Friday, November 16, 2007

Seat Assignments Up

If you're a planholder, season ticket assignments are up on Nats.com.

I didn't get my first priority -- upper deck in front of the pressbox, but I'm happy where they put me, in the first section of the lower part of the upper deck right where the price point changes -- They're CHEAP!!!! Feel free to come by and spit on me in the future.

posted by Chris Needham at 9:28 AM

67 Comments:

  • I am not happy with my 2nd choice. Much like you said Chris to ABM......I am a 20 game planner for 2005 and I was pushed out of the infield Gallery to the outfield Gallery. Stan clearly said that full season ticket seats were still open....but not for someone like me who has supported the team for 3 years with 20 game plans.....do not feel good about it Stan. I guess I will just have to move over in the 3rd inning to all the empty seats.....I tried to pay for them....you just would not take my money!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 11:10 AM  

  • Yeah, nobody understood my point over there.

    The upper deck in front of the pressbox was my first choice too. I didn't get it either.

    I figured they'd hold back a set of those seats to new full-season holders because they ARE attractive seats, instead of selling them all to schmucks like us.

    Oh well. At least I'm saving $100. I've got better ways to spend that money than donating it to Uncle Teddy!

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 11:12 AM  

  • I took a long look at the seats in front of the press box too, but I figured they'd be pretty popular. Also, I'm cheap.

    By Blogger Carl, at 11/16/2007 11:26 AM  

  • I am not at all happy with my seats. I was on the lower level, on the infield for 3 years with full season tickets. Now, I am still lower level, but on the outfield, in one of the last rows. This plan sucks!

    By Blogger Natsfan74, at 11/16/2007 11:33 AM  

  • From the baseball prospectus projection of Nats Park;

    "Basically, we're removing one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball and replacing it with what looks like it should be a neutral park....Left-handed hitters look like they will get most of the benefit."

    Does the name Ryan Church come to mind in that last sentence? Nick Johnson too once he's back up to speed...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 12:11 PM  

  • I'm not sold on that analysis. I think right-handed batters are going to have a field day in the place -- the RCF gap is 20-30 feet closer in some spots.

    We'll see!

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 12:13 PM  

  • You're right, Chris, in that I didn't understand the point you were making the other day on Nats320. In a way, you were right. But as it turns out, the point I was making there was right as well, because they didn't change any of the rules mid-stream. What thay did was to not clearly spell out the rules in the first place. They should have said "limited availability to partial plans" or somesuch about the Infield Gallery instead of leaving the unspoken impression that it was wide open. As I confirmed on the phone this morning with the ticket office while changing my seat location, there are a lot of partial-plan folks in the Infield Gallery. But they had an upper limit on how many they would put there, and it was apparently reached before they got to the likes of you and me. So we both got screwed by the process. But unlike you, I screwed myself as well because I was operating under the impression that I would be competing for that section straight-up with people who were sitting in the equivalent sections at RFK (one of which was me). But that apparently wasn't the case because (a) I don't think there are quite as many IG seats in Nats Park as there were equivalent purple seats at RFK, and (b) I think quite a few STHers from the lower bowl at RFK wanted to move upstairs rather than pay more to stay down below. As a class of 2007 20-game guy, my priority was lower than theirs and I should have given that fact more weight in my decision-making process on the questionnaire, because I really screwed myself by making my seond and third choices from the lower bowl, thinking that they'd never need to use them. I ended up getting a seat in the next to last row way out in LF, at way too high a price. But I was able to get through on the phone this morning and get a seat in the fourth row of the Upper Infield Gallery, which is not all that much worse than what I wanted in the first place, and half the cost of what they offered me. But I should have made Outfield Gallery and Upper Infield Gallery my number two and three choices, and I probably would have gotten the same kind of seat you did. Oh well. At least from photos I've seen it looks like those seats are not quite as high up as they appear on the 3-D tool. And Stan has assured us that every seat in Nationals Park is perfect, hasn't he? (You have my permission to mock me freely on that last statement. Perhaps knowing that, it may take some of the pleasure away from you when you do it...)

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 11/16/2007 12:18 PM  

  • Sorry you got screwed over. At least they were able to fix it.

    I figured that I was going to get bumped from the seats in front of the box because of just what you described, so I got about where I expected, all things considered.

