Nats want to keep Phils fans away
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Nats want to keep Phils fans away
Bob Brookover
Apparently the Washington Nationals do not want your business.
According to a Washington Post blog posted Friday morning, the Nationals plan on doing all they can to prevent Nationals Park from being invaded by Phillies fans this season.
"Frankly I was tired of seeing it," Nats COO Andy Feffer told the Post. "Forget you Philly. This is our park, this is our town, these are our fans, and it's our time right now."
The Nats' plan to prevent Phillies fans from invading the ballpark during the first series between the teams in Washington was actually implemented Friday morning. Single-game tickets for the May 4-6 three-game series at Nationals Park went on sale Friday. They are the only single-game tickets being sold by the Nationals right now and for the next month they will only be sold to people with credit cards from Maryland and Washington D.C.
Feffer really seems irked by Phillies fans, because "Forget, you Philly" wasn't enough.
"We've heard it enough, we've seen it enough and I don't like it any more than anyone else," he said. "We're trying to build a team here and nothing irks me personally or the people here more than to see another team's fans -- particularly Philly fans -- in our ballpark, holding up signs. That's not the way it should be. And I think we've got an opportunity here to do something different."
The "something different" even has a name. It's called "Take Back the Park."
Of course, the Phillies and the fans know the best way to take back a ballpark is by winning. That's why you don't see or hear nearly as many Mets fans as you used to at Citizens Bank Park. And you have to search really hard to find even a single Nats' fan at Citizens Bank Park.
Comments (168)
TheVirginian,
If the Nationals had enough fans to fill a major-league ballpark, there wouldn't be any room for the Phillies' fans. Be thankful that Philly's money is available for your clueless GM to waste on (underachieving) free agents!
— jman- My, aren't some of the grapes printed above sour. The Phillies ballclub is welcome to visit Nats Park -- after all, the Nationals took ten of the 18 games the two teams played in 2011. The problem are the boorish Phillies "phans" like the late 20s guy who threw a beer on me last season for daring to cheer for the Nationals in Nationals Park and who hoped and tried to get me (I'm in my late 50s and walk with a cane) to throw a punch so he and his three friends could beat me up. I just laughed at him, especially considering how dumb somebody who throws beer bought at ballpark brices must be. Thuggish behavior like that does a disservice to both your city and your ballclub.— TheVirginian
- Take it from someone (Philly fan) that lives down here (because of work). Five years ago you could get ANY seat to watch the Crapitals but they started winning and that wagon is now full of Caps fans. Same deal with baseball, there will always be seats available until the Nats start to win. DC is made up of few natural DC fans. Come on down so I have company.— 67Flyer
- Talk about gullible! This is simply a marketing ploy to drum up ticket sales! Just wait. After this blows over, the Gnats will be inviting Philles fans back again.
GB— graybeard - nah nah nah nah nah
philly fan— tmq - What a first class horses rear end.Guess he doesn't want to sell tickets and fill seats.Look at how many Red Sox and Yankee people attend games in Oriole Park.I lived/worked in DC for 10 years and it's rare you meet a native DC person.Almost all people are from someplace else.— streak1
- What a first class horses rear end.Guess he doesn't want to sell tickets and fill seats.Look at how many Red Sox and Yankee people attend games in Oriole Park.I lived/worked in DC for 10 years and it's rare you meet a native DC person.Almost all people are from someplace else.— streak1
- I decided to register. If I am denied the opportunity to buy tickets I will then make my case to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball: Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
Address: 245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY Zip 10167
Tel: 212-931-7800
Fax: 212-949-5654
I will be respectful but make it clear that I will challenge this in court and will lodge a complaint with my both Sen Casey and Toomey over the fact that my tax money (it was our tax money since DC is not a state but that is for another political discussion and run by the US government) used to pay for this ballpark and now I am prevented from even buying a ticket!— phillies2012 - I call B.S. I urge all Phils fans to relenlessly flood the sales office of the Nats with phone calls. Whenever you have a spare 30 seconds during your day, call. Thousands of calls daily. Anyone have the phone number?— blunted1
- Don't forget about us transplants living down here too. We have our CCs linked to our DMV addresses.— kwasi2323
- I am a National's fan that was at most of the Philly/Nats games last year. Overall I had no problem with the individual Philly fans, but it really sucks to have the majority of the stadium filled with the opposing team's fans. Yes,Stan Kasten, the former GM of the Nats was mostly responsible for it by inviting you all down here by the busload. That, and our team sucked. That started changing last year, as at least we started to at least begin playing competitively. Yes, we finished 20 games behind Philly, but we were the only team that finished the season with a winning record against the Phills. I was at the games when Zimmerman hit the walk off HR, and when Jonny Gomes won it with a walk off HBP to send you guys back up 95 in a funk. Boy did that stadium get quiet in a hurry both of those nights! Some of you don't realize how much the DC team has improved, both with their ML pitching staff, and their farm system. GM Mike Rizzo has done a remarkable job in two years. For the first time, the Nats have five legit ML starters, along with a great bullpen.Though not quite ready, the cocky kid Harper is for real.He'll be up in June. Meanwhile, though still the team to beat, Philly's clock is ticking. You guys are getting old quick. I'll see you guys in May. Tick -tock, tick-tock,tick -tock...— joe seamhead
