” said Nationals Team President Stan Kasten. “We’ve responded to the requests of our fans and added a Sunday-only plan for family enjoyment, eight-game plans starting as low as $80, and made all ticket plans available through our Grand Slam E-Z Payment Plan option. From the casual fan who wants to take in a few games to the die-hard fan who doesn’t want to miss a pitch, there’s an option for everyone at Nationals Park.”
The first half mini-plan begins on April 15th with the second home game of the season vs. the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and includes interleague contests against the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox. Highlights of the second half mini-plan include games against the Red Sox, Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans choosing to purchase the season long mini-plan will catch games against the Phillies, Orioles and Red Sox. Each of these plans includes the home season finale against the New York Mets on September 30. Sunday is Family Fun Day at Nationals Park and includes pre-game autograph opportunities and post-game Kids Run The Bases for all children under the age of 12. The Sunday plan includes games against the Phillies, Orioles and Cubs, as well as the final Sunday home game of the season vs. the Atlanta Braves. A complete list of the games included in each mini-plan may be found below.
Mini-plan tickets are available on four levels of the ballpark in nine sections, including the Center Field Reserved (Section 100), Scoreboard Pavilion (Sections 237 through 243) and Upper & Lower Right Field Terrace (Sections 222 through 236).
Fans interested in season ticket plans, including Full (82), Half (41) and Partial (21) packages, may call a Nationals Sales Representative at 202.675.NATS(6287) – Option #1, then Option #2 or by logging onto nationals.com/tickets. A limited number of excellent season tickets are still available throughout the ballpark and can be conveniently purchased by using the recently introduced Grand Slam E-Z Payment Plan. Season parking is available for purchase with any Nationals season ticket plan.
1st Half Mini-Plan
Wed., April 15 vs. Philadelphia Phillies 7:05pm
Fri., May 1 vs. St. Louis Cardinals 7:05pm
Fri., May 15 vs. Philadelphia Phillies 7:05pm
Fri., May 22 vs. Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm
Fri., June 5 vs. New York Mets 7:05pm
Wed., June 10 vs. Cincinnati Reds 7:05pm
Wed., June 24 vs. Boston Red Sox 7:05pm
Fri., July 3 vs. Atlanta Braves 7:05pm
Wed., Sept. 30 vs. New York Mets 4:35pm
2nd Half Mini-Plan
Thurs., June 25 vs. Boston Red Sox 7:05pm
Fri., July 17 vs. Chicago Cubs 7:05pm
Wed., July 22 vs. New York Mets 7:05pm
Fri., Aug. 7 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 7:05pm
Wed., Aug. 19 vs. Colorado Rockies 7:05pm
Mon., Aug. 24 vs. Milwaukee Brewers 4:35pm
Wed., Sept. 9 vs. Philadelphia Phillies 7:05pm
Wed., Sept. 23 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 7:05pm
Wed., Sept. 30 vs. New York Mets 4:35pm
Sunday Mini-Plan
Sun., April 19 vs. Florida Marlins 1:35pm
Sun., May 3 vs. St. Louis Cardinals 1:35pm
Sun., May 17 vs. Philadelphia Phillies 1:35pm
Sun., May 24 vs. Baltimore Orioles 1:35pm
Sun., June 7 vs. New York Mets 1:35pm
Sun., June 21 vs. Toronto Blue Jays 1:35pm
Sun., July 5 vs. Atlanta Braves 1:35pm
Sun., July 19 vs. Chicago Cubs 1:35pm
Sun., July 26 vs. San Diego Padres 1:35pm
Sun., Aug. 9 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 1:35pm
Sun., Aug. 23 vs. Milwaukee Brewers 1:35pm
Sun., Sept. 6 vs. Florida Marlins, 1:35pm
Sun., Sept. 27 vs. Atlanta Braves 1:35pm
Season Long Mini-Plan
Wed., April 15 vs. Philadelphia Phillies 7:05pm
Tues., April 21 vs. Atlanta Braves 7:05pm
Mon., May 4 vs. Houston Astros 7:05pm
Fri., May 22 vs. Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm
Sat., June 6 vs. New York Mets 7:05pm
Tues., June 23 vs. Boston Red Sox 7:05pm
Fri., July 3 vs. Atlanta Braves 7:05pm
Sat., July 25 vs. San Diego Padres 7:05pm
Fri., Aug. 7 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 7:05pm
Thurs., Aug. 20 vs. Colorado Rockies 7:05pm
Sun., Sept. 6 vs. Florida Marlins 1:35pm
Wed., Sept. 30 vs. New York Mets 4:35pm
This is excellent news and probably something that should have been initiated the very first season the Lerners took ownership of the team. I think this will help ticket sales, because in a depressed economy, it's a method for people to go to games without spending exorbitant amounts of money. I can split a 12-game package in lower right field terrace, get tickets to 6 games (many of them premium), for $99 per person. That's not bad.
ReplyDeleteWhat hasn't been announced is whether there will be the right to purchase postseason tickets with a 12-game package. HAHAHAHAHA!
But I would actually like to know if you have the right that regular season ticket holders have to keep your seats from season-to-season.
So, are people who purchase these new plans now Season Ticket Holders who get to avail themselves of all the exciting benefits enjoyed by 21, 41 and 81 game plan holders? [Pause until gales of laughter subside.] Will they get to complain when their tickets don't come in a fancy box with a pin? If they don't like what they see on the field, are they allowed to threaten to cancel their season tickets? And most importantly, does this mark them as a higher class of person than Tom Boswell?