    I prefer the upper deck anyway. Some of those lower bowl outfield seats are complete ripoffs for price.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 12:21 PM  

  • I got the best seat of all---right in the front row of my 52 inch flat screen tv and the price isn't bad either. I'm not worried about parking, eating bad ball park food, or the dysfunctional Metro.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 12:37 PM  

  • So, anonymous, do you get many beer vendors coming by your seat? Probably more than I ever saw at RFK, but hopefully not as many as I'll be seeing in Section 420 of Nats Park. And I think from my seat I'll actually have one of those fabulous Capitol and Washington Monument views that Boswell has been raving about. Wow, another option to focus my attention on whenever Nook Logan is up. Does your 52-inch screen let you do that, anon?

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 11/16/2007 12:49 PM  

  • Briosia--The vendor--my wife-- serves me a nice cold Bass Ale whenever I want one. The popcorn isn't bad either.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 1:01 PM  

  • The thing about "park effects" though is that they're just about the park. I can't help but wonder how much of RFK's run suppression is from other factors like sea level and especially DC's humidity.

    By Blogger Michael Taylor, at 11/16/2007 1:05 PM  

  • But, just like RFK, there's NO FECKING KETTLE CORN!!1!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 1:07 PM  

  • True, to an extent. But much of that's going to be captured in what actually happens on the field, and will be reflected in the results of the park factor.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 1:07 PM  

  • We were in section 321 in RFK with a full season plan since 2005 and selected Sec. 205 in the new park. We ended up in row D of Sec. 205. My thought is we will be showered with foul balls in that section, unlike RFK 321 where the only showering was of the pigeon variety. Does anybody keep track of where the most foul balls are hit? And, I think the mezzanine is a pretty good deal, any thoughts?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 1:17 PM  

  • I upped my plan from 41 games to a full season ticket and, being from class of 2005, got Section 312, EXACTLY what I wanted! With a new stadium, I certainly figured it would take a full ticket to get behind home plate, not a 20 game plan, or even a 41-game plan like I had. Worked out perfectly!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 1:52 PM  

  • You're Stan's kind of sucker!

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 1:53 PM  

  • Maybe you were the sucker for dreaming you'd be behind home plate with a 20-game plan.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 1:57 PM  

  • No, I didn't really think I was going to end up there. But I put it in as my first request just in case.

    Regardless, it wasn't worth the extra $1,000 or whatever it would've cost for last year's and this year's tickets!

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 1:59 PM  

  • Stan aside, you are happy with your seats, I am happy with mine plus they are cheaper than last year. Somebody else misunderstood the rules, didn't like what they got, called and got moved this morning. Doesn't sound like he got screwed at all! Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 2:05 PM  

  • Yep! Wasn't trying to give you a hard time. I'm noted for my frugality throughout the land! ;)

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 2:23 PM  

  • "I'm noted for my frugality throughout the land!"

    Which does make one wonder on occasion why you're not appreciative of such frugality when practiced by others, for instance team owners...

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 11/16/2007 3:09 PM  

  • When I make my second billion, I'm sure I'll open up the wallet!

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 3:11 PM  

  • I'm not happy at all. Thought I had a decent chance for great seats:
    Full plan w/ four tix in 2005 Sec 320.
    Full plan four tix in 2006, sec 311.
    Full plan two tix in 2007, sec 311 (same as 2006) and added two before the deadline to have a chance at four in the new park.
    Put in for a full plan this year, two locations: hoping for one pair of 1B dugout box/1B infield box (listed 3B side as a possibility) and one pair club seats (pretty much any club seats).
    No club seats, no dugout/infield box. Got my THIRD section choice, RF line box about 15 rows from the field, and got all four seats there! They look like terrible seats compared to my old seats (sec 311, row 7).
    Called the Nats ticket office and spoke to my rep (same rep I've had since Fall 2004), and explained the situation. She said to hang tight, that something may come available before the ticket payment due date. Guarding against too much hope, but maybe she can help. Not looking forwrad to craning my next to the left to watch every pitch.

    By Blogger NatsFan9, at 11/16/2007 3:48 PM  

  • At least you got to talk to someone who was responsive. The clown I talked to kept saying over and over "I'll move your seats right now, but they will be worse!" He never offered to relook anything, or help me move. I had 2 seats in 322 for 2 years, then 2 seats in 319 this year. He kept bringing up that I was going from 300 to 100 level. I am still in the lower deck, and I expected to be on the infield!

    By Blogger Natsfan74, at 11/16/2007 4:28 PM  

  • I was 3rd row behind the dugout at RFK, requested the same section, and got Row MM -- 33 rows back! I am stunned.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 5:41 PM  

  • It seems like people misunderstood the relocation process. The location of your current RFK seats had NOTHING to do with your priority or where you'd end up.

    The SECTION you were in did matter, but not your physical location within that section.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 5:45 PM  

  • (That's not to say that I don't sympathize... you certainly did get screwed over by the process!)

