Words That Instill No Confidence

Nats 320, when not modeling the latest in Nats regalia, interviewed yet another person. This time it's the man at the top, our good buddy, the man with "The PLAN!", Stan Kasten.

Part one, dealing with stadium, parking and all that boring crap is up. Check it out.

But what caught my eye was his answer to some questions about the food policy at the new place and his less-than precise answers. As always, he's trying to be so deadly accurate with his answers that he couches and qualifies things so as to leave either 1) the question completely unanswered or 2) the exact opposite impression of what he actually means.

I know a lot of folks are going to ask this. Will food be allowed from outside the stadium to be brought into New Nationals Park? (SBF)

“I think the policy will be just what it was this past year--as I recall.”

In the past, you can bring in bottled water, your own sandwichs, meals, snacks, food stuffs—just not Large Coolers or things like that. (SBF)

“I think that’s what it was, and I don’t recall off the top of my head, but my recollection is the decision is just what it was last year. That may change between now and opening day, but I don’t remember exactly.”

Recall that the team (pre-Lerner) hid behind the DCSEC in banning outside food and water, pointing to some signs that were posted initially. After a little public outcry, they reversed course, so much so that the goober who sat next to me last year would eat homemade eggplant parmigiana during the game, stinking up the entire section.

When Kasten's Turner Field opened, outside food was also banned, to the displeasure of just about everyone (save Kasten's accountants).

So I'm a little skeptical given all the parsings, and hemmings and hawings and couching in his statement. He's the Team President, the guy who paints himself in charge of every single thing, and he doesn't "remember exactly." I know the guy's got a lot on his plate, especially with the seating assignments almost done, but this would also had to have been something he signed off on, and may have (almost definitely) been something that came up while negotiating with the new concessionaire. I'm chalking this one up to convenient amnesia; any good lawyer knows that the "I don't recall" or "my recollection is" are the ideal phrases you want your witness saying when there's an uncomfortable questions being raised. You just can't prove someone's thought process.

Worse, as I've said, the guy's an honest broker. Notice how he slips that one phrase in there? "That may change between now and opening day." Sure it might. And if it does, he's said nothing specific enough here to be accused of lying or misleading fans later.

Such is the beauty of StanSpeak!

In the meantime, start saving up your nickels. You're going to need them to feed the vendors.