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Washington has had a big league baseball presence dating back to the 1870's and can stake a
claim for its long and rich baseball history and traditions. A couple of uniquely Washington baseball
tidbits - the tradition of the President of the United States throwing out the first pitch to open the season.
Walter Johnson, possibly the greatest pitcher of all time. Old Griffith Stadium, and of course the
ineptitude and mediocrity of a city's beloved ball club that was summed up in one famed phrase -
"Washington.....First in War, First in Peace, and Last in the American League".
It all came to an end in 1971 when maverick owner Bob Short took the franchise out of the capital and
brought it to Dallas/Fort Worth to be rechristened as the Texas Rangers. For over three decades, the
nation's capitol went without America's Pastime.
But all that changed this past off season. After years of speculation and many close calls, the
Montreal Expos finally made their move, relocating to the District and became the Washington
Nationals. And with that, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium reopened its doors for America's
pastime.
Getting to the venue
By car, RFK Stadium is pretty easy to find - located at the far end of East Capitol Street, signs off of I-
395 will direct you right to the stadium. Parking around the stadium is ample and easy to get to. East
Capitol turns into a parkway which loops like a massive traffic circle around the stadium periphery.
General parking (cost $10) is clearly marked and pedestrian underpasses allow easy access to the
stadium itself. Another option is to take the Metrorail. The Blue or Orange lines take you to the Stadium-
Armory Station, and from there it’s a three block walk to the stadium. Park and ride lots are located
throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia along their Metrorail system.
Outside the venue
Probably the best way to describe RFK Stadium is by calling it a neighborhood ballpark. Not that there
is much of a neighborhood. But go past the sweeping parking lots and you will enter a tight residential
district, narrow streets, rowhouses and brownstones and neatly manicured single family houses.
There are no businesses or restaurants anywhere near the venue, but the lots are nicely configured for
tailgating. Indeed, here for baseball, the fans are bringing the grills and chairs and picnic baskets for
some pregame tailgates.
The stadium itself is a big gray monolith, lattice style concrete façade, a maze of ramps visible from the
outside, a couple large advertising billboards, and wide concrete pathways ringing the venue. Lots of
mature trees and landscaping give the grounds a nice parklike setting.
Concourses
If you’ve been to the Vet, to Three Rivers, to Yankee Stadium, to the old Rockpile in Buffalo, you’ll have a
pretty good feel for the RFK concourses. Plenty of concrete ramps, kind of dark, kind of narrow, old time
section signage, and your boiler plate concession stands and some remote kiosks selling beer and
merchandise. Tucked underneath the balcony level is a gondola style “mezzanine” with suites and
pressbox facilities, and they are accessed from the lower level by a series of short bridges.
Seating bowl
With over 45,000 seats for baseball, the seating bowl is set up in two levels, with more than half of the
seats in the lower bowl tucked in underneath the balcony. Many of the seats are of the wooden variety -
no cupholders or padded seats here! Being a multipurpose stadium, the lower deck on the third base
side can be shifted into the left field area, to create a field contour conducive for football or soccer (The
NFL Redskins played here through the 1996 season, and the MLS DC United team still calls
this venue home).
The upper deck rings the entire circumference of the seating bowl and seats are colored with
Redskins gold and burgundy, but the lower level outfield is a massive green wall, with large Nationals
murals in left center, and a large “Washington Hall of Stars” wall of fame bearing the names of over 80
DC sports notables and a tribute to “the heroes of Sept 11”. Hanging high above the upper deck in right
field is a Daktronics video board and companion dot matrix board. LED ribbon boards run across the
outfield balconies in left and right center field, also a large analog clock with the Nats logo hangs
beyond the right centerfield fence, and a large mural with with the White House in the background is
beyond the left field fence.
We need to make a mention here about the RFK Stadium roof. Unlike the symmetrical sloped roofs at
venues such as the old Vet and Cinergy Field, the roof here looks like a sweeping wave which bows up
and down, ringing the entire stadium.