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 5:53 PM  

  • We were told, online and in print, that the primary priority was account longevity. Then ticket plan size, then seating category.

    If having 4 tickets for all three previous seasons, but sitting in Terrace MVP (5th in the section priorty) got me these seats, I hate to see what people who got in last year for their first ticket plan will get.

    Makes me wonder just who did get their "first" choice...Tim Russert? James Carville? Maybe Tony Kornheiser got those great seats down low. And who's paying for those Presidential suite seats?

    We have the Nats brass to blame for pricing the loyal fan out of the seats behind home plate. Who wants to pay $150 for the "privilege" of the same seats they had the year before at $34? The exodus down the lines is the result.

    (BTW to LTWTPR, I'd be happy with 33rd row behind the dugout. That roughly where I was last year and I ended up in Sec 134 Row V.)

    "Somewhere a landlord's laughing 'til he wets his pants." --- Lou Reed "Dirty Boulevard"

    By Blogger NatsFan9, at 11/16/2007 6:10 PM  

  • You hit on it right there. They took a HUGE chunk of seats out from behind the plate, forcing all those people to move to the seats behind the dugout. The people who had those seats last year then had to move out towards the outfield OR way back on the infield.

    Messy process, but I dn't know what else they could do.

    It does emphasize my biggest problem with the park: it's aimed at the high-dollar customer. If you've got money, it's a great place. Otherwise, it's just an ok park.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 6:14 PM  

  • At least until the balls start flying anyway. Then we'll really see what kind of park it is.

    That being said, their reliance on big spenders also makes sense from a performance size as well as from the jet set crowd in DC. From a performance side, those luxuries (provided they sell) should ensure that the team has plenty of payroll space to make moves needed to be competitive, although an owner a bit more dedicated to winning might be nice. Their parsimony makes Dan Snyder look positively god-like. Actually, I've always thought that ironically, both teams would come off better if Snyder and the Lerners swapped.

    By Blogger Michael Taylor, at 11/16/2007 6:24 PM  

  • It certainly makes sense from a business standpoint.

    that does mean that us schlubs in the stands have to like it.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 6:27 PM  

  • Chris, do you think the High Dollar seats are selling?

    If so then boy, the Nats have a ton of cash to spend.....if they don't put a winner on the field soon they are running a huge risk with the real fans. If they don't win now then the suites and $300 seats will walk.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 7:39 PM  

  • //It does emphasize my biggest problem with the park: it's aimed at the high-dollar customer. If you've got money, it's a great place. Otherwise, it's just an ok park.//

    I take it you didn't read my column a couple days ago?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 7:44 PM  

  • If someone has bought a suite or a $300 seat, they can't walk if the team doesn't win now. Those seats require a multi-year commitment for purchase. So to keep those seatholders from walking, the Nats only need to win fairly soon, i.e. within two or three years. I think they're on track to do that.

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 11/16/2007 7:44 PM  

  • Tom, reading your description of the stadium would be as useful as going to Sean Hannity for an account of last night's Democratic debate.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/16/2007 7:46 PM  

  • In a country where moral outrage over the mundane and stupid is required reading it still boggles the mind that so many--including some in my ticket plan--are able to focus on how cheated they are by having a beautiful new stadium built with taxpayer dollars. I am not a DC mau-mau, but in a world of inequity, you people must have to work the stick up your ass pretty good to find this idiocy.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/16/2007 9:13 PM  

  • Hey are they selling season tickets?

    By Blogger Ray Firsching, at 11/16/2007 10:34 PM  

  • Sorry to bitch, but if the Nationals think they did a good job with this relocation plan, they are kidding all of us.

    My son and I have been season ticket holders for 3 years, full package we bought our tickets in February of 2005. First two years they were in section 411 on the second tier 3rd row back. Last year we were just above the press box right behind home plate looking down the left field foul line in section 416, row 3 again. Last year's tickets were great, considering that we only paid 18 bucks each.

    Frankly we thought that when the Nationals went to the new staduim, we would do better since we were a three year customer.

    Guess I was wrong in that thinking.

    First of all I know of the problems for old customers at RFK in diamond club and those behind the diamond club. They got the shaft.

    But I figured that I would at worst get the same seats, but again thought that under this new relocation I was at least in the top 10,000 people with a good shot at getting a better seat.

    Back in July when I filled out this relocation form, I requested third base club first, second choice was infield club and last was Infield Gallery. Run a small business and thought it would be nice to get into the Stars and stripes room with Club level. Again, I knew there were 2,700 of these seats so I didn't think back in July that was a problem. But the top priority that I put is being on the third base side so that it's out of the sun.