- Makes me want to go to the Gnats-Fightins' series in DC that much more and make even more noise too.— miahjer
- They should be grateful- the only time the seats get filled is when the Phils roll into town.— Kanayd
- There seems to be a lot of arrogance by the Nats from the top down. Maybe their young players are really that good, the Marlins will stink, and the Phils will have pitching injuries. I still don't know why they built their park where they built it if they were worried about Phils fans coming down; there were several Northern VA locations that were bandied about. As for the Orioles, their ownership may be even worse. No one expects them to contend in the near future, and that's after almost 15 years of futility.— 76erfn
- AS a Philly fan living in the DC area, this is hilarious beyond words. Only in DC would something like this happen. Nowhere else in the country would they get this upset about fans showing up regardless of who they support. I shall continue going to support the Phils, and if they think this will have any impact, they're kidding themselves. Once the Nats realize no one from the DC area is buying these tickets, they'll be forced to put them up to the general public anyway, and the place will still have all Phils fans!!!— cnova000
- MLB doesn't look at state lines when they grant TV Rights. MLB has forced our local Cable Co. (Comcast} to make our area in South Central PA to have the Nationals as our home sport team, and show all 162 games. The only time that Channel is watched is when the Phils are on. MLB wants to try to force us to be Nat's fans (that would be a cold day in he...), but now we are not legally able to purchase tickets. Sounds like a lawyer out there should take this on.— hardcore
- LONG LIVE CITIZENS BANK PARK SOUTH!!!!!— Marcfromphilly
Wow, all these great ideas. Trickeration, PR, amazing. Here's an idea: DON'T GO. Visit the Orioles or the Phillies farm system or the Lancaster Barnstormers. Enjoy a nice trip.
Everyone who shows up in DC gives this guy more money. Cut him off. Carpet bomb their blogs and tell them you're not coming.
Power to the people, regardless of whether they are drunk or not. BTW just because you had 14 beers, doesn't mean you have to bother anyone. Show some discipline and don't throw up. Enjoy the game in 4D or 2D with one eye closed. Is this a country or what?— r a leon- I'll just get them off StubHub when the those phony Nats fan dump their tickets.— marathonron
- Knuckleheads. I live in VA. Remember, VA is just across the river.
- Signing a few free agents doesn't create a rivalry. By May the Nats will be wondering if Ryan Zimmerman will ever get healthy, if Strasberg was rushed back too quickly, if they over-paid for Werth and "What were they thinking, signing Lidge?". Then we will more to the next worthless chapter of this discussion, "If Bryce Harper wasn't such a punk, we would be right there with the Phils!".— PhillyPhan24
- The owner openly campaigned for Phils fans to come down since no Nats fans would show up. Good luck. I'll be there this year, with my Phils gear on.— PhillyFan_in_NoVA
- Back then the games were at Veterans Stadium. I got tickets too and they were in the 700 level.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- It is really funny reading all the comments from Philly fans talking smack for what the Nationals are doing. About 7 or 8 years ago I could buy single game tickets to Red Sox games when they played in Philly but then the Phillies got tired of Red Sox fans filling their park and the next year if I wanted to go to a Red Sox game I had to buy tickets to 5 other games. So Phillie fans before you trash another team make sure you know what your own team policy is......— ManiacinNJ
- just wait...ticket money talks and b.s. walks.— ratioactive
- this guy is probably just mad that he wasted all that money on jayson werthless— AlexSp
- Of course it's illegal. This is just a PR move by the Nats.— EL Zorro
- Sounds like a challenge to Nats fans and a PR stunt. Only a fool would turn down revenue and shoot themselves in the foot. Plus it's not like Phillies fans can't get tickets. There's stubhub and other secondary markets.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- That's OK.We can still take over Citi Field on Memorial Day and the 4TH.— bigeastbeast
- The South Philly Nationals are trying to freeze out the Phils fans. What a joke! Unless this clown can talk Jayson Werth into buying up the extra tickets, Phillies' fans will be there. ENVY really is Gr$$n.— MFinSC
- well they want to see all the phillies cast offs lead the nats to 3rd place...— stevejones
- I live in Maryland. How many does everyone need? Didn't their owner get on local radio and invite Philly fans down last year?— burholme
- Great PR stunt by Nats management. However, us Phillies fans living in DC area can buy single game tics just as easily as Nats fans.— Larry in Va
- If you do not want us just buy the tickets.— Seal Rock
- They said the same thing last year. Try winning some games, maybe then your fans will show up. Seems like Andy hasn't noticed, Phils fans travel everywhere, same as flyers fans, same as Eagles fans. That's what happens when you actually have loyal fans. Not like in DC where they're trying to make a name for themselves in that baseball wasteland. But in all honesty the Nats are a year or two away from being serious contenders. They already have a solid rotation, just need to get those bats sured up.— Omorales510
- Another wrong-headed, ridiculous, anti-free-market policy emanating from Washington.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- As soon as they realize there will be 30,000 unsold tickets, that policy will quietly go away.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Andy Feffer has one more year in his job or he is out on his a s s. What he's too slow to get is that the Washington Nats' base is too small to sustain a winning team. The Nats need New Yorkers to show up for the Mets games, Philly fans for the Phils, etc. There are a lot of Phillies and Mets fans living in Northern Va. and Montgomery County, MD. They can use their local credit cards and you'll still have fans in the stands rooting against the Nats. Same is true for the Wizards and, again this year, for the Caps.
