The Nationals have not shied away from spending millions of dollars on high-priced Scott Boras clients in their 10- year existence. However, the Washington Nationals decided that they wanted to install a roof on Nationals Park at the cost of $300 million…and they wanted taxpayers to pay for it.
According to CBS Washington, Washington Nationals officials approached District of Columbia officials with the idea.
Multiple sources tell WNEW Senior Correspondent Mark Segraves that team executives have approached several District officials, including some inside mayor Vincent Gray’s office, to propose the addition to Nationals Park.
While the discussions are in very preliminary stages, diagrams of the proposed roof have been presented to the mayor’s office.
The project would cost roughly $300 million to complete.
I must ask, why on earth do the Washington Nationals need a roof on their stadium? Excessive rainouts? The website Fantasy Team Advice keeps a list of rainouts throughout the course of the season so fantasy owners can keep track of makeup games. Guess how many rainouts there were in Washington, D.C., last year.
ONE. Yes, ONE rainout last year.
Are you laughing yet? Well, apparently so did the Mayor of Washington, D.C., reports the Washington Business Journal.
The Washington Nationals pitched the District government on a $300 million plan for a retractable roof over Nationals Park, but city officials say the idea was quickly dismissed.
Ted Lerner, Nationals owner and Washington-area development mogul, pitched Mayor Vincent Gray on the idea and it didn’t go well. A source in the mayor’s office said Gray “started laughing.”
A second source in the executive office said the stadium wasn't designed for a roof, so it "would be cost prohibitive and butt ugly."
So, unless the Nationals want to pay for this themselves, it likely is not happening. The stadium itself cost taxpayers $700 million already. And, as our pal Jeremy Fischer asks, why don't the Nationals sell naming rights to the stadium if they are in need of a frivilous roof?