    So after months of thinking that I was spending either $45 or $55 dollars on these club level seats and thinking how the extra money was worth it, the package comes from the Nats in the mail today and I was totally caught off guard and very pissed with what they tried to give us.
    It was Infield Gallery. Now that is suppose to be the same as what we had for the last three years, but were do they stick us in section 320 which is the 2nd to last section towards first base side. It's even with the end of the infield circle, not even inside the base line.
    Very shocked that not only did I not get Club, but they didn't even stick my son and I behind home plate like we had before. On top of that we never wanted first base side because of sun.

    The only thing that they gave us in 320 in the third row was end of row seats (which we had before, but I never asked for them in my top priority since I didn't want to get bad seats).
    So for about five minutes I was steaming thinking to myself, this is the best they could do for someone that had been a season ticket holder from the beginning!!! Doing worst than before when I wanted to get and pay for better seats?

    I called and got a ticket rep Paul Kilne, who was very nice. Of course I bitched about my placement, heard the hard luck story from Paul on how the Club seats were the most popular seats and went first to all of the first one's on the priority list. (then why didn't they contact those that wanted it and say they went fast). After he said there was no club level seats left, I asked to be moved down to Field level on the 3rd base side and Kilne said that all they had was about 20 rows back in the outfield, section 112!!!

    Hard to believe that I was getting the shaft on these after thinking how well we would do.

    He put me on hold saying that he understood the first base, third base problem, yes I should of gotten third base at least, came back and said that he had some first row seats but they were in 306 which is the last section of the $20 seats and its again outside of the baseline in short left field.
    Finally he said that he found, yes found, two seats in 309 row three (a little inside of third base). I had no other choices so for the time being we are there.

    Still, whatever happened to the priority of being a three year season ticket holder? He said that 80% of the season ticket holders were three year people like myself, so that should of meant that with 15,000 season ticket holders from last year (Off of newspaper reports), the worst I would be is 12,000 in line. So that means that I can't get one of the 2,700 club level or Field Level seats (guess that there has to be at least 3,000 of them)???
    But the kicker is how do I get the kind of treatment to not even get inside the baseline seats, same seats upstairs like I had last year?? How could I go from behind homeplate looking down the foul line to having to beg to get behind third base?

    I really don't like the way this relocation process went.
    And what does the rep say to me??

    The Nats will try to get us better seats in 2009!!!

    This whole system sucked from the beginning. They should of told us what priority number we had and then personally called from top to bottom and give us our choice of seats. That is the way the Dodgers did it, my dad got season tickets in 1962 and every year we went to Dodger Staduim in Feburary (I was about 10 then) and with the rep picked out what new seats we wanted for the next year, always getting an upgrade from the previous year. We are in year four of the Nats and last year I had to beg for an upgrade behind home plate, this priority system never seemed to work

    I am sick of hearing sad stories from the Nataionals on how they had no time to do this and do that. And why do I have to beg for better seats? Why when my priority number came up I wasn't given a choice. At least I wouldn't of been heartbroken thinking that we were going to be upgraded and find out five months later that I got worst seats than before.

    Again I find it hard to believe that a three year customer would have this happen. Yes the Nationals worked to improve on my original seats but how did I get stuck with such bad seats in the first place???

    Again, there are probably worst stories from guys that bought upclose field seats last year or in 2006. Even those from last year in the field level got the big shaft. But I have to wonder if those folks could of gotten a better priority than us. It sounds almost like I had cheap $18 seats and wasn't given the priority of someone that bought seats last year in the $55 section.

    I just hope that you get enough of these letters and write a story about how this happened and see if the Nationals really did a good job in relocating folks or if many others like me are in the same boat. Again, the worst scenario was that my priority number was 10,000 of the season ticket holders ( I believe it was someplace between 5 to 7,000 but of course that is a well guarded secert of the Nats) and I would of thought the worst I would get is behind home plate in the same section as before which are infield gallery.

    Again another big disappointment for the average fan on top of paying a big price for a last place, sorry second to last place team.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 12:33 AM  

  • Got the exact section I wanted, 128, which imho is the best in the park, however, I'm 23 rows back from where I was at RFK (section 120) I blame this on the fact that the price point for presidential and diamond club seats was so far off the mark that the RFK diamond club ticket holders flooded the seats that should have been ours. I know I sound ungrateful considering the horror stories of others but frankly I paid A LOT more at RFK than the vast majority at RFK and for that I deserve more. Now if I were famous or spent every waking moment hounding Kasten the way some bloggers have, I'm SURE I'd better off, I'd have done a lot. I went to almost 70. Games last year, won't bother next year.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 1:38 AM  

  • Chris,

    I agree with you that the pricing for field level outfield seats is completely out of whack. It will be interesting how many full season ticket holders end up shelling out $60 for a high row centerfield bleacher seat that comes bundled with Stan's famous "value" meal. They really should rename that section the Sucker Club.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 6:23 AM  

  • Sorry for your situation, guys.

