The Nationals yesterday sold 40,000 individual tickets for the first season at their new ballpark, four times the number of seats sold on the first day of single-game ticket sales last season. All 4,000 of the available tickets for Opening Night sold out in less than 10 minutes.

We've heard reports that buying tickets online yesterday was a somewhat frustrating experience for some fans. Some spent a considerable amount of time in a "virtual waiting room," then were kicked back into the room after it appeared they were going to be given an opportunity to buy.

Team and company officials said everything worked the way it was supposed to, but it's hard to tell when tickets go that quickly. It would seem to me that if someone were permitted to select seats, they should have been given the opportunity to actually buy them, as long as they completed the transaction within a few minutes. (Most online sellers will release the seats if you don't enter in your credit card info within about 5-7 minutes.)

Whether it worked or not yesterday, the online system for buying tickets to a high-demand event like Opening Night strikes me as terribly inelegant and chaotic. You have thousands of fans flocking to a Web site at a specific time, many of them operating several computers at once and hitting refresh over and over and over again. They're chatting with buddies who are doing the same thing: "Did you get in? Did you get tickets? What, they don't have four together? OK, go with two! Just hurry!" Now, it beats have people camping outside a stadium to get in line or waiting in a phone queue. But there has to be an easier way.

I would suggest some sort of lottery system, similar to what many teams do for playoff games. Fans can simply enter a drawing and find a week later if they are eligible for tickets. Then they have maybe an eight-hour window to make a purchase or a spot opens up for another person on the lottery list. There's no crush of fans going to the same Web site, no long lines and less risk that a technical snafu will shut out fans from getting tickets.

The cherry blossom trees at Nationals Park are now in place.

Team and city officials held a tree-planting ceremony this morning for one of 14 trees that now line the main entrance of the new ballpark. And if things go according to plan, the trees will be in full bloom for Opening Night on March 30.

"The cherry blossoms are a subtle yet extraordinary impactful image of our city, and so when you turn on the games this year and all the years in the future and see the cherry blossoms, you'll be able to instantly recognize 'that's the ballpark in D.C.' " Nationals President Stan Kasten said. "And that's what we were trying to accomplish."

The cherry blossom trees were purchased at the William F. Hammel Nurseries in Southeast Pennsylvania and delivered via flatbed truck. Local landscaper KT Enterprises planted the trees, and Frank Gambino, a vice president with Lerner Enterprises, helped select and transport them.

"This was a once in a career opportunity," said Gambino, who Kasten refers to as "The Man." (Not, "Godfather of Trees" as some of us originally thought.)

What to look for when picking out a cherry tree? Gambino said he needed trees that were large enough to have an impact as people walked into the ballpark, but preferably without low-hanging limbs.

The chief horticulturist for the National Park Service today said that he expects the cherry blossom trees along the tidal basin and East Potomac park to be in peak bloom between March 27 and April 3. That bodes well for the Nats-O's exhibition on March 29 and for Opening Night, though Gambino said the Nationals Park cherry blossoms could bloom earlier because of heat that might be reflected off of the cement concourse.

"Now we have a new way of knowing when spring has arrived in Washington D.C.," Mayor Adrian Fenty said. "Planting the cherry blossom tree here at Nationals Park puts together two of our most fabulous Washington, D.C. springtime occasions and events."

Also yesterday, we got our first glimpse of the decorative scrim that will be placed around the parking garages beyond left field. The first scrim features the logos of all 16 National League teams. Other scrims will feature the AL squads and a Washington "Hall of Stars."

- Tim Lemke

I know, it's been a while since I've blogged. I just can't seem to keep up with the pace of my buddy Patrick Stevens over at the D1Scourse blog, who, I should point out, got 64 of 65 teams correct in his NCAA Tournament projection. ESPN's Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm at Collegerpi.com were perfect, but they're not doing projections on top of writing game stories and features and traveling. Patrick gets the nod for having a higher strength of schedule, so to speak.

My Final Four projection (at the moment) for anyone who cares, is: Louisville, Kansas, Memphis and UCLA. I like Purdue and West Virginia as major conference sleepers and see Siena over Vandy as the biggest first round upset. I also think UMBC could give Georgetown a game.

Ok, onto the world of sport biz. Some ballpark budget numbers! Accountants, rejoice!

The latest budget report for the stadium came out last week, and it shows no surprises. The latest budget pegs the cost of the project at $673,603,097, broken down as follows:
Hard costs (materials and labor): $320 million
Soft costs (things like insurance and permit fees): $175,121,815
Land and Environmental Cleanup: $154,769,802

The above number includes the $20 million that the team was required to contribute in the lease agreement. The Nationals have contributed an additional $11,392,750, with $7,615,650 going toward hard costs.

At the moment, the city remains under the D.C. Council's cap on hard and soft costs. (The cap is $495,184,218, leaving just $63,000 to play around with. But, there's still $11 million left in contingency. So there's no real danger of busting the cap.)

The cost of land and environmental remediation was not capped, but is currently $43,154,020 over budget. Land alone has cost about $33 million more than estimates.