Washington is a AAA baseball team posing as a big league town. The Lerners won't go broke with empty seats but they see the Nationals as a business and won't continue to sign high end free agents to appear in empty seats. Feffer they hired for cheap but if I were him I'd be looking around for a fall back cause the ice he's on is mighty thin.— Claudio Vernight - Andy Feffer has one more year in his job or he is out on his a s s. What he's too slow to get is that the Washington Nats' base is too small to sustain a winning team. The Nats need New Yorkers to show up for the Mets games, Philly fans for the Phils, etc. There are a lot of Phillies and Mets fans living in Northern Va. and Montgomery County, MD. They can use their local credit cards and you'll still have fans in the stands rooting against the Nats. Same is true for the Wizards and, again this year, for the Caps.Washington is a AAA baseball team posing as a big league town. The Lerners won't go broke with empty seats but they see the Nationals as a business and won't continue to sign high end free agents to appear in empty seats. Feffer they hired for cheap but if I were him I'd be looking around for a fall back cause the ice he's on is mighty thin. (HTML deleted)— Claudio Vernight
I'm originally from s.j and now live in Virginia. i wasn't planning on a trip to cbpark south this year but i guess ill have to go now. i just registered on the gnats site and have my password. thank you gnats for helping me to decide. see in may !!!!- I'm originally from s.j and now live in Virginia. i wasn't planning on a trip to cbpark south this year but i guess ill have to go now. i just registered on the gnats site and have my password. thank you gnats for helping me to decide. see in may !!!!
- Nationals will bomb this season. Takes more than a few signings to make a winner, you need a talented core.— gho_matt
- Wanna find a Nats fan? Look under a rock!— JBinPA
- No offense, but this is a pretty unique idea for an organization still looking to find it's fan base. But in reality all the Nats really need to do is to start winning. Yes Phillies fans have been one of the best fan bases to consistently sell out games, but do you think that if the Phillies stunk as much as the Nats that sellouts would still be happening? No way. Phillies fans are great now, but look back not even ten years and you'll see attendance numbers for Phillies games right at and even lower than current Nationals numbers. So cheer on Phillies fans, but don't be naive about the situation.— Bozym88
- This really isn't anything new for Washington DC sports teams. The Capitals did the same thing when the Penguin fans would over run their dump of an arena. They wouldn't sell tickets to anyone with a 412 area code and that policy is still in place today. Penguin fans still made it in there though and I assume Phillies fans will as well.— jbruder02
- Having been there twice last year to see the Phillies, I have to say, I enjoy it. The Nats fans can whine all they want; but, they should be thanking us. We will continue to pay for Werth and now Lidge. Its worth the four hour drive to get there. Supporting the Fightin's from Va Beach!— ahathaway
- C'mon Andy, there is no crying in baseball. Maybe the Phillies have an extra rally towel from one of their playoff years they can give you to wipe away the tears.
Maybe if you had fans to watch your dreaded team, Phillie fans wouldnt take over.
Andy, you better give those tickets away, because your stinking fans arent going to buy them. That is proven.
— Pat c - Amazing the number of fans here who forget that Nats went 7 and 2 against Philly last year, including a 4 game sweep in Philly.— DreamOn
- I hate to break it to you but teams play each team in their division 18 times, not 9. And, yes, Washington won that match-up 10-8 but that 4 game sweep came in late September when the Phillies had already locked up the NL and were resting guys. Earlier in the year the Phillies also took a 3 game sweep of the Nats. — s
- While it is a very douchy move by the Nats to do this, how is what we as Phils fans do in DC and different or better than what Mets fans used to do when they would come down from NY and invade the Vet and CBP when the Phils weren't any good? And we hated Mets fans for it. How are we any different than them?— Charlie Cheswick
- What a DOPE! Something tells me that place will still be flooded with Phils fans.— sore richard
- Okay, those of you tender feeling and think skin....who cares....he is trying to build some support by making us the enemy.....jsut marketing fools....don't get your bowels in an uproad....go support your team, but remember, if you hated the Met fans (when they were relevant) coming to Citizens Bank, try not to act like one when you go to DC...— nuggett
- LOL, this is sad. And just yesterday some local writer tried trumping up the Nats as a contender.— JimG
- What a great marketing gimmick. Of course there will be multi-tickets available. Someone has to pay for Werth.— TomO
- The Phillies had better be careful and not take anything for granted. The Nats, Marlins and Braves could ALL finish ahead of them in the standings this year. I say that as a lifelong Phillies fan. Its been a good run, but I don't think the Phillies did enough this offseason to maintain their superiority, while the other teams all improved. The Phillies have an aging team whose star players are on the decline.