    Unfortunately, that's the reality of a stadium that caters to the wealthy. In this case, it's not just the little peon who gets screwed, but the guys who actually threw big money down over the last few years.

    Looks like they reallly underestimated demand for all those premium seats. They don't appear to be sold out, and last I heard they've only sold about 60% of the suites -- which were double stacked , driving the upper deck another 15 feet (at least!) higher.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/17/2007 8:39 AM  

  • Under ov OVER estimated the Demand.....If they are not sold then it is going to get very ugly from where I sit looking back at my old seats empty.....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 10:07 AM  

  • Like you, Chris, I ended up in the lower right field terrace, section 222, row C. That location was actually my first choice, they look like great seats for the money. I guess we'll see when we finally get into the park, but for now, I'm thrilled. While I sympathize with folks who think they got the shaft in this process, let me just point out a few things.

    First, full season plans were clearly going to get priority. If you only had 20 games, I'm sorry, but you really can't complain that you aren't in or near the same location that were you were in in RFK.

    Second, as you've said over and over, this is a park that caters to the high dollar fan. If you wanted to be behind home plate, you needed to shell out alot of cash. No amount of longevity or good RFK location was going to change that. And there was going to be a ripple effect from people who had prime seats at RFK and didn't want to pay the even bigger bucks to stay in same place in the new park. If you couldn't get your head around that over the past few months, there's just not much we can do for you. And to the guy who had seats in the 400s at RFK and thought he would get club seats in the new park, what were you thinking?

    Third, again we'll have to see, but I actually think there's something to Stan's "every seat is a good seat" mantra. The difference between a baseball only park with narrow foul territories and RFK's multipurpose bowl could be quite significant. Folks who are twenty rows farther back on the foul lines than they were at RFK might actually be closer to the action. The upper decks are definitely going to be better. And there should be no craning of necks since the seats will be angled. At least that's my fond hope.

    Finally, before complaining too much because you're down the line on the lower level and wish you were behind home plate, remember all the folks, including alot of serious fans (1) who don't have the money to be downstairs at all; (2) who don't have the money to buy any kind of season ticket plan; and (3) who don't have the money to go to more than a few games each year. I grew up sitting in the $1 bleachers or the $2 right field seats at old Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. I feel extremely lucky to have the resources to be in on the ground floor of this new stadium and new team even in my lowly right field terrace seats. Putting it all in perspective, we're a rarefied and awfully fortunate group of baseball fans here. We'll be in the park when the team starts winning (hah!) and the place is going nuts night after night!

    By Blogger Section 222, at 11/17/2007 10:40 AM  

  • One of the things I'd be interested to see -- and something that flew under the radar was the extra seat loophole.

    You were able to buy NEW '07 season seats to ADD to your current priority.

    So if you had 2 Diamond Club, for example, you could've bought 4 more $5 season tickets last year for a total of SIX tickets in the new place, all with the same priority level.

    So all six of those seats (including the four new ones) would've bumped ahead of some schmuck who had seats in the 300 level.

    I know a few people did that (or at least claimed to on BPG). I imagine the ticket brokers had a field day with that.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 11/17/2007 11:37 AM  

  • Yep, I was one of those who saw the extra seat loophole and purchased two tix in Sec 531 so I could get four seats at my priority (Terrace MVP). That didn't work for me, though (see my post above).

