NO BETTER WAY to say farewell to a baseball-filled summer than with the greatest baseball movie of all time. And I say that as someone who has seen "A League of Their Own" and "The Sandlot" enough times that were I to add up all the hours of my life "wasted" on those repeat viewings then I might become incredible depressed about my own mortality.
And speaking of mortality, the greatest baseball movie of all time is the 1942 biopic "Pride of the Yankees," about the life of baseball legend Lou Gehrig. It's sad and it's funny; it's got sports scenes and Irving Berlin songs — and Gary Cooper, that incredible dreamboat of the 1940s.
» Capitol Riverfront at New Jersey Ave SE and Tingey St. SE; Wed., Aug. 20, dusk, free; 202-465-7093. (Navy Yard)
Photo courtesy AFI
PERHAPS YOU READ a recent Express post about "The Sandlot" showing down at the Capitol Riverfront. Well, this wasn't the only peanut-and-cracker-jack flick the folks down there are screening — Wednesdays are baseball themed, so "The Natural" is on deck for tonight.
Robert Redford stars as Roy Hobbs, the athlete with that "natural" penchant for all things baseball. Other cast members include Glenn Close and Kim Basinger. Take the kiddies down and introduce them to a classic American pastime and a classic American actor.
» Capitol Riverfront at New Jersey Ave SE and Tingey St. SE; Wed., Aug. 13, dusk, free; 202-465-7093. (Navy Yard)
Photo courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment
IF YOU DIDN'T see "The Sandlot" as a child — well, you know what, neither did I. But when I finally saw it in college, I wept for all the years I had lived without this movie as part of my consciousness.
It's the story of a group of scrappy children playing baseball in their neighborhood sandlot in the 1950s. Once you see it, if you haven't, you'll suddenly understand what people of been quoting all these years.
It's being shown outside, free, as part of the Wednesday night baseball evenings on the Capitol Riverfront. Show up early (6:30 on) to take part in Wii baseball and other baseball themed activities.
» Capitol Riverfront at New Jersey Ave SE and Tingey St. SE; Wed., Aug 6., dusk, free; 202-465-7093. (Navy Yard)
Photo by Jacqueline Dupree
Photo of riders at L'Enfant Plaza on Monday evening by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE the big test for Metro: the first baseball game at the new Nationals stadium that started at 7:10 p.m. on a weeknight — which meant fans would be traveling at the same time as evening rush hour riders.
I decided to dive in to the prospective craziness to sample it firsthand. But from this rider's vantage point, the big test ended up feeling more like a quiz. One that the teacher didn't collect or grade.
Maybe it was because the weather dipped into the upper 40s by evening — a bit chilly to sit in an uncovered ballpark. Maybe it was because the NCAA college basketball championship game was scheduled for the same night. Whatever the cause, the trip to the stadium on Metro wasn't that crowded. And, due in large part to the transit agency's efficiency, it was easy as pie.
OPENING WEEKEND for the new Nationals stadium was a big test for Metro — one that most accounts say the transit agency passed. Tonight, however, comes an even bigger test: Transporting people to Nationals Park for a 7:10 p.m. game while simultaneously handling rush hour traffic.
That sound you heard on the rails this morning was Metro's trains doing some extra stretches for the big race.
Other preparations are a bit more concrete. Said a Metro press release:
Due to anticipated crowds on Monday evening, Metro will have additional station managers, rail supervisors, and Transit Police at the Gallery Place-Chinatown, L’Enfant Plaza and Navy Yard Metrorail station to assist customers with service questions, and how to get to and from the ballpark. Customers will be reminded to spread out along the platform to board six-and eight-car trains.
Continue Reading "Metro Warns of Big Crowds for Evening Nats Game" »
SUNDAY WAS A BIG DAY for Metro and a busy night for some city agencies as the Nationals broke in their new stadium.
Crime was present, but low-level, according to information from the D.C. Police. Sixteen arrests were made outside the stadium on Saturday and Sunday, WTOP reports, but those nabbed were charged with offenses like scalping tickets and selling T-shirts and baseball caps without a permit.