It will take a "Wheeze Kids" kind of effort to win the NL East again.
Can they do it? Yes....if everything goes right and they stay relatively healthy. But that's a big IF. Ruben is going to have to start paying more than just lip service to "getting younger" as a team.— SteveS11 - I totally understanding their feelings, but legally, how can they not accept all credit cards???? I would really like to know-----I can't imagine it standing up in court.— MJSI
-
Washington is a crude town anyway, who cares. — robynk
Coming from Philadelphia, you're kidding, right? Good God, pot meet kettle.— DreamOn - Its trickeration...this ploy will assure sellouts for those 3 games. When you suck like the Nats, you have to resort to these types of gimmicks to sell tix.— Speedqueen Mistress
- maybe they should try a groupon like the sixers, another minor league team desperate for a fanbase.— Pelti
- more accurately the Privileges and Immunities Clause and the Interstate Commerce Cause probably forbid the sale of something to residents of that state and excluding residents of other states:
Article IV provides that “The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.” While the Fourteenth Amendment provides that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States,” it is the Article IV provision which affects interstate relationships. An example given by NPC: "In an effort to strengthen the local economy, State A passes a law requiring that state residents comprise at least 25% of the labor on all state-funded construction projects. Because the right to be employed is a fundamental right, and non-State A residents are being discriminated against by this statute, there is the risk of running afoul of the PIC4." Issues would be whether this applies to private seller, whether sale of baseball tickets is in nature of public endeavor, and whether purchase is a "fundamental " right.... lots of research and litigation if someone wants to make a federal case out of it...— warbiscuit - I think we are missing the point. This is a ploy to embarrass PHILLIES fans. At the very least the ones that exhibit bad behavior at games. I went to a game in DC and I bet you no one could tell which team I was pulling for PHILLIES or NATS. I believe in treating everyones home like it is my own. We didn't like it when NY METS came down and acted badly, so how do you expect someone else to feel. Grow up its only a game. Represent your team/self well all of the time. Enjoy the game wherever you attend.— A. Martinez
- Good, they can play to an empty stadium. I'm surprised the commissioner hash;t said anything regarding gate revenues, which are shared between teams to some extent, at a revenue sharing, league wide level. Mercenary Maryland natives will buy tickets to sell on various www sites anyway and Phils Phans will make their way to the ball park down there one way or another ;-)— petergou
- Yo Nats fans, meet me at Genos Steaks, I wanna buy you a sandwitch. Be sure to were your Nats shirt so I know who you are!— Borkey
- This is going to backfire in a big way. Stupidity can be so amusing.
— s - can set up a group site for those who want to join in a class action --hey let's make some money— warbiscuit
- probably unconstitutional to sell anything to residents of certain states, and exclude residents of other states, under full rights and privileges clause of Constitution -- they probably figure its not worth anyone's time and money to actully litigate but some Phila lawyer really should --maybe get at least fees and expenses and free publicity— warbiscuit
- thanks for the heads up. I live in VA and am a Phils fan so just went on bought my tix with my VA credit card. Sweet Always thought Phils games at Nats park must be the games with the most out of town fans of any park in the majors— pennfan
- Where's my orginal post?
What the idiot COO with the Nationals is doing is I think pretty illegal.
You want more Nats fans? Play better or here is a genius idea build your fan base by offering for certain games discounted tix to local folks for a limited time or for certain games like for the Phils.
Don't punish Baseball fans willing to travel to support their team because your team hasn't been as good.
