The Washington Nationals have scrapped fireworks this year and begun celebrating homeruns and wins with a submarine horn. Makes sense for a baseball team whose stadium is not much further from the Washington Navy Yard than a Jayson Werth throw from right field.
The Washington Post’s intrepid reporter Dan Steinberg has the story. Steinberg is incredible at tracking down the back story on most lingering sports questions you and a buddy might debate in the stands or sitting at a bar watching a game.
“Wait, didn’t they used to have fireworks last year? What happened? Now, all I hears is this bloody horn,” one Nat diehard says to another sitting at local watering hole Lola’s.
“Maybe you’ve just had one too many Dogfish Heads tonight,” the other Nats diehard responds.
But Steinberg doesn”t settle, and as usual, he got to the bottom of this pressing story.
Here’s the quick brief of what he found out: The Nats front office wanted to provide a unique quirk for the stadium’s Navy Yard location. Hence, the submarine horn, which is hooked up to the stadium’s sound system, because, well, submarine’s are pretty freaking sweet. Even a Zoomie can admit that, although that same Zoomie would rather not spend six months at a time without seeing sunlight, but we digress.
The Nats didn’t nix the fireworks because of budget issues like some Natstown residents suspected considering the 7-year deal the Nats gave to Werth to snatch him from the slums of Philly. They did it to add the unquestionable coolness of a sub’s horn. We at After Action commend the move as Military Times’ resident Nats fans.
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Thank God they stopped those annoying fireworks that forced 4th of July on us nearby residents endlessly. I have not yet noticed the submarine horn (don’t know what it sounds like), but it has got to be better than startling bomblike noises for a good part of the year!