Monday, April 07, 2008

Plenty Of Good Seats Available



Kasten's quote, "We'll get the attendance we deserve," certainly looks true tonight.

He doesn't seem too concerned.

I'll give him the miserable weather, but here's a question for you. Is there anyone out here reading this who REALLY decided to stay home solely because they wanted to watch the basketball game? Anyone at all?

I guess that this doesn't count as one of the many sellouts he was predicting mentioning as purely hypothetical possibilities.

posted by Chris Needham at 10:39 PM

29 Comments:

  • All those empty seats sure didn't look good for the 2nd game at the new park.

    I swear Stan's well-intentioned anti-driving campaign is backfiring on him. It went negative really early. Instead of focusing on the positives of taking Metro and the Nats Express, it became a fear campaign about how being anywhere near the stadium on game days is a guaranteed personal transportation hell.

    Local news was no help. They love a fear story. It will be interesting to watch tonight. They all promised that April 7 would be the first real test of game night traffic. If they ignore the story tonight, shame on them.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/07/2008 11:03 PM  

  • The FO really ought to reconsider the pricing on the outfield seats. I have a feeling everytime the camera pans out there its going to be a dead zone.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/07/2008 11:17 PM  

  • Local news did not ignore the stadium traffic story tonight. Basically they all said (well, at least channels 4 and 5 that I watched said) that due to low baseball crowds because of the cold weather, the first test has been pushed to Wednesday night, when the perfect storm of Nats, Wiz and United will hit.

    I didn't stay home tonight because of basketball, I stayed home to watch the game in HD. And also because my 20-game plan has the games on Wed and Sat this week. But watching on TV, the crowd really didn't seem all that small, given that it was Monday night, freezing, and the Fish were here. The crowd tonight looked to be bigger than the crowd was on a cold Monday night last Sept at RFK against the Mets (on a night when the Skins were playing MNF) and about twice as big as the crowd at RFK on an early April Sat night last year against the DBacks when it was like 45 degrees at game time. So I'm with Stan that tonight was not bad at all, considering.

    But I agree the OF seats need to be priced lower so people will be sitting there. Also, he needs to quit holding the Red Porch and Red Loft seats for full-season plans only. Those sections would be full every night if tickets for them were available anywhere other than StubHub. They should have been full tonight, but were barely used at all.

    Stan also needs to bring in ringers to sit in the Presidential seats behind home plate, like they do at the Oscars, so those seats won't be an empty sea of blue on TV every night.

    Finally, could that guy on the left in the front row behind the plate who was talking on his cell phone all night and mugging for the camera be any more of a dweeb?

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 4/07/2008 11:34 PM  

  • I've noticed individual porch tickets on sale for certain games. the catch? FORTY SEVEN DOLLARS!!!

    $47 for a bleacher seat? It better come with a massage. (make your own happy ending joke)

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 4/07/2008 11:36 PM  

  • Forgot to mention that there was some nice girl-on-girl kissing but not quite makeout action happening in the Presidential seats late in the game. I think they were just fooling around and didn't realize that they were on camera in glorious HD, but it made for a nice but brief distraction from the terrible action on the field.

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 4/07/2008 11:39 PM  

  • "$47 for a bleacher seat?"

    I wouldn't really call those bleacher seats. They're actually much better than that. But $47 is still too much for them. I'd go $30, maybe $35 tops.

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 4/07/2008 11:43 PM  

  • Call it what you want, but it's a bleacher seat. You can put a spoiler on a Corolla. It's still a Corolla.

    By Blogger Chris Needham, at 4/07/2008 11:55 PM  

  • Agreed, I was taken aback by what they were charging for the outfield seats. $27 for the cheapest seats? No thanks. I'll grab some $5 game day tickets, then sneak down (it shouldn't be too tough considering how few seats are being filled).

    I remember going to Orioles games during their heyday in the mid to late 90s. Front row right field bleacher seats cost $7, and that seemed cheap for me, a 10 year old kid.

    The Lerners should figure out this whole supply and demand thing. Right now, demand isn't high. Increase demand by reducing the price.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 12:09 AM  

  • They may be located where bleacher seats are located in most parks, but they're not traditional bleacher seats. They're padded seats just like those in the infield club sections. Traditional bleacher seats are so uncomfortable that if you sit in them for an entire game you have no choice other than to get blind drunk, just to ease the pain from sitting in the seats. These seats aren't like that at all.