So instead of discrimination tactics offer discounted tix for those games and not only will you attain your goal of more Nats fans but it will be PR gold and you will be celebrated in baseball instead of well having the Nats be even more of a laughing stock if you attempt your idea....— TheFansVoice - We should get 40k fans there.. then nobody go again and watch as they have 5k fans there.— fman727
- Hey FairfaxBob: Forget you! There, how's that feel? That's the same thing as from your esteemed Nats COO. Classless.— PhillySubsMac
- That Washington blowhard can expect that those remarks will inspire more Phillies fans to invade National's park. I don't understand the hate - we buy their tickets and even let them sign Jason Werthless and Brad "Nothing Left" Lidge. If that guy focused more on the team the Nats put on the field, maybe they wouldn't be perennial doorNats in the NL East.— jimclements
- I understand their frustration, we had enough Mutts 'fans' here in the old days. But I don't understand 'Forget you, Philly' - there's no need for that. So their solution is...a mostly empty new stadium.— PhillySubsMac
- Cool, moved from VA and still have a VA card, I'll use that.— bama82
- Yo Andy Feffer how did that Jayson Werth signing go for you guys? If you were the COO here in Philly and you signed a deal like that with a .200 hitter, you would not be allowed in CBP....because 45K fans would be looking to put your noggin in the guillotine.— rockinrob
- This does it! I'm calling NAACP (Nationals Are Always Crucified by Phillies) to camp out at their, I meant at our Citizens Park South in protest!— 2:01TimeOut
- It's just marketing. He's trying to create a rivalry. Last year they had no problem with it, and when they said so, they got crushed nationally. Now they are starting to build a pretty good team and they want to drum up attention. Remember, Philly money and DC money are the same. At the end of the day, they'd rather play in a full park full of Phillies fans than an empty one.— Scorekeeper
- I used to hate growing up and going to games in Connie Mack, because even then as bad as the Mets were (except for '69) the Phils were worse and Mets fans always invaded the place and outchanted the few Phils fans that were there. You youngins' who say you don't have to worry about it happenning in the Bank, just don't know squat. At some point in the not too distant future, the Phils will stink, they will quit seling out and the Nats fans or Mets fans will invade and drive you crazy, too! Then you'll know what I grew up with. It happens in every city.— Mark1npt
- The Nats have such a small true fan base, it's amazing. Baseball in Washington was a bad idea forty years ago. It's a bad idea now. I would give the Nats COO exactly what he wants. Phillies fans don't buy any tickets! He doesn't want your money, don't give it to him. The Nats will play the Phils in front of the usual half empty(or less) stadium that will plague them forever. There is only one sport in the D.C. area that anyone cares about and that team doesn't start training camp until July.— ManU63
- Why is this a big deal? The last time I checked we don't treat opposing fans here real well.— bobbyd24
- I was there last year....A nats fan hit me with a crab cake, was pan fried with a nice side of asian slaw and tarter sauce and lemon wedge.
The worst part was the price I paid for jumbo lump crab meat. MMMMM
This fan that hit me was Andy Reid....he was seen holding the crabcake while beating me with his spare paw.— merchandiser - It's a real shame that there are more people from the Delaware Valley living in DC/MD area than there are actual Nats fans. It's also a REAL shame that I'll still be able to buy tickets for 10 bucks a piece from a "roaming secondary market" when I walk off the metro @ Navy Yard.— Diamond Jim Brady
- Half of the idiot nats "fans" that show up can't name more than two players on the current roster. Pretty sad way to go about business!— Dogkilla
- Wait a minute! My first thought on reading this was, "oh I gotta go down there now...with a bunch of my friends!" Well played Mr. Whateveryournameis. Jayson Werth = $18 mil. HAHA!— TheDude
- The Nats' Front Office needs to get over themselves...I agree they should be thanking us for filling the seats at their ballpark...if we didn't, the Nats would have gone bankrupt by now...Note to Mr. Feffer...we're Phillies fans, we'll take over any ballpark we damn well please...It's GO TIME!!— Buck Dharma
- Is that even legal?!— Red Phanatic
- Sounds illegal to me.— Bartleby
- There's always Baltimore.— WPhillyguy
- If I get a nickel for every Phillies fan that says "I wanted to head down to DC but I couldn't get any tickets," ....I'll be flat broke.— TheDude
- What an a-hole. Maybe he should spend a little more time fielding a watchable team and less time worrying about Phils' fans...who are spending money at your ballpark. Again, what an a-hole.— beegal99
- How are they going to pay Jayson Werth with an empty ballpark?? When the Phils are there, they actually fill the stadium.— bluehaha
- Too late Nats! We already got 2 bus loads coming down to watch our Phils swat your nats!! And, we're staying overnight and taking over your town!— stinkman
- "They are the only single-game tickets being sold by the Nationals right now and for the next month they will only be sold to people with credit cards from Maryland and Washington D.C." Uhhhh, how about Virginia? Would love it if this is true and the Gnats blocked over 50% of their fan base from buying tickets to that series.— Ship_Of_Fools
- haha love it— raynesrock
Comment removed.- So I guess they also 'don't want' the money we spend on tickets, food and drinks, parking, etc. - give me an F'N break!— 25years/100seasonsandcounting
- "Went on sell?" Editor, anyone?— cyniccritic
- "Went on sell?" Editor, anyone?— cyniccritic
- "Went on sell?" Editor, anyone?— cyniccritic
