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They're coming back...
UPDATE AT 11:51 A.M.: Heard from a source with knowledge of the situation that the Nationals have been limiting ticket purchases by groups with Pennsylvania area codes. They appear to be taking some steps to curtail a repeat of Opening Day. I'm sure there will still be a sizable Phillies presence, but probably not to the degree of what happened in April.
Four months after they took over Nationals Park on Opening Day, the Phillies fans appear to be on the return.
Phillies Nation, one of the fan sites that organized group trips to Washington for Opening Day, is planning a return to Nationals Park for next weekend's Phillies-Nationals series. A post on their web site said Phillies Nation is sold out of seats for next Saturday's game against the Nationals. I just saw this tonight, so I haven't gotten a chance to find out how many tickets the group has, but I'll see what I can dig up -- and if the Phillies groups also have seats for Sunday's game, where Stephen Strasburg is supposed to face the two-time NL champions for the first time.
Didn't StanK say they had a plan in place to prevent this from happening? Perhaps you can ask him about that once you find out how big of an invasion we should expect.
Kasten will be pleased to see his brown nosing of the Phillies fan working out so well.
Red Sox invasions are much, much worse than these Philly games. I believe the Nationals got a dose of what a series against the Red Sox is like last year, no?
Luke
Section 222 - Bottom line on business end of things - I don't think Kaster would mind if it were all Phillies fans at Nats Park as long as they sell the tickets.
Yes last year, all three games against the Sox sold out -- roughly about 70% Red Sox fans. Opening Day was worse even though there was a less of a proportion of Philly fans. They were a lot louder and booed Zimm as he was receiving the award. The Nats have no one to blame but themselves. They sold these "group tickets" to Philly people. Many teams like the Caps have policies in place to prevent this from happening, for example, the games against the Pens, I think they block Pittsburgh area codes from the ticket website.
It reminds me a bit when the NFL realigned and the Cards desperately wanted to stay in the same division as the Cowboys. Before they opened up their new stadium, this was typically there only sell out. Of course, it was mostly Cowboys fans loading up the RVs and driving west through New Mexico for their annual pilgrammage to Sun Devil Stadium aka Texas Stadium West.
Phillies Nation put this article on their website from the Post...
Kasten also said the nature of Phillies fans contributed to the feeling Monday at Nationals Park. He said that Red Sox fans had attended in even greater numbers Saturday for an exhibition game, but there was a “tangible, qualitative difference in the two crowds.”
http://www.philliesnation.com/archives/2010/04/washington-post-nationals-park-infiltrated-by-phillies-fans-on-opening-day/
I think Kasten might have learned a little too much from Ted Turners other business in the 90's. To quote The Death of WCW, "WCW bookers never quite figured out the difference between legitimate heel heat and change the channel heat."
HAHAHAHA! SUCKERS!
SEE YOU NEXT SATURDAY!
How's it feel to be losing like us right now?? Oh right, you did that for about a hundred years.
Try not to barf on anyone, Joey
We will be bringing 1,000 people.