Worst seats in the house......top two rows in sections 547 and 548, these seats have partially
obstructed view of the field thanks to the video board in rightfield.
Best seats in the house......field level on the third base side. These are the temporary seats that are
repositioned depending upon what sport is being played and when the atmosphere is festive and fans
begin to jump up and down one can see the entire grandstand hopping with them......Hint to
H.O.K.....you may want to keep this as a feature of the new ballpark.
Concessions
Fans here aren’t too pleased with the ballpark dreck offerings, pretty much the standard ballpark fare.
But we have to make special mention of the fresh grilled Italian Sausage with peppers and onions, for
$5.75 monster sized. The fried chicken and hot fries are also worth a look. The team store is actually
located outside the stadium beyond centerfield, and is housed in a double wide trailer. Merchandise
kiosks are also scattered throughout the stadium.
Some nice names to these concession stands such as “United Tastes” and “Capital Bar” fitting to the
District.
Premium seating
The only club seating here, if you want to call it that, is a ring of gondola style suites which are
underneath the second level balcony. A club lounge open to season ticket holders is located on the
main level near the right field foul pole, offering a view of the field and bar/buffet service. Décor is pretty
spartan compared to peer facilities in other venues.
Banners/retired numbers
As we mentioned, the names of sports notables are displayed on a big “Washington Hall of Stars”
mural on the right field wall as well as Jackie Robinson’s #42. What is missing here are the
championship banners from their heyday in the 20s and 30s - no World Series banner from ’24 or AL
pennants from ’25 or ’33.
The MLS flagship team DC United also has their four MLS Cup Championship banners as part of the
right field mural. If teenage sensation Freddie Adu lives up to the hype we should expect to
see some more in the near future.
Home runs, hits, errors...
Error- Despite $18MM in capital improvements to this building made during the months leading to the
team’s arrival, the sound system here is absolutely atrocious. Music tracks barely recognizable, and
the PA announcer muffled. Compared to RFK, the Minnesota Metrodome sound system feels like Bose
CD quality.
Home run- The mere fact that this franchise had barely four months ( with a delay due to political
haggling) to get themselves moved from Montreal, situated here and set up shop is a remarkable
accomplishment in and of itself. Yes, there are some rough edges to the product and some glitches,
but the game is back here.
Error- Well the old Washington banners aren’t displayed here, but neither is any mention of the fact that
this edition of the Nationals began their baseball life as the Montreal Expos. They unveiled their 1994
“Best Team in Baseball” prior to the final game in 2004 at Stade Olympique. We assume that banner
stayed in Montreal.
Hit- and Special Thanks – to Lars Thorn and Lisa Pagano of the Nationals Media Relations
department, for making credentials and parking passes available to us and helping to make this visit
to the District a very special one.
Error- or shall we say 3 errors, committed by the Nationals in an inept performance against the
Chicago Cubs. Despite falling behind 6-2, the Nats made it close in the 9th, plating a run and loading
the bases, before Jose Guillen’s long fly ball fell just short of a game winning grand slam. The
USRT Karma fails on this “official” visit, Cubs 6, Nats 3.
Hit.-to CubFan who showed up in force, giving RFK a real bipartisan atmosphere and of course
increasing the enthusiasm for the seventh inning stretch!
On the bright side, we did also attend Sunday's contest in which the Nats were able to pull out the W,
thanks in part to a moonshot off of the balcony from Nick Johnson.
Hit- Hard to come by in this pitcher’s park - 330 feet down the line and 410 to dead center, home run
balls in any other ballpark just die in the outfield here. If the Nationals assemble themselves a killer
pitching staff, just look out!
Home Run- .to the unusual amount of media coverage about us for our visit to RFK.John Wawrow's AP
article hit the press just in time for our visit to DC and it led to an article in the Washington Post by
former WNYer Dan Steinberg. Also we were featured on DC's Fox 5 with a piece done by Lou
Holder. Plus Myra Lopez' quick interview for AP Radio as well. Thanks guys for all the love and
welcome to the USRT Hall of Fame (no yellow blazer required).