- @ FairfaxBob - I'm an Eagles season ticket holder, and have attended the last 2 games the Eagles have played the Skins at FedEx field. Both times I have been verbally accosted and threatened by drunken Skins fans to the point of fearing for my safety - and I am not one of those types that encourages behavior of that type by seeking attention and/or being obnoxious. So please take your 'we are above you' attitude and stick it - bad fan behavior is EVERYWHERE these days or haven't you heard what has happened in San Fran, LA, Oakland, NY, etc? So pigeonholing Philly fans is just myopic stupidity; and I hope that Phils fans come out in droves to Nats stadium and drown out the pathetic Nats fan base for years to come.— CTL
- @ FairfaxBob - I'm an Eagles season ticket holder, and have attended the last 2 games the Eagles have played the Skins at FedEx field. Both times I have been verbally accosted and threatened by drunken Skins fans to the point of fearing for my safety - and I am not one of those types that encourages behavior of that type by seeking attention and/or being obnoxious. So please take your 'we are above you' attitude and stick it - bad fan behavior is EVERYWHERE these days or haven't you heard what has happened in San Fran, LA, Oakland, NY, etc? So pigeonholing Philly fans is just myopic stupidity; and I hope that Phils fans come out in droves to Nats stadium and drown out the pathetic Nats fan base for years to come.— CTL
- These comments are great. I love being a Phillies fan.— Ivy77
- Game on little Nats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— shawnmac
- I remember that the camera had a hard time FINDING any Nats fans last season. Sad.— Ivy77
- Conspiracy Theory: The Nats arent trying to keep Phils fans out, they are just trying to charge them more. They know Phils fans will go to StubHub which will not discriminate by credit card. My guess is that they already have an arrangement with a related agency that will buy 10,000 tickets and place them on StubHub for well above face value. This way they can charge Philly people more and keep the prices the same for locals.
They could have tried the old trick where they make all the tickets for that weekend part of a three game package so Phils fans would be forced to buy tickets to two games they dont want, but they probably figured their own fans wouldnt want to buy that many games either.— tealradish - this is so going to backfire— discobiscuit
- Comment removed.
- even after the Phillies fans are gone, the smell still lingers.
or maybe I was thinking of the Eagles fans.
whatever.— ekw555 - Hey, NatNals. Walgreens called, they want their "W" back!!! — JoePhils2
- Uh huh? Forgetting that Nats stadium is right on the Anacostia and a sewage plant!!! — JoePhils2
- Phils play in Balimore in June. We can take over Camden Yards also.— wearepsu00
- My apologies for the multiple posting of my earlier comment. Not sure how that happened.— FairfaxBob
- Comment removed.
- I'm a Nationals season ticket holder, and welcome this move by the Nats. One thing about DC is that a lot of folks are from "somewhere else", and we always have plenty of visitors in the summer. So, naturally we get a lot of fans rooting for the other team at Nats games. The problem is the unique boorishness of Phillies Phans. I know wereof I speak. I used to live on the old Navy Yard and remember watching Phans at the Vet throwing C cell batteries at opposing players. Opening Day in DC in 2010 was an unmitigated disaster. I found myself in a sea of drunken Phans who had apparently started drinking at dawn. I actually got a call from the Nats season ticket office apologizing for that disaster with the promise that they never again would sell bus loads of tickets to South Philly bars. I have never understood why Philadelphia "fans" believe that it's OK, or even "cool" to behave like complete jerks. Come on out, enjoy the game and root for your team, but don't create an atmosphere that's so putrid that I won't take a kid to any game where Philly fans will be.— FairfaxBob
- Hey Bob, FYI, those things happen EVERYWHERE! How about the SF Giants fan beaten into a COMA by Dodgers fans? How about the pregnant woman getting beaten by Pitts Penguins fans and dropped onto an escalator? Do you know WHY those Phillies fans were there? Because YOUR GM, yes, YOUR GM, came on Philadelphia radio and told Phillies fans to "Come on down! You're all welcome!" I heard it myself. And stop with the $*(&-ing cliches of battery throwing. — uncle meat
- GOOD move, Bob. You've just motivated all us Phils fans in the DC area to make it a point to attend ALL Phils games in Nats Stadium. Too bad your teams don't enjoy the enthusiasm Philly Phans give their teams. — JoePhils2
- I'm a Nationals season ticket holder, and welcome this move by the Nats. One thing about DC is that a lot of folks are from "somewhere else", and we always have plenty of visitors in the summer. So, naturally we get a lot of fans rooting for the other team at Nats games. The problem is the unique boorishness of Phillies Phans. I know wereof I speak. I used to live on the old Navy Yard and remember watching Phans at the Vet throwing C cell batteries at opposing players. Opening Day in DC in 2010 was an unmitigated disaster. I found myself in a sea of drunken Phans who had apparently started drinking at dawn. I actually got a call from the Nats season ticket office apologizing for that disaster with the promise that they never again would sell bus loads of tickets to South Philly bars. I have never understood why Philadelphia "fans" believe that it's OK, or even "cool" to behave like complete jerks. Come on out, enjoy the game and root for your team, but don't create an atmosphere that's so putrid that I won't take a kid to any game where Philly fans will be.— FairfaxBob
- I'm a Nationals season ticket holder, and welcome this move by the Nats. One thing about DC is that a lot of folks are from "somewhere else", and we always have plenty of visitors in the summer. So, naturally we get a lot of fans rooting for the other team at Nats games. The problem is the unique boorishness of Phillies Phans. I know wereof I speak. I used to live on the old Navy Yard and remember watching Phans at the Vet throwing C cell batteries at opposing players. Opening Day in DC in 2010 was an unmitigated disaster. I found myself in a sea of drunken Phans who had apparently started drinking at dawn. I actually got a call from the Nats season ticket office apologizing for that disaster with the promise that they never again would sell bus loads of tickets to South Philly bars. I have never understood why Philadelphia "fans" believe that it's OK, or even "cool" to behave like complete jerks. Come on out, enjoy the game and root for your team, but don't create an atmosphere that's so putrid that I won't take a kid to any game where Philly fans will be.— FairfaxBob
