Message #895366

[Teddy-Roosevelt]

Early concept pictures showed a giant baseball (      ) or a baseball glove (  ) above the Red Loft, yet after several years it remains an empty space. What happened to our giant baseball?

The giant baseball was placed there in renderings but used by former president Stan Kasten as a "carrot" to attract a name sponsor for the ball park.  i.e., he was looking for a 10-year, $200 million naming rights deal that would include customizing that prime spot for the name sponsor.  (picture a giant beer bottle where the baseball was, or god forbid a gecko).  Kasten was holding out for the big bucks and "the right fit" when the economy collapsed.  Even if a company could afford it, nobody wanted to make such an outrageous high-profile marketing investment in the current climate.  So we fans get to continue to enjoy "Nationals Park" until the economy picks up; but don't get too used to the name...