Nationals Park a good place to see a game

We went to a Washington Nationals game on Saturday. It was my second visit to the Nationals Park since the stadium opened two years ago. The stands were fairly empty. Granted, the weather forecast was dismal, which probably kept a lot of folks away. But still, the team isn't doing too badly these days and I expected more people cheering on the local baseball squad.

I also expected to see more revitalization of the area around the stadium. That, however, was not the case. Southeast D.C. is a bad section of town. It's where several people were recently shot in a drive-by incident. There isn't much to do yet around Nationals Park. But the potential seems to be there, with views of the monuments, river and other landmarks.

I suppose the recession has slowed down the revitalization efforts that the stadium was allegedly going to spark. That's too bad because the stadium itself is nice and the team is certainly playing better than the one up the road in Baltimore. Almost every seat in Nats Park is a good one, and some are pretty darn inexpensive compared to other professional stadiums and arenas.

Nationals Park is a nicer sports facility than FedEx Field, where the Washington Redskins play. It's an urban ballpark, with fairly good access by car or train, whereas FedEx is out in Maryland and is a nightmare to get to. It's also far too big, making it difficult to watch the game, especially from the noise-bleed seats.

We cheered on the Nats, who lost in extra innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and enjoyed walking around the stadium. The Red Loft in the outfield is a great hangout area if you aren't the type who is inclined to stay seated for nine or more innings. A nice place to stretch your legs, mingle and enjoy some food and drink while keeping tabs on the game.

I hope the team continues to improve. I think the area around the stadium will eventually get better and game-day experiences will be enhanced. But if those things don't happen, and fans continue to stay away, Washington could lose another major league baseball team within a couple of decades. It is crucial that city and team leaders continue to work to upgrade the roster and the streets around the park.