Fans see beginning of the end
It was a mix of emotions Thursday for fans attending the final Wizards season opener at Memorial Stadium.
Before the 6 p.m. game against the Lansing Lugnuts, baseball fans began filling the parking lot and filing into the 15-year-old stadium. And they expressed a range of feelings from excitement to disappointment at the idea of moving the team downtown next season.
Al Fry, avid follower and season-ticket holder since the Wizards first took to the field in 1993, said the night brought back a lot of memories.
“We waited for years for (baseball) to come to Fort Wayne,” he said.
Fry, who has been to every Major League Baseball stadium in the country, is looking forward to the new Wizards stadium downtown, though he thinks parking and traffic might pose problems when the Clinton Street bridge closes for construction in 2010.
Kristi King, Fry’s daughter, who described herself as a “fair-weather fan,” said she thinks the move will be a positive thing for the team and the city.
“I’m excited about the move downtown,” King said. “I think it’ll be cool. Hopefully it will boost business downtown.”
But not all fans are excited about the move.
Pat Metzler, also a season-ticket holder, said he’ll remain a Wizards fan no matter what. But with the stadium move, he may not remain a season-ticket holder.
“Being a fan is not my problem,” he said. “Getting there and parking is my problem. I probably won’t stay with this if I can’t find parking.”
The $130 million Harrison Square project includes a parking garage, but Metzler is skeptical it will offer the space the Memorial Coliseum parking lot provides, especially for buses bringing in children and retirement home residents, he said.
Dylan Malone did not realize it was the last season at Memorial Stadium for the team but said he could see how traffic and parking might be problematic downtown.
“I’ll still go to games,” he said.
Rick Vance, who attended the opener with his three children, Miranda, Breanna and Korban, said they probably won’t attend nearly as many games after the Wizards make the move.
“Personally, I think it’s a little bit sad,” he said. “There just isn’t anything to do downtown.”
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Men followed him in little packs, looking for a chance to slip into his company and shake his hand or pat his back.