Perspective on Petco

I had some time in San Diego a few weeks ago and went to a Padres game. I'd been wanting to go since they opened the new stadium, but hadn't had the chance until then. What a great experience; like night and day between going to a game there and at RFK. My friend and I lucked into cheap club-level seats from a guy who was looking to offload them, so we had an even better experience than expected. (I was planning on buying some bleacher seats and sitting up there, but who can pass up half-price club seats?) We got to the stadium early and walked around. Tons of restaurant options on the club level, in addition to the usual stadium fare. Good beer options. Even a sushi bar in left field! Anyway, here's some things that Petco had that I'd like to see in the new Nats park (in some form):

- Dancing Grounds Crew. Loved this guy! Yeah, he wasn't a true grounds crew member, but he was a great dancer and got the crowd hyped up.


- Friar Races. The Nats would probably have the "Screech Races" or something equally dumb, but what can you do. I know it all evolved out of Milwaukee, but I enjoyed this anyway. The different Friars were entertaining.

- Friendly staff. This would have the biggest impact at RFK, hands down. My friend and I couldn't believe how approachable and nice everyone was at Petco. We were most impressed by a certain guest relations manager on the club level who gave us information about the various bars and restaurants on that level, where they were, what to expect in them, etc. and other highlights of things not to miss around the stadium. Thanks Michael! And all the employees we ran into at Petco were as friendly. Sure wish I could say the same about the RFK employees. I know Lerner and Kasten promise to turn things around, but I don't think they can bring it quite up to that level. I don't know what they're doing at Petco, but they know how to do things right.

- Impromptu dancing outside the stadium after the game. After the Padres beat the Braves (woo!), there was a street band playing right outside the stadium. A huge group gathered, and a little boy was the one who actually got the dancing started. It went on for about 10 minutes before the cops broke it up, unfortunately, but it was a great way to end the evening. Not to mention the proximity of the stadium to bars and nightlife.

And of course it was nice to see Vinny Castilla again. Love Zimmerman and all, but Vinny's cool.

If the Nats only had one of those elements in the new park (preferably the friendly staff), I'd be happy...but a good fan experience, like the one I had at Petco, goes a long way towards engendering new fans. I'm more likely to support the Padres now (not against the Nats, of course), and I think the Nats could do the same thing with out-of-towners. Why not?