Summary
Why did we eagerly anticipate this trip? Why were we so enamored with this place? A few short years
ago, we would have said “shabby old stadium with peeling paint and scant few amenities”. But after
seeing every carpeted concourse on this earth, every retro ballpark with pretty kelly green seats
and brick veneer walls, every dazzling high tech video board, it was a refreshing change to walk into a
“stadium”, just a regular old and creaky place where the grass is green and lush, where the seats are
old and wooden, where you can grab a dog and a beer and a scorecard and just watch a baseball
game. RFK Stadium is a dinosaur; it is a throwback not to the era of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field,
but to the era of fortress style dual purpose stadiums (though RFK is clearly designed with baseball in
mind) which have just about disappeared off of the American landscape. Best of all, baseball “feels
good” here in the District. It belongs here. There is a buzz here. They have built a bridge to their history
and traditions by bringing the team to RFK Stadium, and that will carry them well to their new venue,
now planned to open in 2008 on a site along the Anacostia River.
We give the Washington Nationals and RFK Stadium a high rating, not for the bricks and mortar of the
venue, but for the entire package of a city with a rich and storied history. We end this profile with this
caveat – build a unique and dramatic new ballpark to house the showpiece franchise of our
Nation and your score might go up. Build the latest retro rendition of Camden Yards and the USRT will
cream you!
SCORING:
Architecture 6
Food and team store 3
Scoreboard and electronics 4.5
Ushers 7.5
Fan support 6
Location and neighborhood 5
Banners and history 5
In game entertainment 5
Concourses/fan comfort 3
Bonus: USRT assist 2; 3rd base side bouncing bleachers 2; Hall of Stars 1
Total: 50
claim for its long and rich baseball history and traditions. A couple of uniquely Washington baseball
tidbits - the tradition of the President of the United States throwing out the first pitch to open the season.
Walter Johnson, possibly the greatest pitcher of all time. Old Griffith Stadium, and of course the
ineptitude and mediocrity of a city's beloved ball club that was summed up in one famed phrase -
"Washington.....First in War, First in Peace, and Last in the American League".
It all came to an end in 1971 when maverick owner Bob Short took the franchise out of the capital and
brought it to Dallas/Fort Worth to be rechristened as the Texas Rangers. For over three decades, the
nation's capitol went without America's Pastime.
But all that changed this past off season. After years of speculation and many close calls, the
Montreal Expos finally made their move, relocating to the District and became the Washington
Nationals. And with that, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium reopened its doors for America's
pastime.
Getting to the venue
By car, RFK Stadium is pretty easy to find - located at the far end of East Capitol Street, signs off of I-
395 will direct you right to the stadium. Parking around the stadium is ample and easy to get to. East
Capitol turns into a parkway which loops like a massive traffic circle around the stadium periphery.
General parking (cost $10) is clearly marked and pedestrian underpasses allow easy access to the
stadium itself. Another option is to take the Metrorail. The Blue or Orange lines take you to the Stadium-
Armory Station, and from there it’s a three block walk to the stadium. Park and ride lots are located
throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia along their Metrorail system.
Outside the venue
Probably the best way to describe RFK Stadium is by calling it a neighborhood ballpark. Not that there
is much of a neighborhood. But go past the sweeping parking lots and you will enter a tight residential
district, narrow streets, rowhouses and brownstones and neatly manicured single family houses.
There are no businesses or restaurants anywhere near the venue, but the lots are nicely configured for
tailgating. Indeed, here for baseball, the fans are bringing the grills and chairs and picnic baskets for
some pregame tailgates.
The stadium itself is a big gray monolith, lattice style concrete façade, a maze of ramps visible from the
outside, a couple large advertising billboards, and wide concrete pathways ringing the venue. Lots of
mature trees and landscaping give the grounds a nice parklike setting.
