Build a winner, DC will turn out for baseball.
The city WANTS a winner, and will pay to watch it.
Damn right. After the 6th, I took my work collegues (from Detroit area) on an extended tour of Nats Park, and stopped down the far left field line end of the top concourse to take in the crowd, the park, the vistas including a huge orange moon rising up over the right field roof.
I had the very thought you expressed above. It was a very pleasant night at the ballpark in every way, including a healthy mid-week crowd against a team with an above average, but not exceptional, following. 27k out for a game to watch the Nats, a team that will almost certainly not threaten for playoff contention, and yet such a nice crowd that it did not take much of a leap to imagine 10k more jammed in if only the team were in the hunt.
A caller to the post game show likened deez Nats to the young Orioles team from the early 80's that took its lumps with young players like Rich Dauer and Tippy Martinez, before gelling into a powerhouse contender. We are watching Ramos and Espinosa blossom before our eyes. We are seeing steady progress in Desmond, particularly defensively. Morse is a keeper. Zimmerman, Werth, Zimmermann, Clippard, Storen, the other young players are an evolving work in progress, but there is progress.
I'm looking forward to continued improved play, and increasing crowds into the summer. Bring it on.