    And judging from the group of Korean toughs who were renting the townhouse next door to mine last summer and who turned their garage into a full-service drag racing shop, there is a market for Corollas equipped with spoilers. I think there would also be a market for these so-called bleacher seats at a higher-than-normal price, if only the price wasn't quite so high. I figure Stan will come to that conclusion too by next season, if not before.

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 4/08/2008 12:15 AM  

  • i was there tonight, with 20,457 of my closest friends. agree they should get stand-ins for the presidential seats. rich folk don't come to games in the cold. have you seen the yellow seats at FedEx??? agree they should reduce the left field and Red Porch seats. i think the thought process is if the tickets are expensive, the patrons won't get blind stinking drunk and wander over into the kid's play area and puke. also, they need to get rid of Clint. i was sitting in section 128 when he came over to do the "Randon Nat of Kindness" thing and they decided to give the autographed balls to a couple behind me. so he and the semi-porno-looking blonde girl from the Nat pack sit behind me for a full inning, and he's practicing the names of the two Caps players that signed the balls. not too tough, Mike Green (he kept calling him defender instead of defenseman) and Christobal Huet. he actually was getting the Huet (Hoo-ay) part right, but couldn't get Christobal. so the light goes on and he's handing over the ball, and swear to god he says "Chris" Hoo-ay. Clint is a tool that needs to be euthanized.

    traffic was a piece of cake. made it from 11th and E Sts to Lot Y in 17 minutes.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 12:26 AM  

  • Stan-i hope you're reading this. Weather, NCAA Championship (who in DC cares about KU or Memphis? Not anybody that i've met), whatever, this is an absolute disgrace. After 3 seasons of baseball i am actually embarassed to be a Nationals fan right now. Shit like this is the reason we continue to be a punch-line to a joke. The second game in the new (awesome) stadium and this is all you can pull? The "presidential seats" are a diaster. Even in 65 degree weather those will be empty, and thus make the stadium look empty on every telecast.

    Is it really overstating it to call this is an embarassing night for the franchise?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 12:42 AM  

  • Re: my last comment...no offense to anybody reading that from KU or Memphis. Both fine schools with great basketball programs.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 12:44 AM  

  • i was there tonight and holy shit it was cold. people were seriously leaving at the fourth inning.

    i think the cold and the ncaa game definitely hurt. so did the fact that it's an april weekday. and cheap bleacher seats would help a hell of a lot too. oh and a team that doesnt suck ass.

    By Blogger Ken Dynamo, at 4/08/2008 1:14 AM  

  • No question those outfield seats are ridiculously expensive and will continue to be empty. That and the seats behind homeplate. I don't care that much, but I think that given that those are the seats you most often see in background shots, it makes it seem like it was worse than it was. But they clearly need to cut those outfield seats to ~$15. Even then I'd NEVER sit there.

    By Blogger Steven, at 4/08/2008 8:17 AM  

  • I've noticed individual porch tickets on sale for certain games. the catch? FORTY SEVEN DOLLARS!!!

    That is truly insane. Whether the seats are padded or not, $50 for a seat in the OF is nuts. The Nationals seem to think those seats are on par with the seats on the Green Monster. Sorry but at this point, that's far from the case.

    Clint is a tool that needs to be euthanized.

    From your lips to god's ears.

    By Blogger Brian, at 4/08/2008 9:12 AM  

  • They may be located where bleacher seats are located in most parks, but they're not traditional bleacher seats. They're padded seats just like those in the infield club sections.

    Padding may be worth something, but it ain't worth what the Lerners say it's worth.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 9:17 AM  

  • I don't consider myself a Lernasten man, but I will say one thing about the attendance; that is, I have looked at purchasing 5 to 10 game "packages" from friends who have season tickets and, after reviewing about five (5) lists of available games, it appears to me that many season ticket holders were trying to pawn off the Marlins tickets.

    Though one would expect the second game of the new ballpark to be attractive, I'd imagine that a large number of season ticket holders skipped out on the game. Just a thought.

    By Blogger OleShu, at 4/08/2008 9:43 AM  

  • On his attendance comment, Stan Kasten (aka Elmer Fudd)is trying to polish a turd. His statement makes him look like a complete fool. Why can't he be honest? If he had any credibility left, it's gone now.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 9:44 AM  

  • A couple of notes:

    (1) Yes, NatsVA, it is in fact overstating it to say that last night was an embarrassing night for the franchise.

