No Pains No Gaines » Washington Nationals
I Support Barack Obama for President!


December 20, 2007
Duplicating a DC Landmark in New Nationals Stadium
  Category: Eats in DC, Washington Nationals   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 8:26 pm  

Ben's Chili BowlWhen I lived in Atlanta, a popular joint to grab a bite was J.R. Crickets. Opened in 1982 it has since opened up eight other locations throughout the Atlanta region. If you don’t make it to the original on Spring Street across from another landmark restaurant, Varsity, you have options.

When I moved to Washington, DC, the talk of landmark joints like J.R. Crickets was Ben’s Chili Bowl. Opened in 1958, it has much more prestige than Crickets, though it serves chili dogs, half smokes and other fast food type foods. One thing that made it cool was the fact that there is only one Ben’s, but the one thing that makes it inconvenient is that there’s only one Ben’s.

But, there are talks of another one opening up in the near future. A second location for another Ben’s Chili Bowl? This one, if all goes well, will be in the Washington National’s new baseball staduim.

   Speak Your Mind
June 3, 2007
Lew Makes Progress in Leiu of Obstacles
  Category: Our Elected Officials, Washington Nationals   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 12:33 pm  

Washington Nationals Stadium under constructionNow that President George Bush has given the last nod for Adrian Fenty to take control over the school system, he is going to be expected to resurrect a broken system. And the list of issues is vast.

One of the more pressing issues is going to be physical structures the kids get their education in. Unusable bathrooms, drippy ceilings, rooms too hot or too cold. A lot of money has been allocated towards rehabbing the school buildings, but it’s apparently not that easy in DC to make things happen.

The Post had an article, though, about one man who is able to steer through the nonsense that comes with a lot of money and a lot of government and make things happen. Allen Lew, chief executive of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, has been able to take the controversial baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals and show it is possible. Not only is the stadium on schedule, it’s also on budget. Regardless of rain, snow, sleet and government.

(more…)

November 15, 2006
Adrian Fenty’s First (Pyrrhic) Victory
  Category: Our Elected Officials, Washington Nationals   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 11:12 pm  

Parking Decks planned for the new baseball stadium
Congratulations to Adrian Fenty for his first victory after officially being named Washington DC’s next mayor. The councilmembers finally agreed to a plan to provide the 1,200+ parking spots needed to prevent being fined an obscene amount of our money.

Unfortunately, it’s a pyrrhic victory. To make it happen they had to allow above ground parking structures which are eyesores and nonexistent in DC. With the stadium area being planned as the nxt big thing in DC, it’s going to be built up with a big giant black eye. Two of them.

And to make it worse, they’re not being reinforced to support being added onto with future development and all we got out of the Lerners is their word that one day they’ll agree to tear them down and build something more conducive to what DC residents are used to want and deserve.

Anyone remember Jerry Maguire’s handshake deal with Cushman’s dad that was stronger than oak?

November 12, 2006
Nationals Ticket Prices Falling for 2007
  Category: Washington Nationals   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 8:40 pm  

Washington NationalsAfter a drop in attendance and one more year to draw in as many fans as possible before the move to the new stadium, the Washington Nationals dropped ticket prices for the upcoming season. There will be more than 13,000 tickets priced at $10 or less, 8,500 priced at $5.

This upcoming season will be the last season played at RFK Memorial Stadium before the move into the new stadium in Southwest. The new ownership and the city council have been battling with ideas for the parking arrangements already with the ownership worried that without adequate parking options, attendance will be too low to really generate any revenue.

Maybe with the lowered ticket prices and maybe a winning team next year, attendance will rise and some serious development can get started and transform the area into an area where people will actually go and spend some money.

Have you been down there recently?

September 7, 2006
Professional Lacrosse May Be Coming to DC
  Category: DC in General, Washington Nationals   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 10:19 pm  

National Lacrosse LeagueIt looks like DC United may have to stay in RFK Stadium an extra year while their stadium takes a back seat to the $611 million home of the Nationals. The United are expected to be in their new home in 2009. By then the Washington Nationals should have completed a season in their new stadium off the Anacostia River. So what’s the point of going to RFK after Freddy and friends move across the river and the Nationals have moved on to greener pastures?

Well, there have been early talks about bringing a professional lacrosse team to the nation’s capital. Did you even know there was a such thing as the National Lacrosse League? If it wasn’t for Duke University, lacrosse would still be a foreign concept to most households. I wonder if there is a such thing as a lacrosse Hall of Fame? I see they have fantasy lacrosse off the league’s website. Interesting.

Anyway, as far as the progress of the National’s new future home, there are reports that everything seems to be on schedule (other than the parking decks). I’m curious to see what happens when Adrian Fenty becomes mayor and the project begins to fall behind schedule.