I just wrote a letter to the NATIONALS regarding Metro and covering the cost of overtime if the game is delayed due to rain:
Dear
My ticket rep gave me your email address as to the person to write about fan issues. Well the issue I want to talk about is one that raised its ugly head last Postseason! It is the issue of who will pay for Metro to stay open later when games run late? I know ESPECIALLY DURING PostSeason games it was a serious issue because the games start after 8pm and could run past the 11:30 Navy Yard closing time. HOWEVER, we have another issue right NOW!
As you can tell, the DC area weather is very unpredictable. Storms can pass us by but they can also come down in a sudden DOWNPOUR delaying the game for an hour, sometimes 2 HOURS and yes sometimes even 3 hours! Now these types of delays can come BEFORE AND/OR DURING GAMES. I already went to one game where I had to leave in the 8th inning because the game was delayed an hour at the start due to rain. In order to make it to Metro by 11:30, dodge crowds and possibly miss one train and have to wait 20 minutes for the next; My friend and I had to leave in the 8TH INNING. Home runs were being hit and we had to miss it. Many other NATS fans had to miss the last inning and a half too!
It really frustrates me to no end that when we come to the ballpark to watch a NATS game ON A WEEKNIGHT!; that I have to worry about what inning I have to get up and leave to make the Metro and all my connections in time to get back to Vienna. The friend I share my season tickets with lives in Germantown and must get back to Shady Grove. If we miss the last METRO train on a weeknight, A cab would cost us a small fortune to get back to our respective areas! Not to mention the difficulty of getting one in that neighborhood at that late hour of the evening. As SOME FANS learned the hard way last year; it is not beyond anyone's comprehension that an organization would leave it's fans stranded in Southeast DC. IT HAPPENED LAST YEAR!
Personally, I think the Lerners should put down a deposit whenever there is a rain delay. I know this goes against the grain of the owners because possibly they never had to pay before, but DC is unusual in that it's system DOES NOT RUN ALL NIGHT on WEEKNIGHTS! It closes at Midnight with last trains leaving before that time. I feel if the WASHINGTON NATIONALS CARED about THEIR FANS; they would put down a deposit so the half the 30K attending per night, doesn't have to worry about how they can watch the entire game and get home safe and sound with no worries about making the final metro train.
Rain is predicted tomorrow night. THEREFORE ITS URGENT THAT THIS ISSUE BE ADDRESSED BEFORE ANOTHER RAINY WEEKDAY HOMESTAND!
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE ORGANIZATION'S RESPONSE!
RESPECTFULLY,
SEASON TICKET HOLDER