    By Blogger NatsFan9, at 11/17/2007 11:41 AM  

  • For section 222, I am the person that was shocked not to be able to go from 416 behind home plate for three years for $18 dollars and try to move to club level. I would of thought that I was in the top 7,000 of priority, so I didn't think that of the 6,900 in front of me that 2,700 would be willing to pay $55 for a seat.
    Again maybe I thought wrong, it seems that too many folks have the $55 for season tickets.
    But what I didn't take into account is all the folks that had field level boxes and Diamond Club and were displaced.
    But what i find really wrong with this relocation system, we never had a chance to tell the nationals were we wanted to sit. They have had our deposits since July, after they took care of those first 3 or 4,000 folks that got what they wanted, they needed to start call people like me and say, hey there isn't any club seats left, here is what we have instead of sticking me in the far reaches of the infield gallery.
    I had no choice, after five months of waiting for a good seat, I didn't even get to retain my upper level, behind home plate seats. After three years of paying the Nationals, after fighting the traffic to drive to RFK from Leesburg, Virginia, after around 140 games of crappy RFK food by reward was to get worst seats at this new staduim for more money.
    What a deal.
    For you RFK regulars, after a month or so of the excitement of the new staduim, this wonderful team that Stan is putting together will be about 10 and 20. Again nobody will be at the games and the scalpers will be selling these same $55 seats for $30 to $40 dollars.
    Hopefully more people that got the shaft in this process will tell the nats that they can keep there high price tickets and start dealing with Scalpers and Craig list for cheaper and better tickets. At the rate the Nats are doing on the field, I will say that we won't sniff the playoffs for three years and this plan will work. I will say that next year at this time will be a better time to get season tickets, then those fans that speculated on Nats tickets and don't want to buy again, I will be able to get those seats

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 12:32 PM  

  • I'm very happy with my seat assigment -- Section 128, a few rows off of the field. When the RFK seat selections were made in 2005, I selected the Diamond Club as my first option, thinking that I would certainly end up with Field Box seats because all of the DC "insiders" would be assigned to the Diamond Club. This, of course, proved to be incorrect. The "friends and family" seating assignments at RFK were apparently made in the Field Boxes. In any event, for three years I enjoyed (at an ever-escalating price) two excellent Diamond Club seats,which were in the fourth row of Section 117. At last year's $120 price point, however, I only hung in because I expected to have a good seating priority in the new stadium.

    My jaw dropped when I saw the pricing on the "Presidential Seats." My old location at RFK will cost $300 per seat in the new park. I can tell you from personal experience that very few people are willing to shell out $120 per seat for the Nationals, let alone $300. As has been mentioned by others, I think that the Nationals misjudged the price points on the Presidential and Diamond seating in the new park, with the result that apparently 60 percent of the RFK "legacy" Diamond Club ticketholders selected other locations, most likely the Dugout Boxes.

    The bottom line is that I have two terrific seats at $60 each in the new park, which I will hopefully be able to use for many years to come. That said, I spent a lot of money to get there by investing in my RFK seats for three seasons, each progessively more expensive. I never spoke to anyone in the Nats front office concerning my seat location (other than filling out the relocation questionnaire), and while I make a good income I have no "pull" or "connections" with the Nats organization. At the end of the day, I feel that I have been treated very fairly in the seat selection process, with the understanding that this is a business and the Nats have recognized the significant financial investment that I made over the past few years. I'm also extremely happy that my baseball invoice is going to be half of what it was last year. I felt like a nut paying $120 a seat.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 12:37 PM  

  • i agree with the last anonymous poster; my group has been there from the start in section 312 row 13 with a full season plan. We tried to upgrade to the $60 or $45 club seats. Ok, understand why we did not get but why did no one call us? Also, why did they open the tickets to new season ticket holders before officially placing us. I strongly suspect that there are new season tciket holders placed ahead of us. They could have placed the original season ticket holders an been done with this in August--a couple of high school students could have done with an Excel spreadsheet in that time. We might still take the seats but will remember this.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 12:45 PM  

  • Just curious...can anyone point to a communication that indicated the Nats would call individual ticket holders if there were issues with their top three choices? Or at all?

    I see lots of questions asking, "Why didn't they call" and other statements asserting this expectation was communicated at some time in the past.

    Was it? Or is it some kind of expectation based on what one might expect or hope would happen?

    By Blogger Jim H, at 11/17/2007 1:26 PM  

  • Fair points by the anonymous posters who said they should have been called if their upgrade requests weren't going to be honored. The Nats certainly had plenty of time to do that. In any event, I don't think new season tix plans have been seated yet, so if I were you I'd get on the phone right away and see if you can get a better spot than what you were given. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.

    It's also true that the high dollar seats will at some point be available for less from CL or scalpers, although I'll bet that for the first year the new stadium will be a big draw. And I hate haggling with scalpers anyway.

    Now about that food...

    By Blogger Section 222, at 11/17/2007 1:39 PM  

  • Hey anonymous from RFK Section 416: You know, I could sympathize with you on your plight, except that you made Infield Gallery your third choice, and made your first two choices from club areas where it was announced that the number of available seats is very limited. Remember, most STH accounts have more than one seat, so the number of accounts willing to pay the cost of club seats will be less than the number of club seats that are available, so it's no surprise that those club seats got snapped up quickly. You got your third choice, and (like me) have been able to negotiate your way from your original seat assignment to a more preferable although still not perfect seat in the Infield Gallery, which again was one of your choices from the questionnaire. There are obviously fewer Infield Gallery seats in the plate area than there were RFK Lower View MVP seats there, so it was inevitable some people like you would have to move down the line a bit. Kwitcherbitchen, dude. You gave them IG as your third choice, you got your third choice. You have no basis for complaint.

