Nationals Confiscate Cubs Flags During NLDS Game 2, Echoing Their Anti-Phillies Hijinks

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Some Phillies fans may remember that during the height of the 2007-2011 dynasty, the Washington Nationals front office went to great lengths to stem the flow of Philadelphia fans to Nationals Park, also known as "Citizens Bank Park South." They held pre-sales and offered a wide array of discounts that were only open to local area codes. Philly fans, of course, took nothing from that but renewed motivation to make the journey.

It appears, however, that the Nationals continue to be overwhelmed by fans of opposing teams, even as they hosted the opening game of the National League Division Series on Friday night.

The Nationals, playing the defending world champion Chicago Cubs, were apparently so perturbed by opposing fans waving their iconic "W" flags on Friday that they confiscated them from fans trying to enter the ballpark on Saturday, according to numerous fans reporting on Twitter.

Some might say that perhaps someone high up in the Nationals organization is just particularly sensitive. And that could be the case, too.

But the issue is far more systemic. This kind of behavior by a major sports franchise is almost unheard of, and with good reason: while there are always a few fans of opposing teams in the seats at any athletic competition, the presence of enemy supporters is almost never significant enough to warrant a search and frisk. Or to cause the franchise's front office to go out of their way to discourage opposing fans from visiting.

When the Nationals pulled that on the Phillies, the prevailing sentiment seemed to be that the Nationals were essentially a struggling expansion team, and Phillies fans, riding their team's historic run, were bullying the local market.

Yet after the Nationals Game 1 loss to the Cubs, and yet another premature exit from the playoffs, the desperation of the organization to undercut opposing fans is illustrative something much larger. It's been 12 years since the Montreal Expos made the bizarre choice to relocate to Washington D.C., a region which already has a professional baseball team: the Baltimore Orioles. Nationals Park is a mere 38 miles from the Orioles home in Camden Yards. And, as Saturday night demonstrated, the Nationals are apparently struggling to make a dent in the competing market. If enough fans aren't showing up for the first home game of the playoffs, it's fair to say the Nationals have still failed to carve out a niche out of the largely transient DC population.

In fact, more than half of the population of Washington, D.C., is not native, so it's little wonder that the franchise's efforts to build a fanbase have floundered, just like the team's annual playoff hopes.

About those hopes: perhaps the Nationals continued October futility should be taken as a sign. In four playoff appearances since 2012, counting the ongoing 2017 NLDS, the Nationals are 5-10. They've failed to advance past the opening round each time, despite winning 95 games or more in each of those four seasons.

Recent reports indicate that should Major League Baseball undergo expansion again, Montreal would be among the top choices to receive a new team. Here's a better idea: send the Zombie Expos back north of the border whence they came. It's a long drive for Phillies fans up to Canada.

Patch file photo