Concourses
If you’ve been to the Vet, to Three Rivers, to Yankee Stadium, to the old Rockpile in Buffalo, you’ll have a
pretty good feel for the RFK concourses. Plenty of concrete ramps, kind of dark, kind of narrow, old time
section signage, and your boiler plate concession stands and some remote kiosks selling beer and
merchandise. Tucked underneath the balcony level is a gondola style “mezzanine” with suites and
pressbox facilities, and they are accessed from the lower level by a series of short bridges.
Seating bowl
With over 45,000 seats for baseball, the seating bowl is set up in two levels, with more than half of the
seats in the lower bowl tucked in underneath the balcony. Many of the seats are of the wooden variety -
no cupholders or padded seats here! Being a multipurpose stadium, the lower deck on the third base
side can be shifted into the left field area, to create a field contour conducive for football or soccer (The
NFL Redskins played here through the 1996 season, and the MLS DC United team still calls
this venue home).
The upper deck rings the entire circumference of the seating bowl and seats are colored with
Redskins gold and burgundy, but the lower level outfield is a massive green wall, with large Nationals
murals in left center, and a large “Washington Hall of Stars” wall of fame bearing the names of over 80
DC sports notables and a tribute to “the heroes of Sept 11”. Hanging high above the upper deck in right
field is a Daktronics video board and companion dot matrix board. LED ribbon boards run across the
outfield balconies in left and right center field, also a large analog clock with the Nats logo hangs
beyond the right centerfield fence, and a large mural with with the White House in the background is
beyond the left field fence.
We need to make a mention here about the RFK Stadium roof. Unlike the symmetrical sloped roofs at
venues such as the old Vet and Cinergy Field, the roof here looks like a sweeping wave which bows up
and down, ringing the entire stadium.
Worst seats in the house......top two rows in sections 547 and 548, these seats have partially
obstructed view of the field thanks to the video board in rightfield.
Best seats in the house......field level on the third base side. These are the temporary seats that are
repositioned depending upon what sport is being played and when the atmosphere is festive and fans
begin to jump up and down one can see the entire grandstand hopping with them......Hint to
H.O.K.....you may want to keep this as a feature of the new ballpark.
Concessions
Fans here aren’t too pleased with the ballpark dreck offerings, pretty much the standard ballpark fare.
But we have to make special mention of the fresh grilled Italian Sausage with peppers and onions, for
$5.75 monster sized. The fried chicken and hot fries are also worth a look. The team store is actually
located outside the stadium beyond centerfield, and is housed in a double wide trailer. Merchandise
kiosks are also scattered throughout the stadium.
Some nice names to these concession stands such as “United Tastes” and “Capital Bar” fitting to the
District.
Premium seating
The only club seating here, if you want to call it that, is a ring of gondola style suites which are
underneath the second level balcony. A club lounge open to season ticket holders is located on the
main level near the right field foul pole, offering a view of the field and bar/buffet service. Décor is pretty
spartan compared to peer facilities in other venues.
Banners/retired numbers
As we mentioned, the names of sports notables are displayed on a big “Washington Hall of Stars”
mural on the right field wall as well as Jackie Robinson’s #42. What is missing here are the
championship banners from their heyday in the 20s and 30s - no World Series banner from ’24 or AL
pennants from ’25 or ’33.
The MLS flagship team DC United also has their four MLS Cup Championship banners as part of the
right field mural. If teenage sensation Freddie Adu lives up to the hype we should expect to
see some more in the near future.
Home runs, hits, errors...
Error- Despite $18MM in capital improvements to this building made during the months leading to the
team’s arrival, the sound system here is absolutely atrocious. Music tracks barely recognizable, and
the PA announcer muffled. Compared to RFK, the Minnesota Metrodome sound system feels like Bose
CD quality.