    As for the comment that they should have called people as soon as club seats had been filled in order to ask their further priorities, they already had yours and they were able to give it to you, so why should they have thought to call you?

    And as to the comment that they have opened up tickets to new STH and have held back club seats to give them, I seriously doubt that's the case. They have taken deposits from new STHers, but haven't seated any of them yet and won't for several more weeks. The club seats are already full, as has been announced.

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 11/17/2007 1:46 PM  

  • To anonymous who had been in the diamond seats and is now going to be in Section 128, "a few rows off of the field": Congratulations. You were obviously smarter than me. My seats at RFK were basically where you are going to be now, right behind the dugout. Unfortunately they moved me 33 rows back to Row MM. If you ever want to get rid of any of your tickets, let me know. I'll cancel my own season tickets!

    For all the talk about how the new stadium is built for the people with money, I just don't get it. I'd happily pay more than $60 for the first few rows of section 128. It would be nice if the team had spoken to its customers.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 4:52 PM  

  • I'm going from Section 526 in RFK to section 404 in Nats Park. This is exactly what I requested, and I'm a 20 game plan member from 2007. These are the cheapest possible season tickets, and I'm okay with that. That being said, I could see why so many folks who had spent a lot of money at RFK would be upset for not getting the cream of the crop seats at Nats Park.

    Note to fans: this park is built by and for the high rollers of DC. The club wants nothing more than for you to be watching the game on MASN and see former presidents, members of congress, other pro athletes and movie stars sitting in those first seats behind home plate. This is FedEx field for baseball. At least it's not in Maryland, which is like Virginia's Mexico.

    By Blogger Brandon, at 11/17/2007 6:41 PM  

  • Personally, was moved from left field box section 227, half season plan, class of '07, to right field corner, under the overhang, no scoreboard view, none of my first 3 choices. Called and got switched to section 106, row s, on the aisle. All is understood that the great seats have to be sold at $300 per so we can make the Nats competitive (IF we put out the money for a free agent or two). The only issue I have is all this fuss was made about getting in on season tix plans last year so you could get 'priority' for the new stadium. Well, I've been moved from right field line to the outfield. So all that priority salesmanship stuff is a bunch of bull. If I really had known the details of how this would pan out, I most definitely would have gone in for a full season tix package so I could get some seats that resemble something of a bargain. Otherwise, getting season tix last year was a waste. Somewhat feel this process was false advertising on behalf of the Nats.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 7:07 PM  

  • I swear I have never read so much whining before in my life! Boo hoo hoo... I had a 20 game plan at RFK and I really expected that the Nationals would be so grateful to me for watching those 20 games that hey would just fall over themselves to give me what I wanted and just ignore those people the had full season plans with 4 or more tickets in a syndicate.

    Boo hoo hoo. Stop whining you babies. Understand that nobody actually owes you anything. Maybe when you put your deposit down you should have considered buying a full season plan and that would put you in a better seating area than you ended up with. Logic dictates that partial game plan were always going to be at the bottom of the list for seats, and if you couldn't figure that one out then you are just dumb.

    Want to here something that will piss you off? I was in a partial plan (20) for the last two years at RFK. This year when we put our deposit down we expanded our group, went for a full season plan and got primo seats in Section 313 - right in front of the pressbox. The only reason we got our FIRST choice was because we committed to over $3000 of tickets. Your 20 game plan for 2 seats would GUARANTEE the club only $800. Do the math dummies. Which one makes better business sense?

    So keep on whining, maybe you should have saved the money on the big screen HDTV and invested in a full season plan. Enjoy watching the games at home, and look out for me waving at you from my most excellent seats.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 8:14 PM  

  • All good points except when they do not sell the seats right next to you because they saved them some possible 2008 class season ticket then I look forward to moving over a section or two and sitting in the same seat I offered to pay for but the Nats did not want my cash.......Think not?....if they are not on pace to win 90 games this season it will happen by July. Hope you enjoy spending that extra $2200 because you are soooooo smart.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 8:46 PM  