More than 100 cars were towed from the neighborhood around the ballpark, WTOP quoted a spokesperson for Mayor Adrian Fenty's office as saying. Some of the cars towed apparently had appropriate parking permits, but were parked on streets with visible "No Parking" signs.
Metro, meanwhile, announced today that it transported 21,492 people to and from the Navy Yard station, the stop closest to Nationals Park. The transit system's total ridership on Sunday was 332,737 — considerably higher than the average Sunday haul of 207,735 passengers.
» "16 Arrested Near Nats Park Over the Weekend" [WTOP]
Photo of fans walking down Half Street SE toward the stadium Sunday by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post
WHO ISN'T A BIG FAN of Nationals Park? Post architecture critic Phil Kennicott, for one.
He, frankly, likes RFK Stadium better. As an architectural experience, anyway.
An excerpt:
The old and much-maligned RFK Stadium, where the Nationals played the past three seasons, might be a better building -- more visual interest, more presence on its prominent site, and a better mix of modern style with the city's vernacular gravitas -- but it was a lousy experience. Today, we have a great experience but, alas, a lousy building.Indeed, when people say it's a better experience, the building almost disappears in their judgment, which is exactly what the new stadium does in its location. Although it is positioned on one of the most symbolically significant and potentially beautiful axes of the city, aligned with the Capitol and next to the Anacostia River, it all but fades into the landscape. Two disastrously situated parking garages -- reserved for high-paying ticketholders -- obscure the front entrance, and its other three sides present a bland face to the world.
Continue Reading "Critics, Neighbors Warily Eye Ballpark's Effects" »
THE PRAISE KEEPS pouring in for Nationals Park, the new home of D.C.'s baseball team, which had its official opening on Sunday.
Whitney Shefte and Akira Hakuta of washingtonpost.com filed the video above, which shows fans queuing up to get into the stadium, generally gushing about the ballpark's accoutrement or playing their own game in the building's PlayStation video gaming area. That's where they caught up with Dan Cook of Bethesda and Jeanne Lombardo of Philadelphia.
"It's beautiful," Cook said of the ballpark, "I love it. They did a great job putting it all together," he said.
"RFK Park was good, historic," fan Tee Williams told The Post. "But this is new and exciting. It's something to look forward to for the future.
» "Nationals Park a Home Run" [WaPo]
FANS SWARMED. Fireworks crackled. Even the president showed up, taking the field to toss out the first pitch.
After years of debate, bucketfuls of controversy and millions of dollars in public funding, the first bona fide, official, in-season Major League Baseball game at Nationals Park got underway Sunday.
The Post's Daniel LeDuc, filing a report before the game began, said that there were no major backups keeping fans from the park, either on the roads or on Metro.
The view from Metro:
About 6 p.m. the fans leaving the Navy Yard Metro station said trains had been running quickly, but were often very crowded. "We were on a cattle train coming in here," said Dave Shineman, 63 of Annapolis. "It was absolutely full. I mean, it wouldn't have mattered if you were holding on."On the roads:
Despite fears about heavy traffic, thoroughfares such as South Capitol Street and M Streets SE were not heavily backed up at 6 p.m. Larry Buck, 61 of NW, Washington took a cab from Dupont Circle and said the trip took perhaps fifteen minutes. "I mean, there was no traffic," Buck said. "It was beautiful."And inside the stadium, mouths were agape.
"It's the best park I've ever since in my life," Tim Jensen told The Post. "I like how much space there is."
Continue Reading "The Weekend in Pictures: Opening Night at Nationals Park" »
IT'S GOT 100,000 square feet of field covered by grass with 98 sprinklers to water it. It has more than 3 million feet of power wire, nine miles of pipe and 14,000 lights.
It boasts 853 seats for the disabled, 64,200 square feet of restaurant space and the capacity for 41,888 people to settle in.
After years of planning, months of work and more than $600 million in taxpayer money, the new stadium is nearly ready for Opening Day on Sunday. Photographer Lawrence Luk visited Nationals Park on Saturday, and here's what he saw.
» Click here for a slideshow.
» NATIONALS PARK SPECIAL: Find out how the stadium was designed, how to get there and what treats to eat in our special Nats Park section.
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