    (2) Keep in mind that the Nats sold a lot more 20-game packages than they anticipated. Last night's game was not included in either 20-game package, but both Wednesday and Thursday nights' games are. I was at the game last night, and looking at my section in the 400s where my package seats are, that section and the next four over looked completely unsold. Having those package holders in the stands will make a difference.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 4/08/2008 9:52 AM  

  • Let's be completely honest:

    #1: D.C. is just not a baseball crazy town the way New York, L.A., or St. Louis is, and it never will be. If you hold us to those standards we're always going to look bad, because this place will never fill the ballpark to near-capacity every night.

    #2: The four game losing streak (now five) has already dampered most of the enthusiasm from the 3-0 start. Had they come in at 5-2, there would have been a good number more people there. Unfortunately, it appears that the team has probably hit its high water mark for the season already.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 10:25 AM  

  • The second home game of the season is always an attendence disappointment. But if you compare 20,487 on a cold Monday night vs the Marlins with 19,215 on a Sunday afternoon 50 miles north of here you won't be as troubled.

    Agree those OF seats are overpriced. Any idea how many of the $5 day-of-game seats were sold?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 10:26 AM  

  • Simon, the $5 sections looked pretty empty, but who knows how many people bought those tickets and took advantage of easily-obtainable upgrades.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 4/08/2008 10:46 AM  

  • I'm a fanatic. I was going to go to do a walk up, but I froze my ass off at lunch walking down the street to five guys. There was no way I was going to sit out there when the game was on HD.

    See you at the park on Wed, Fri, and Sat.

    Having said that, the prices for seating are completely retarded. The upstairs seats shouldn't go for more than 20, and the downstairs seats between the poles shouldn't be either. Those 300 seats behind home plate are going to be an eyesore as they remain empty all season.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 11:21 AM  

  • Another downside: Metro was TERRIBLE last night. We left after the 8th inning and had to wait 15 minutes on the platform for the first train to arrive. In the meantime, the game had ended and the platform was jam packed. Imagine if it HAD been a sellout crowd.

    Then we had to wait another 15 minutes at L'Effant Plaza for an Orange Line transfer.

    If they don't get these Metro glitches straightened out soon, 20,000 will start to seem like a robust crowd.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 11:24 AM  

  • Keep in mind that the Nats sold a lot more 20-game packages than they anticipated. Last night's game was not included in either 20-game package, but both Wednesday and Thursday nights' games are. I was at the game last night, and looking at my section in the 400s where my package seats are, that section and the next four over looked completely unsold. Having those package holders in the stands will make a difference.

    Not only did they sell more 20-game packages than they thought they would, they limited the sections where they would sell a 20-game package. For instance, I had a 20-game plan in RFK in the equivalent sections to the current IF Gallery, and requested IF Gallery in the relocation, but they wouldn't give it to me because they were holding that section for full-season plans. Guess what? They apparently sold a lot of full-season plans for the IF Gallery (it is a great deal), but none of those buyers bothered to show up last night. That section appeared virtually empty on TV. Likewise, they shunted 20-gamers to the back of lower-bowl sections like the LF and RF corners, and completely out of the Red Porch and Red Loft in favor of 81-game plans. Those sections were empty last night, too. Stan needs to realize that while it's nice to sell full-season plans, those people don't post on a regular basis like 20-gamers and even single-gamers do. Granted, he gets his money either way, but if he'd lower the emphasis on trying to sell full-season plans to a reluctant market and instead market to single game and smaller package buyers, he'd have those empty sections looking more full on days like yesterday - of which there may be many this season. How long can he take Svrluga's harping on attendance before he blows?

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 4/08/2008 12:03 PM  

  • How long can he take Svrluga's harping on attendance before he blows?

    "Harping" or "reporting"? It's well within reason to mention the fact that a brand new stadium was only half-filled on game two.

    [insert weather, opponent, NCAA, lunar cycle excuses here]

    By Blogger Brian, at 4/08/2008 12:34 PM  

  • I didn't realize Svrluga had a mind-whammy over my reporting, too.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 12:58 PM  

  • Svrluga will call it reporting, Kasten will call it harping. Either way, if it continues long enough, Kasten will blow. He blew over less with Svrluga last year, cutting him off for a time. All I'm saying is how long 'til it happens again?

    By Blogger An Briosca Mor, at 4/08/2008 1:00 PM  

  • AMB, I don't think Barry is too concerned about maintaining his contacts. Don't forget he's a lame duck beat reporter, and his tenure ends some time pretty soon.
    He's writing what he wants and isn't concerned about pleasing or pissing off anyone. If Kasten cuts him off, oh well. Redskins camp opens in just a couple months.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4/08/2008 3:57 PM  

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