While the Orioles’ box office struggles have received some attention of late, former Washington Times beat reporter Mark Zuckerman considers the plight of the Nationals, who defeated the Rockies at home last night in relative privacy. From Thursday’s Nats Insider :
The Nationals’ track record over the last four years has left this organization an afterthought among a population far more interested in whether the Caps beat the Canadiens in Game 4 of their Stanley Cup playoff series (they did) and whether the Redskins will draft a quarterback tomorrow night (who knows?).
On a rainy, chilly Wednesday night on South Capitol Street, a paid crowd of 11,191 — there were perhaps half that many fans actually in attendance — watched D.C.’s ballclub scrap its way to another victory. It was the smallest crowd in the District since the franchise arrived in 2005, smaller than the previous low of 11,623, set only two days ago.
A grand total of 37,851 fans have attended these last three games against the Rockies. The ballpark is capable of holding more than 41,000 on any one given day.
Is this team going to hover around the .500 mark all season? Common sense says no. But did anyone expect Frank Robinson’s 2005 club — a club with far less talent than this one, by the way — to stand at 50-31 on July 4?