Stadium Downgraded from Toppest Notch

The Saturday Post reported that planners are scaling back the design of the Anacostia ballpark to cut costs in hopes of securing that all-important seventh Council vote for the lease.

Two quotations stood out in the story. First, mayoral aide Vince Morris said, "None of the proposed changes to the ballpark design would impact the fan's experience. Everything from seats and soda to sightlines and restrooms would be top-notch."

Which prompted the following exchange:

BallWonk: Which notch?

Vince Morris: Top notch.

Additionally, noted architectural historian and Council member Jack "the un-Barry" Evans hailed the downgraded design, saying, "I want a very basic stadium. We can't build a stadium that costs a fortune out of glass and steel and looks like the Taj Mahal."

Well, no flack, Jack. A stadium built out of glass and steel could not possibly look like the Taj Mahal. Because, you know, the Taj Mahal is made out of stone.

Fig. 1: Steel and glass building

Fig. 2: Taj Mahal

(Unspoken in the story was the Friday deadline for public notice of a new lease in order for the Council to vote on it in February. If a new lease is not negotiated by the end of the week, the scheduled March groundbreaking will be delayed, making it significantly likely that the stadium will not be ready in 2008. That would mean another year in RFK, increased construction costs, and millions of dollars in contractual damages owed to Major League Baseball. The Council says it wants to control costs, but it is also deliberately acting to expose the city to tens of millions of dollars in punitive liability. Are we really such fools here in DC that these are the city's 13 smartest and most responsible people? Or rather, the city's 12 smartest and most responsible people, and Marion Barry?)