Nationals need more than new park to succeed

WASHINGTON — Nationals Park opened for business this weekend, notable for little else but its newness. Local architectural touches, like Philadelphia’s light-up Liberty Bell, Baltimore’s right-field warehouse and Pittsburgh’s stunning skyline, are absent in baseball’s newest stadium.
But Washington’s latest attraction hardly harkens to any of the historical structures that sit just to the north. Aside from the views of the Capitol in certain high-level seats and the cherry blossoms on an outdoor concourse, there’s no signature feature of the ballpark that immediately makes you think of Washington. The high-definition scoreboard is an impressive touch, but what stadium relies on its scoreboard as a primary draw?
Nationals Park succeeds at its primary mission: Replace the outdated RFK Stadium and bring in new cash that wasn’t possible at RFK. More luxury suites means more money. And the windfall that comes with opening a new stadium — many fans in the region will be eager to experience Nationals Park for the first time — could outweigh the Nationals’ performance. This remains a franchise that is rebuilding.
The Nationals hope their new park helps further the goal of creating a championship organization. A new stadium, president Stan Kasten has said, will help lure free agents that will supplement the team’s philosophy of building through the draft.
On the surface, that’s true. An upgrade over RFK was badly needed and Nationals Park provides that.
But will it really matter?
With two exceptions, every other team in the National League East has a stadium less than 15 years old. The New York Mets get their Shea Stadium replacement next season. Eleven of the National League’s other 15 clubs play in facilities less than 15 years old, as do four the American League’s 14 teams. Three other A.L. teams are scheduled to move into new digs in the coming years.
And that doesn’t include Camden Yards, which brought about this stadium revolution back in 1992.
The market is saturated with new ballparks. How can such a stadium — which will be Major League Base-ball’s newest for only a calendar year — be any more attractive to a free agent than any other place?
No, it will take more than Nationals Park for its namesake to become a player in free agency. It will take deep pockets from principal owner Ted Lerner and continued movement up the division ladder; when sus-tained success is a reality, the Nationals will be better able to pick and choose the players that can fill holes and become, truly, a contender.
Nationals Park — unique in its own way, like one of every two major league stadiums — won’t be enough.
Brian Hunsicker is a staff writer for the Potomac News & Manassas Journal Messenger. Reach him at 703-878-8048 or via e-mail at bhunsicker@potomacnews.com.