January 21, 2005 [LINK]

Details on the "new" RFK

According to the Washington Post, the outfield dimensions at RFK Stadium will be 336 feet down the foul lines (one foot more than it used to be), 380 feet to the power alleys, and 410 feet to center field. Supposedly it will be neutral in terms of batter-versus-pitcher friendliness. The perfect symmetry implies that there will be no ground-level scoreboard in right field as there was for most of the time when the Senators played there. One unique feature, necessitated by having to share the field with the D.C. United soccer team, is that the pitcher's mound will be removable: the entire thing will be lifted and stored away when the Nationals are out of town. Also, the movable portion of the lower deck will be automated, perhaps with cables and pulleys, so that the reconfiguration from baseball to soccer and back again can be done quickly and routinely. Two extra rows of box seats will be added behind home plate. The plan is to have the new sod put in place by March 1, which is cutting it a bit close to opening day, if you ask me.

Roger Clemens' decision to go for a second "victory lap" in signing another one-year contract with the Houston Astros seems a little strange. Was the tantalizing taste of near-victory in the NLCS against St. Louis too much for him to leave behind forever?