- While I think taking the practice of not selling tickets to an entire area of people is not legal, I have to agree that fans drinking all day on a bus, then tailgating, then going into an opposing stadium can just be obnixous. I feel your pain there, but there really isn't much that can be done about it. The best you can hope for is for your team to do better so there are not as many tickets available to phillies fans. Or buy more expensive seats - the bus loads of people certainly aren't buying the expensive seats! — LarRo
- I saw a few comments eluding to the legality of this. Can anyone with any knowledge of discriminatory practices give any insight?— Joe
- The Nationals are more likely to win the World Series then this, you have a better chance of getting mugged outside Nationals park then Citizens Bank Park— eaglessuck@life
- May 5th; Phillytailgate.com bus trip down to DC!
http://shop.phillytailgate.com/product_p/dc-phillies-nats-2012.htm— mfost900 - Hey, Nats. Walgreens called, they want their "W" back!!!— JoePhils2
- Right. I'm sure the owner would prefer empty seats instead. I hear that really helps with the payroll!— philharmonic55
- I know, let's all cut our noses off! That will fix our faces! It will be a giant hoot if they continue to perform as they have and the place is empty so they will have less revenue to buy fewer players etc, etc. These must be the same people advising the morons in that town who run the country. Economic illiterates rule!— jjthree
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- It is actually pretty smart, if it is not illegal. Nats fans will fall for it and try to fill the seats, which won't be many. Phillies fans with ties to the area will buy in advance if they can figure out a way. Then when all the tix go on sale, tons of Phils fans who have circled that weekend will buy the rest.— CenterFielderGaryMaddox
- Remember when the Nats actually advertised on Philly TV to come down to DC and watch the Phillies. That upset some Nats fans.— zeke128
Ha,Ha.Ha, You must be worried on how to pay for Jason Werths salary,
Or since he could not preform as expected you are erking the Phils fans to come & Buy more tickets to help pay for Werths Salary.
Ha,ha ha.............- Comment removed.
- This makes economic sense. KEEPING AWAY PEOPLE WHO SPEND MOMEY??
Then there will be NO people in the stadium.
This policy sounds like is was designed by the Obama administration.— The Moose - So, what? I'm a life long Phillies fan who lives in MD and now I'm going to make it a point to attend ALL the games when the Phils are in town. Besides, the Nats NEED our reveniew to keep that team and park in the black! When the Phils are in town those are the only games where they make any money! Last time I went, Jayson Werth was within shouting distance!!! That was funny!— JoePhils2
- The irony is with all the Phillies fans buying tickets to the Nats home games, we are helping them to become more competitive by affording better players.— vipers53
- The Nats offical is a idiot. This could start fights in the parking lot ect. With Stub hub and brokers the fans will still be there. Fact: the Nats don't support the team. I see a lot of empty seats when the Phillies are not there.— 76er
- They've been trying to woo Phillies fans there for years, and suddenly when they think they may be able to win a few games they pump out their chests.— dblankj
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- Great business decision. Guess he doesn't need help paying Jayson Werth's bloated contract.— don julio
- That's rich coming from a fan of a team with the second highest payroll in baseball. The Phillies are the Yankees of the National League....basically the Philadelphia Yankees. — dontlikeneocons
- wow you really are a toolbag. "philly trash" now the "philadelphia yankees". here's an idea, since you're posts always consist of jealousy and hate, why don't you use your tiny brain and stay off philly.com. — 420Phillie
- Hey, African-American Phillies fans! This ban is targeted at YOU! Get yourselves a lawyer and bankrupt the Nats!— 5280philly
- I used to pity the Gnats. Now I just strongly dislike them.— dasher
- That's a far cry from the Nationals actually advertising ticket sales in the Philly market two years ago. They should be grateful that Phillies fans have given them many of their best draws over the last handful of seasons, and some of their very few sellouts. It sucked when the Vet was half-full of Met fans, but Brookover is right: you don't change the culture by mouthing off, but by implementing a winning tradition. They've been making strides in that direction in Washington, but there's a long way to go before fans there can view their team with as much pride and passion as the 'invaders' do.— RickSchuBlues
- This sounds like a campaign to have more empty seats at Nats stadium. But I don't blame them for trying. It is embarrassing to have more Phils fans than Nats fans at home games.— tomB
- I think it's just an effort to tick off Phillies fans so that they will actually be more motivated to waste a day in DC. You know that the Nats ownership's bottom line is just dollars and cents, even if their protestations make no sense...— phillyaztec
- well you know what they say, jealousy is the best form of flattery....I guess not only are the Nats fans, if there is ever such a thing, got so consumed by they're jealousy, it's affecting managment..... Interesting.....— ICEInvestigator55
- This is hilarious, news flash National's if you don't sell tickets to phillies fans the stadium will be less than half full as usual. Im sure the local businesses just love this idea.— mdb20
- cheap. this seems illegal?— psualum
- Comment removed.
