Nats new stadium is prosperity park

WASHINGTON – As monuments go, sparkling red, white and blue Nationals Park is unmistakably a puffed-chest testament to prosperity.

Not necessarily for the District. Money for schools mysteriously vanishes and more than one-third of adult residents are functionally illiterate (go ahead, insert obligatory George W. Bush joke here; the President did, however, reach the catcher when he threw the ceremonial first pitch Sunday night).

But, without question, the new stadium – which was christened with a 3-2 Washington Nationals victory over the Atlanta Braves on Ryan Zimmerman's home run with two out in the ninth inning – is a testament to the prosperity of Major League Baseball.

And to its resolve.

MLB revenues reached $6 billion last year and are expected to rise. Ballgames and box scores are replacing stories about the Mitchell Report and Barry Bonds' perjury case. Commissioner Bud Selig is expected to announce a stepped-up drug program this week that complies with most of George Mitchell's recommendations, a not-so-subtle pitch, a fat one down-the-middle to fans, as if to say, "Enjoy the game again," even though, truth be told, it's not yet 100 percent unadulterated good, clean fun.

"There are chemists out there working (on new steroids)," said Selig, holding court in the rear of the Nationals Park press box. "I don't delude myself for one second."

The commissioner gladly changed the subject. This was a night to boast about a new ballpark, "a cathedral," he called it, and, yes, the prosperity of the game.

"When people talk about the renaissance of the sport, one thing that is overlooked is the new ballparks," he said. "This is a fabulous stadium."

Baseball's prosperity, like a stadium, has multiple tiers. Cashing in on fans' daily appetites – tickets, concessions and licensed merchandise – is the most obvious, but long-range growth is equally important, whether that means riding herd on favored projects until they come to fruition or spreading the game globally. Witness the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres exhibitions in China two weeks ago and the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's opening the season with two games in Japan last week. Look for games in Russia, or South Africa, or Australia next.

The opening of Nationals Park, of course, was a victory for the home team, a distinctively American experience. The stadium is adjacent to the Anacostia River, on the southeast end of the District. The Capitol rises beyond the left-field bleachers. The Navy Yard, the nation's oldest shore facility, sits beyond the right-field bleachers. From a particular point on the concourse along the left-field line, a fan can view the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Air Force Memorial and a 6-4-3 double play in one panoramic sweep.

Bringing baseball back to Washington, making the Nationals part of the national pastime, was on Selig's front burner for more than a decade. MLB pried the Expos out of Montreal by buying the team for $120 million in 2002, renaming and stashing it in musty RFK Stadium three years later, then selling to a group headed by Ted Lerner for $450 million in 2006. Politics were played as adroitly as the Nationals' Austin Kearns played a carom off the right-field wall in the second inning when he threw out Brian McCann trying to stretch a hit into a double.

Many in Washington decried the spending of $611 million in public funds to build Nationals Park, which took only 22 months to go from blueprint to the bluegrass outfield sod peppered with singles by Cristian Guzman, Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns that produced a 2-0 first-inning Nationals lead.

As a D.C. councilman, Adrian M. Fenty was one of the project's loudest critics. Now the mayor, Fenty is toeing the line, be it foul or fair.

"The stadium has sparked projects that wouldn't have happened without it, and it has energized projects that would have happened anyway," he said. "It's a key piece in the revitalization of the city."

The five high-rise cranes visible beyond the outfield wall are a reminder that the ballpark has accelerated nearby development. There will be new restaurants, hotels and office buildings. Clearly, Nationals Park indicates baseball has taken root in the nation's capital like the cherry trees planted around the stadium earlier this month, trees that bloomed just in time for Opening Day.

"This certainly was a saga that seemed to go on forever, but when you walk into this ballpark for the first time and realize all that went into it, it's a good story," Selig said.

Still to come is a Nationals team worthy of Nationals Park. By all accounts, manager Manny Acta did a masterful job in 2007 coaxing a 73-89 record out of a roster slapped together on a shoestring payroll of $37 million. Some of the projected increased revenue generated by the new stadium is already being spent. Payroll was bumped to $54 million, and no player is signed beyond 2009, giving general manager Jim Bowden flexibility going forward.

The Nationals need more players like Zimmerman, a rising star whose walk-off homer was the fourth in just 1,329 major league at-bats. His home run sent the sellout crowd of 41,888 (39,389 paid) into delirium, providing an unforgettable end to a memorable night.

"You can't write up a script better than that," Zimmerman said. "It's about the fans as much as it's about us. It was nice to do something for them."

It will be interesting to see if they continue to show up when the Nationals inevitably tumble in the National League East standings. The starting rotation is all but nonexistent, the Opening Day honors going to the inconsistent and repellent Odalis Perez, who likely would not be in baseball were it not for Bowden inviting him to spring training on a minor league contract.

Perez produced five solid innings, however, giving up only a home run by Chipper Jones, and the Nationals' two first-inning runs stood up until new catcher Paul Lo Duca's passed ball enabled pinch-runner Martin Prado to score the tying run with two out in the ninth. Jon Rauch was pitching because closer Chad Cordero had a sore shoulder.

No matter, Zimmerman ended the game moments later. Washington had a win. The stadium shook. Baseball had another reason to crow.