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Even though the Washington Nationals don’t have their own baseball history and Washington D.C. is not known as a hub for baseball traditionalists and major fans of America’s pastime, their stadium just may be one of the best in the league.

Nationals Stadium is obviously one of the newer Major League stadiums, and it certainly shows in almost every aspect of the park. From the second one walks up to the gate, it is obvious that the team has made a conscious effort to attempt to make a state of the art stadium that still harkens back to some of the past happenings in America’s game.

Perhaps the biggest draw back of visiting Nationals Stadium is that it isn’t in the best area of Washington D.C., but the team does a good job of making sure that the four or five blocks between the team owned parking lots and the stadium are well lined with police officers and other team personnel. While one may think it would be less expensive to purchase a parking pass, it was actually cheaper to park in the same lot and pay on game day than paying ahead of time.

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Walking up to the stadium, one will notice three statues that reference the history of baseball in the nation’s capitol. The two most popular by far are one of Josh Gibson, who was considered the Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues, and Walter Johnson, one of the best pitchers of all time.

On the pillars inside of the stadium, one will see posters of the greatest players in the history of the game such as Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson. There are also many posters and collages that chronicle the history of baseball in Washington.

One of the major draw backs of the stadium is the team shop. It is by far the smallest Major League stadium team shop this reviewer has ever seen (it’s actually smaller than some Minor League shops as well). Due to this fact, there are not many options and even the options that are available do not have the sizes that fans of other teams may be accustomed to.

The best part of the stadium is the view. Even if one purchases the cheapest tickets available, they will be right on top of the action. Unlike older stadiums that continue to place fans vertically further up, making it harder to see the action, the Nationals’ park has a great view from every seat. The upper deck has more of a horizontal feel than a vertical one, which allows those in the cheap seats to have a better view of the game.

The presentation of the game is great as there are a good number of different types of food that one can chose from as well as pre-game entertainment right outside of the stadium.

Fans also have the opportunity to view the game from many other places in the stadium that creates a situation in which many people enjoy, being able to walk around the stadium while still being able to see the game.

Although one cannot see any of the major D.C. monuments from the stadium, the view is still nice, and on a clear summer night, one can still see some great architecture. Even though many discount the Nationals as a team, their stadium certainly should not be discounted as it is one of the best in the majors.

Major League Stadium Grade: 4.75/5

Overall Stadium Grade: 4.5/5

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