ReplyDeleteThese are nice plans and should help keep attendance above 2 million in the second year, especially since the team now has a chance to win 75 games with Willingham and Dunn in the line-up.
ReplyDeleteChico Harlan's article got it wrong on two accounts in generally positive article for him: Soriano was a very legitimate power threat in 2006 (i.e. Dunn will not be the "first" since baseball returned to D.C.), and he is not the highest paid free agent for Nationals either, as Soriano got $10 million (albeit for only one season). Signing Dunn for less than he made in Arizona, committing for only two years, and giving up nothing for that right was extremely prudent, incidentally.
As for trade possibilities in wake of Dunn signing: Kearns seems to have very small return value despite having above average defensive skills and a great ML disposition. D.Young actually might be attractive to AL team as DH (Orioles?) should he be in camp in decent physical shape. Belliard poses very marginal return - agree with SBF that his range is terrible. Willie Harris actually proved last year to be a super utility player, but doubtful that he would garner a starter - perhaps a reliever. Leaves Lastings Milledge as the guy with most potential to draw a middle of the rotation starter - I would hesitate to make that move since he could become another Kenny Lofton - COULD - and Nats fans would rue that move for years...
I propose making Milledge into that lead-off hitter that the Nats can never seem to find - and work with him hard to track balls in center: too much potential to give up on him after only one season, and one in which he seemed to improve over the course of the year, overall. He was able to draw walks as the year went on, and can bunt a bit too.
Line-up (reserves):
1. Milledge CF (Harris)
2. Guzman SS (Gonzolez)
3. Zimmerman 3B (Belliard)
4. Dunn 1B (Johnson)
5. Willingham LF (Kearns)
6. Dukes RF (Kearns)
7. Flores C (Nieves)
8. Hernandez 2B (Belliard)
This line-up is good to strong defensively, except at first base and in spots in center. It has average to good overall speed. It is young, but with the exception of second-base, experienced due to substantial playing time for Dukes, Flores, Milledge in 2008. They are grew-up in dismal season.
The batting coach is much better than last year (Screech would be better than L. Harris!), and I think we will see the results of that very clearly this season. Overall, the team should hit .265 or better. This line-up and reserves should produce 50 more HR's, with 100 more runs overall.
Pitching, pitching, pitching will be the three questions, and more, going into 2009. With all the stars aligned: Shawn Hill beats injury mystery jinx and is a stud he can be; John Lannan just continues to show his smarts and command; Scott Olson is an innings eater and the dean of the staff; Colin Ballister grows; and Jordan Zimmermann is the second coming of Zimmerman. Odalis Perez would not be a bad sixth starter based on last year, either.
Bullpen, consisting of Mock and Bergmann (both of whom can fill-in as starters in a pinch); Shell and Rivera;
and Joel Hanrahan as closer equally promising and simultaneously questionable as the starting rotation - no old tired arms in the bunch though.
Manny Acta: jury very much out of him - his moves seem transparent to the other dug-out. Can the Nats' deeper line-up help him to manage in a way that can make a difference to win games, and inspire the team. His stoical nature verges on Depression from this vantage point. I suspect that the new batting coach may be the Nats skipper in 2010 should Acta not be viewed as growing in his position...
Trust in the Plan and the Man, and Bow-Bow and his traveling Reds. All Humming, If Not Buzzing.
I was happy to see mini-plans being offered. My mini-group (two or three tix per game) has been putting together our own mini-plans since 2005.
ReplyDeletehe is not the highest paid free agent for Nationals either, as Soriano got $10 million (albeit for only one season)
ReplyDeleteSoriano wasn't a free agent, SenatorNat, they traded original Nat and Chevy Chase Bank spokesman Brad Wilkerson for him. As a side note, is Wilkerson the last (and maybe only) Nat to garner an endorsement deal from a local business?
Manny Acta: jury very much out of him - his moves seem transparent to the other dug-out. Can the Nats' deeper line-up help him to manage in a way that can make a difference to win games, and inspire the team.
Except for the last game at RFK, where Manny was clearly pulling out all the stops to get a win, I can't recall a single instance over his two years here where Manny's moves would have made any difference one way or the other to the outcome of the game. From his 2007 performance, it's clear that he has it in him to inspire a substandard team to be more than the sum of its parts. Given a better coaching staff this year, I think he also has it in him to do the same with a much better collection of parts. Expect to see them pick up his 2010 option year very soon into the season. The only way that won't happen is if the team totally tanks, and that would be a disaster rivaling Katrina.
While these mini-plans are an excellent idea and long-overdue (the Caps have had a variety of these plans for years), why didn't the Nats offer these last fall when decisions had to be made as to renewing full season's tickets?
ReplyDeleteI have split full season's tickets with a number of other people since the first season in 2005. Quite honestly it is a royal pain having to deal with so many people wanting big games (e.g, opening day, first day in the new ballpark, Yankees, Red Sox, etc.) and generally moaning about everything from seat location to parking.
I only end up getting 10 games a year, many that I don't want because of our procedure for allocating tickets. Had these options been available last November when we had to renew our full season's tickets, I would definitely have cancelled.
My guess is that is exactly the reason why the Nats waited until now to unveil these new ticket plans. They probably knew they would have had an even worse drop off in full season's tickets than they have already.
You can be sure I will be cancelling my full tickets for 2010 and picking up one of these more reasonably priced plans.