- Not sure, but isn't that illegal to limit sales to strictly certain zip codes? Wouldn't that violate the limited Anti Trust exemption MLB has? Time to grow up Nat's. If you'd sell out like CBP, you wouldn't have to whine in the press or limit ticket sales to only Virginia/Maryland/D.C. residents.— drhoffman
- Ticket gimmicks and slogans don't fill ballparks. Winning fills ballparks. Ours is full now because we've been excellent for 5-6 straight years. I remember going to the Vet in the late 1980s, when the Mets were very good, and it was full of New York fans. It was awful. That is, until Von Hayes hit a three-run, walkoff homer to win the game. The smelly New Yorkers couldn't have been quieter.— eman
- Yeah, that must have been like that game last season when Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals hit a walkoff grand slam to beat the Phillies in the bottom of the ninth. "The smelly" Philadelphians "couldn't have been quieter." — TheVirginian
- That's funny. Usually in the summertime I try to keep the gnats away.— TVGuy22
- No problem with me. My sister lives in Maryland.— EL Zorro
- Hey I live in MD AND AM FROM pHILLY... Im proud to say Im one of those fans they are talking about.. we get special offers because I work for the DoD.. Anyone need more info.. hit me at nixman104@yahoo.com— nixman101
- Hey Andy, stop signing Phillies to your team.— mikemaddog
- If there actually were nay Nationals fans, this wouldn't be a problem. I guess they prefer an empty park? I was there for 2 games last year and at both there were ~25,000 fans and about 90% were Philly fans. When they play the Diamondbacks there are more of their fans there. Beautiful park full of opposing teams fans.— flyigglesfly
- I don't blame him. I wouldn't want Philly trash invading my park either. BTW, you guys might ridicule him and call him names but you'd want the Phillies to do the same thing to other teams you hypocrites.— dontlikeneocons
- OK, Mets fan, you haven't even made a point here so go crawl back to NY with the rest of the cockroaches you breed up there ... for years Mets fans had access to Phillies tickets, and still do to a lesser extent. It's up to the fans in their respective cities to show up, fill the seats, and root for their team. If they don't, then "boo hoo" for them. Stinkin' Mets will smell even worse this year! — petergou
- And "real" Maryland fans root for the Orioles :-) — petergou
- And "real" Maryland fans root for the Orioles :-) — petergou
- That's right. Just like everything else in DC. Push financial success away with both hands... GREAT business decision! You think Phils fans don't know what it's like having fans of the visiting team invade our ball parks? When they were winning, Phils fans had to put up with the Mets fans. For a team that supposedly hates the Phils so much, you sure are fond of signing our cast off players. Who needs that guys anyhow? I know of plenty of my neighbors in MD who are Phils fans too. Probably more Phillies fans in MD than there are of the Walgreens Nationals. — JoePhils2
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- LOL. Talk about internet tough guy. You really wouldn't want to go there fella, I promise you that much. — dontlikeneocons
- we don't have to worry about that dopey...phillies fans fill the bank..we don't need other team's fans to pay our players. maybe when the nats sport a real team their ''fans'' will show up..its doubtful but maybe it will happen someday--i'm sure there are some former expo fans looking for a team to root for.
- If they had REAL fans, it woulnd't take months to sell out a few games!— JBinPA
- OK everyone, I have friends in Maryland, lets get 20,000 fans going to the games.— Jake711
- What a blowhard that dude is. Nobody in WASH cares about the Nats. He should THANK us for helping sell tickets and being able to sign these clowns he has. Without Philly fans, he'd still have an empty park. Like the Marlies.— spittooncj
- That's awesome! They can try all they want, but 1 month isn't enough time to sell pit that park. Not to mention with stub hub, ebay, and scalpers Phillies Plans will have plenty of opportunity to "Take back OUR 2nd home!"— BammBamm
- Just a plain old PR scam by the Nats FO - they can't fill their own park b/c the product on the field stinks so they divert attention and create a bad guy (i.e. Phils fans) to stir the local pot and try to squeeze some extra money/deflect criticism off the field. Nice try. — DennyP
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