Blog post

June 21, 2006 [LINK]

Stadium parking compromise?

Mayor Williams has submitted a revised plan for a combined above-ground / underground parking complex north of the future stadium. For aesthetic reasons, it "would be surrounded by shops, restaurants, 660 condominiums and a swanky hotel." The Nationals new owners, the Lerners, warned that the mayor's announcement was "premature," casting doubt on the whole idea. I understand the Lerners' desire to get the thing built on time, but they seem oddly adverse to compromise on this project. I hope this doesn't mean more friction is to come... See Washington Post or (via Mike Zurawski) Washington Business Journal.

Nationals choke in Boston

The momentum the Nationals had gained from their thrilling come-from-behind wins against the Yankees over the weekend lasted exactly three innings in Boston on Monday night. After that, it was all down hill. Last night, Livan Hernandez didn't even last two innings, giving up six runs to the Red Sox, who won 11-3. Back to grim reality... The Marlins are still on a hot streak, meanwhile, and have now climbed into third place in the NL East.

UPDATE: The Red Sox trounced the Nats again tonight, 9-3, completing the sweep in Fenway Park. The grand slam by David Ortiz (SI cover boy) in the second inning put this game on track to become a virtual replay of last night. In fact, all five teams in the NL East lost tonight, so the standings are unchanged. The Marlins' attempt to set a franchise record by winning ten games in a row fell just short, as the home team Orioles prevailed. In Atlanta, meanwhile, the Braves fell to the Blue Jays, their ninth loss in a row. Finally, the visiting Yankees got revenge for last night by shutting out the Phillies.

The mail bag

Mark London saw a Brewers home game and took a tour of Miller Park and noticed that the right field distance marker still says "345," even though it was reduced by eight feet or so during the off-season. He also informs me that fans complained that the original foul poles at Busch Stadium III were too wide, so they were replaced in the latter part of April with narrower ones.

Mike Zurawski informs me that MLB Vice President Bob DuPuy is involved with the negotiations between the Florida Marlins and Hialeah County [city!] officials over funding for a new baseball stadium.

John Iburg reminded me that I need to update the Shea Stadium page to reflect the recent (semi-final) agreements to build a new stadium for the Mets next door. Done!