No Kidding

A small item in the Tribune Tuesday caught my attention, about how the Nationals’ Anthony Rendon likes the Wrigley Field vibe, which apparently doesn’t exist at Nationals Park.

Rendon discussed the Wrigley atmosphere with teammate Ryan Zimmerman during Tuesday’s game (won, alas, by the Cubs, 2-1).  “I love it.  I love how the crowd’s always in it,” admitted Rendon.  “They don’t have to put up ‘Two strikes!’ or ‘Cheer!’ or whatever [on the scoreboard or those electronic bands that now circle many parks].  The fans already know.  That’s exciting not just for the home team, but for us as well.”

How interesting that Wrigley with a capacity of 41,072 vs that of 41,546 for the Nationals, should be so much louder without prompting.  Cub fans could be more on the ball, if you will, than Nats’ fans, but I doubt it.  They’re just lucky enough to have a park made more for watching a ball game than the “experience” of watching a game. 

I’m pretty sure both teams have similar fan bases measured by income and education; after all, the North Side and D.C. aren’t exactly Oakland, now are they?  The real difference between teams lies in their respective ballparks.  You could probably fit Wrigley into Nationals Park and have room for close to one more.

The upper deck is virtually on top of the lower deck at Wrigley Field because of posts.  In Washington, each level steps back from the next; the folks in the upper decks have to shout that much louder to make themselves heard.  This difference in design means that one park amplifies sound while the other muffles it.  At Wrigley, young cheerleaders atop the dugout shouting or waving flags would be redundant to the noise that comes so easily from the stands.

And that may be one of the reasons why Anthony Rendon could feel like he’s playing in a mall in DC.