A new ballpark just won’t cut it

Peter J. Chilos
Published: April 8, 2008

I concur with Brian Hunsicker’s assessment of “Nationals need more than new park to succeed.” 

I am a baseball fan from way back, living and working in Tampa Florida following Minor League Baseball and the Tampa Devil Rays.  Florida has 16 Minor League teams along with the Marlins and the Rays. 

The belief of MLB that Tampa would succeed as a expansion team proved to be inaccurate. Ten years ago they built an indoor, air-conditioned, 55,000 seat stadium and still have been in last place every year for the past 10 years. 

Attendance figures average 10,000 to 15,000 every game. This is not when the Yankees or Red Sox are in town; then they would draw 35,000 to 40,000. 

What really is mind boggling is that they will soon build another stadium with a cloth retractable roof. 

As Brian rightly points out, it will take deep pockets from the owners to attain success.

One would question where are the priorities of a community. 

I believe Northern Virginia made the right one by not going after MLB.

PETER J. CHILOS

Woodbridge