Just Another Crooked Campaign from Washington

   "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League".  This is a widely used statement referring to the beginning years of the old Washington Senators.   Things have changed a lot since then but the Washington Nationals, now of the National League, are trying to prove that statement true once again.
   Earlier this month the Nationals displayed a total lack of class by an organization when they kicked off their "Take Back the Park" campaign.  According to the initiative the Nationals are allowing only people who live in Washington D.C., Maryland, or Virginia the chance to purchase single game tickets for all of the Nationals vs. Phillies contests this season at Nationals Park.  Furthermore, the team has limited the group sales for these games, and even returned the deposits to some of the out of market fans once the campaign kicked off.  Their goal is to keep bus loads of Phillies fans out of the ballpark and cater to their fans.  The Nationals Chief Operating Officer, Andy Feffer, stated that other fans can buy as many tickets that they want once the promotion is over.  The individual tickets will be at a non-discounted rate and he has failed to state exactly when the promotion will end.  The last time that I checked, money in Philadelphia was just as good as the money in Washington  D.C., Maryland, or Virginia.
   Last Sunday, the team's third baseman, Ryan Zimmerman signed a 6 year deal worth $100 million.  This comes one year after the Nationals signed outfielder Jayson Werth to 7 years at $126 million.  These players in particular and the organization in general should be publicly thanking the bus loads of Phillies fans that show up every season and pay good money for their tickets.  Maybe, the Nationals are still upset that after they signed Werth to the big contract his batting average dropped 64 points from his last year as a Phillie.  Whatever it is the Nationals need to concentrate less on who is buying tickets and more on building a winning team.  The Phillies don't discriminate against fans watching a game at Citizens Bank Park and they have won the National League East  in five consecutive seasons with a World Series Title .  If it's a rivalry the Washington Nationals want they need to be able to compete, and there is a better chance of bringing an honest politician to The Nation's Capital than a World Series Championship.