Home run- The mere fact that this franchise had barely four months ( with a delay due to political
haggling) to get themselves moved from Montreal, situated here and set up shop is a remarkable
accomplishment in and of itself. Yes, there are some rough edges to the product and some glitches,
but the game is back here.
Error- Well the old Washington banners aren’t displayed here, but neither is any mention of the fact that
this edition of the Nationals began their baseball life as the Montreal Expos. They unveiled their 1994
“Best Team in Baseball” prior to the final game in 2004 at Stade Olympique. We assume that banner
stayed in Montreal.
Hit- and Special Thanks – to Lars Thorn and Lisa Pagano of the Nationals Media Relations
department, for making credentials and parking passes available to us and helping to make this visit
to the District a very special one.
Error- or shall we say 3 errors, committed by the Nationals in an inept performance against the
Chicago Cubs. Despite falling behind 6-2, the Nats made it close in the 9th, plating a run and loading
the bases, before Jose Guillen’s long fly ball fell just short of a game winning grand slam. The
USRT Karma fails on this “official” visit, Cubs 6, Nats 3.
Hit.-to CubFan who showed up in force, giving RFK a real bipartisan atmosphere and of course
increasing the enthusiasm for the seventh inning stretch!
On the bright side, we did also attend Sunday's contest in which the Nats were able to pull out the W,
thanks in part to a moonshot off of the balcony from Nick Johnson.
Hit- Hard to come by in this pitcher’s park - 330 feet down the line and 410 to dead center, home run
balls in any other ballpark just die in the outfield here. If the Nationals assemble themselves a killer
pitching staff, just look out!
Home Run- .to the unusual amount of media coverage about us for our visit to RFK.John Wawrow's AP
article hit the press just in time for our visit to DC and it led to an article in the Washington Post by
former WNYer Dan Steinberg. Also we were featured on DC's Fox 5 with a piece done by Lou
Holder. Plus Myra Lopez' quick interview for AP Radio as well. Thanks guys for all the love and
welcome to the USRT Hall of Fame (no yellow blazer required).
Summary
Why did we eagerly anticipate this trip? Why were we so enamored with this place? A few short years
ago, we would have said “shabby old stadium with peeling paint and scant few amenities”. But after
seeing every carpeted concourse on this earth, every retro ballpark with pretty kelly green seats
and brick veneer walls, every dazzling high tech video board, it was a refreshing change to walk into a
“stadium”, just a regular old and creaky place where the grass is green and lush, where the seats are
old and wooden, where you can grab a dog and a beer and a scorecard and just watch a baseball
game. RFK Stadium is a dinosaur; it is a throwback not to the era of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field,
but to the era of fortress style dual purpose stadiums (though RFK is clearly designed with baseball in
mind) which have just about disappeared off of the American landscape. Best of all, baseball “feels
good” here in the District. It belongs here. There is a buzz here. They have built a bridge to their history
and traditions by bringing the team to RFK Stadium, and that will carry them well to their new venue,
now planned to open in 2008 on a site along the Anacostia River.
We give the Washington Nationals and RFK Stadium a high rating, not for the bricks and mortar of the
venue, but for the entire package of a city with a rich and storied history. We end this profile with this
caveat – build a unique and dramatic new ballpark to house the showpiece franchise of our
Nation and your score might go up. Build the latest retro rendition of Camden Yards and the USRT will
cream you!
SCORING:
Architecture 6
Food and team store 3
Scoreboard and electronics 4.5
Ushers 7.5
Fan support 6
Location and neighborhood 5
Banners and history 5
In game entertainment 5
Concourses/fan comfort 3
Bonus: USRT assist 2; 3rd base side bouncing bleachers 2; Hall of Stars 1
Total: 50
| RFK Stadium |
RFK
Stadium
Washington,
D.C.
May 13
and
May 15,
2005
Chicago
Cubs
at
Washington
Nationals
Stadium
Washington,
D.C.
May 13
and
May 15,
2005
Chicago
Cubs
at
Washington
Nationals