  • 8:14 pm anonymous... I am with you brother. I have been organizing our group since 2005. We have have had the same 2 seats for a full seasons in sec. 321 and asked for something similar --- from a price standpoint --- and got exactly what we wanted, perhaps a bit better in the new stadium (sec. 205, 4th row). I did not ask for field level, or behind the plate, because I knew there were a bunch of people in front of me that have ponied up a bunch more than I have over the last 3 years and deserved first crack. Lateral move was the way to go. The people getting screwed are DC the taxpayers (I live in Arlington) paying for the stadium.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/17/2007 8:58 PM  

  • I do sympathize with people who got squeezed out of their old RFK locations due to the move to Nationals Park. Back in the '90s, I didn't do nearly as well as I thought I'd do when the Orioles built Camden Yards. I put in for full season tickets, dreaming about seats behind the dugout with my name on them. Of course, I was living in a fantasy world. Instead, I got upper deck behind home plate. When the Nationals opened up in RFK in 2005, I again misjudged how the assignments would work, made unrealistic priority selections, and ended up in the very rear of the lower level between homeplate and the third base dugout. I know - pretty good seats ($34 each) but not as good as I wanted. This time I got my first choice - section 208 Club Level. I'm very happy with those seats (subject to actually sitting in them next April) and suppose my good "luck" is due to the fact that (1) I'm Class of 2005; (2) I'm an 81-game plan holder; (3) I have four seats; and (4) I put Club Level as my first choice. Be assured, I have no "inside pull" and did not "lobby" the Nats in advance for my seats. This year I'll be paying $45 instead of $34 per seat, but all in all, it seems like a decent deal and (personally) I'm satisfied with the way the allocation went. Do I wish my Club Level seats only cost $25 per? Sure. But then again I also wish I were 20 years younger. Let's go Nats and "Thanks!" - Jim Curtin

    By Blogger Unknown, at 11/17/2007 9:57 PM  

  • I am pretty stoked. I got my first choice section in the Mezzanine at $25 a seat - they are just beyond where the outfield grass starts behind 1B - the next section over is $45 - so I think I got a good value. I also got the isle and am in the 2nd row - so needless to say I am fired up.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/18/2007 10:32 AM  

  • Anonymous...

    How do you know your seats are on the aisle? Is one of them seat number 1, or is there some other way that you know?

    By Blogger Jim H, at 11/18/2007 11:36 AM  

  • My seats are listed as Seats 1 through 4. I was assuming they are on the aisle. But technically I don't know it for sure.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/18/2007 12:14 PM  

  • One thing i've learned from reading this thread (well-two things)...

    1) Some Nats fans love, love, love to bitch.

    2) Some Nationals fans have too much fucking money-and need to get in touch with reality. What, you're upset that you aren't close enough to the field so you can prove how cool and loaded you are to your friends and co-workers? I think it's the people that pay $60 a ticket are the real suckers. I spent $15 per game for my 1st base upper deck seats last year, and i loved it. And had more $$ to spend on beer.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/18/2007 12:45 PM  

  • The last tie-breaker was the date on original purchase of tickets in 2005. I was treated fairly in the relocation process and am convinced it was because I bought my tickets the very first day they were available.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/19/2007 12:55 PM  

  • At RFK my seats from 2005-2007 were in Sec 311. My seats for Nationals Park will be in Sec 219 which is, from what I can tell, behind 1st base dugout, a very similar seat to what I had at RFK. Thank you Stan Kasten for getting this one right.

    Keith

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/19/2007 2:22 PM  

  • This seating plan is about as bass-ackwards as anything I can imagine. For three years I sat in section 426 and averaged about 45-50 games a year (including last year when I bought both 20-game plans...) This time around they assigned me the nosebleed seats at the top of the stadium next to the press box and the best explanation is that the new park isn't RFK and there are no bad seats in the house. Well fine. I sent in my no thank you... keep the deposit (clearly they need it more than I do --- what a way to say thank you. Or is that Eff-you.... we could care less just give us your dollars...) If I am going to be forced to watch the game on a big screen it will be MY big screen... With the money I will save I can easily purchase an MLB package through ComCast and there's always MASN. Thanks for nothing, except maybe saving me a few bucks. I will say this... after the new wears off this shiny new stadium and the same so-so team puts up 65-70 wins a year, all the valued seats (that will most likely be empty by mid-June 2008) will remain empty and the Nats can scratch their heads and wonder why though I doubt the talented ticketing folks could care less -- they already have ALL the answers.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11/19/2007 6:07 PM  

  • I suggest folks call the NATS office again, some seats must have opened up. I just got moved from Sec 135, all the way up to Club level seats ($55) end of row. $10 more per seat/game, but definitely worth it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/14/2008 8:20 PM  

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