RFK Stadium’s Last Day

Guest post by blogger D.C.

On Sunday, The Washington Nationals walked out of RFK Stadium for the last time. They walked out with their heads held high and their chests stuck out with pride.

The Nats beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 in front of a boisterous crowd of over 40,000 – the largest attendance for a game this year. It was a beautiful Sunday in September, and I don’t think anyone left the game disappointed. Even the Phillies’ fans in my section walked out with a smile and a request: “Just beat the Mets.” It was the best Nationals game I had ever seen, and it gave the team and its fans a little glimpse of what baseball in Washington, DC could be.

There was noise. The crowd screamed on every 2-strike count and stood and cheered when Joel Hanrahan struck out every one of those 7 batters. There were chants of support from the thousands of Washingtonians, as well as from the hundreds of Philly phaithful that came down to hope to see them take the lead in the wild card race. There was even a chant for Teddy Roosevelt, who had yet to win a Presidential Race at RFK. During Sunday’s contest, George, Abe, and Thomas Jefferson were delayed by the ground crew, giving Teddy a clear path to victory. Alas, the Trustbuster didn’t get the memo and showed up at the grounds of the new, unfinished stadium, ready to win. Eventually, George broke through the barricade and claimed victory.

There was electricity. Games in May have the tendency to seem unimportant, because there is time to waste. The last home game of the season matters. The Nats weren’t striving for a playoff berth in the contest on Sunday, but they damn sure didn’t want to lie down for anyone. The game would determine the playoff races around the National League. The Nats haven’t been involved in too many games with pressure on them, but this one had it in spades. And, much to my delight, they came through with a win.

Best of all, there were fans! 40,519 of them! Too many times in RFK’s history, the bright yellow seats in the top row were all but bare, making it completely obvious that the team was not a priority in the eyes of Washington. Today, even with the Redskins playing a home game just hours later, the Nationals mattered, and the house was packed. There was a buzz. Everywhere around me, fans were engaged in lively conversation. I had the pleasure of talking to a couple that actually got married in a baseball stadium, the groomsmen wearing tuxedo jackets and baseball cleats. She was wearing the same earrings as on her wedding day – one in the shape of a small box of peanuts, the other a box of crackerjack. I sat next to a small child at his first game. Maybe his parents wanted to show him how good a baseball game could be before spoiling him with the new park next year.

Yes, baseball in Washington can be good. It doesn’t take a championship-caliber team to make it good. It takes a team that tries hard and plays as well as they can. It takes a crowd to get behind them and support them through thick and thin. But first, it takes a fun stadium that will get people excited to be there from the second they walk in the gate. RFK had that excitement today.

In one of the most endearing moments in sports I’ve had the pleasure to witness, the team organized a jersey giveaway for the end of the game with a great twist. The winners of the raffle went onto the field after the game, and lined up down the first baseline. The team, coaches, and manager lined up down the third baseline, and one by one, they took the shirt off their backs and handed it to a beaming fan.

Hugs and handshakes between spectator and athlete made everyone in the stadium beam with pride and, I think, a little regret. The pride: these are our guys. My regret: we could have done more for them. They couldn’t have done more for us, but we damn sure could have been there more. We could have watched more games, cheered more loudly, stood up to those pompous Yankees fans who besmirched our team with insults. “They suck!” we’ve all heard, maybe even uttered ourselves. I’m sorry I ever said so. Today was a brilliant reminder that even though my team might not be the most talented, they are my team, and they deserved better from someone who claims to be their fan.

RFK is a bit of a stepchild of sporting arenas. When you search Wikipedia for “cookie cutter stadium” there is a picture of it right at the top. They call them “cookie cutter” because they’re cut from the same mold, and all pretty much the same building. But for sports fans, no stadium is cookie cutter. RFK Stadium was the home of the Nationals. That means something. The Nats’ final home win pushed their record in games at RFK to 122-121. That might be the most modest a home field advantage can get, but there it is in black and white.

Next year will be the dawn of a new era for the Washington Nationals. When they open the gates for the first time, it will create new memories for a generation of fans. I will be there, excited with the hope that one day soon, every home game in Washington will be as sunny, as loud, and as meaningful as the last home game in RFK was.

And I’m hopeful that one day soon, Teddy Roosevelt will win.