-- Tim Lemke

Alex Ovechkin's decision to get his bangs trimmed at the Hair Cuttery near the Caps practice facility has landed him a big endorsement deal.

The largest privately-owned salon in the country announced that it has signed Ovechkin to a six-month partnership that will include print and radio ads. Ovechkin will also autograph some items for Hair Cuttery customers and could make in-store appearances.

"When we learned that Alex is a regular Hair Cuttery client, we knew he would be perfect for our new advertising campaign," Hair Cuttery founder and CEO Dennis Ratner said in a press release. "Alex certainly has some extra change in his pocket these days, and at Hair Cuttery, all our clients can get a great style and keep a little extra for themselves."

We should probably give a nod to Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog across town for breaking the news of Ovechkin's affection for Hair Cuttery back in January. He also suggest earlier this month that Hair Cuttery should use Ovechkin in his ads. The company mentioned Dan's blog posts in announcing the deal; no word on whether he's getting a cut. (pun!)

-- Tim Lemke

The big question that everyone has been asking over the last month or so is "will the Nationals new ballpark be done on time?"

Now we can say with great confidence that the answer is "yes." The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission has received a conditional certificate of occupancy from the city that will allow the team to use the ballpark to play baseball. Now, this doesn't mean the stadium is 100 percent, totally, absolutely done. It just means that things are complete enough that there are no safety issues this would prohibit an event from being carried out in the facility.

A commission spokeswoman tells me there are some so-called "punch-list" items that need to be done between now and Opening Night. In plain-English, that means they're talking about fixing any outstanding minor flaws, like bad paint jobs, broken electrical outlets or loose plumbing. I learned that in Great Britain, they call this process "de-snagging."

In my recent visits to the ballpark, it appeared that nearly all of the unfinished work was related to the aesthetics of the facility. Lights have been tested over the last few weeks. Plumbing's been tested. The scoreboard's been tested. Even emergency sirens and announcements have been tested (I know, because when I visited the park a couple of weeks ago I repeatedly heard a booming voice telling me to exit the ballpark in a quick but orderly fashion.)

Hopefully by Opening Night, we'll have a ballpark that's fully de-snagged.

- Tim Lemke

Since I never turn down the chance to obtain free food, I raced over to Nationals Park last evening for a food tasting inside the Stars and Stripes Club inside the stadium. This was a chance for owners of luxury suites to sample the menu items they can order while watching the game, and also served as a chance for Nationals officials to try and convince more fans to buy some of the suites still for sale.

The Stars and Stripes Club is a two-story club situated behind the luxury suites. It has a massive window overlooking the Anacostia River and the not-so-exquisite Florida Rock cement plant that everyone keeps hoping will be demolished at some point.

Centerplate last night filled the club with food, all of which we could sample, except for some items on the west end that were only for display purposes. I learned about the do-not-touch items after nearly picking up a chocolate croissant, only to see Nationals principal owner Bob Tanenbaum politely scolded for attempting a similar move on a sandwich.

Among the food options were the typical ballpark fare (hot dogs, chicken fingers, wings, sausages) and some fairly ambitious entrees, including wasabi pea crusted tuna, Asian glass noodle salad and lemon grass ginger grilled chicken. There was also something called two-way chicken, which I could make jokes about but won't because this is a family newspaper.

I was also thrilled to see the will offer Philly Cheesesteaks, and immediately decided to sample one. As a native of the Philadelphia area, I am kind of a snob when it comes to these sandwiches. In my view, here's what makes a quality steak:

* Fresh, high quality top round steak, thinly sliced
* Fresh onions and green peppers, sliced thin
* Cheez Whiz or American or Provolone cheese
* A medium to large hoagie roll, preferably from Amoroso's, but other brands are ok as long as they are soft and relatively flaky.

I wasn't able to judge the quality of the Centerplate rolls, because all they had were hot dog rolls, which I assume will be replaced by something more appropriate once the season starts. I gave the meat on the Centerplate cheesesteaks a solid B. The quality seemed ok, but it needed to be sliced a bit better and it was clear that it had been sitting in the catering bin for a while, which dried it out. Meat is generally best right off the grill, if possible, so that the grease can seep into the roll and create a moist and decadent explosion of flavor. As for the cheese: it came through with a solid A, because they came through with the Cheez Whiz, which most places outside of Philly don't offer.

"Quality job on the steak," I told Nationals president Stan Kasten as I wiped yellow gunk off my chin. "You actually have Whiz."

"Yeah, but why have Whiz when you can have actual real cheese?" he asked.

"Why have real cheese when you can have Whiz?" I replied.

"Because some of our more gourmet customers might want real cheese instead of that processed cheese product."

To each his own, I suppose.

Of course, the food isn't cheap, in either quality or price. I watched an official from Centerplate demonstrate the company's "EZ- Plan-It" online food ordering system, and saw that a package that includes some of the most popular ballpark fare costs more than $500, plus an 18 percent (18 percent!) service charge and 10 percent food and entertainment tax. So it came to more than $800.

The Stars and Stripes Club was packed full of people last night, many of which seemed on the fence about whether they would be buying a luxury suite this year. But Kasten was unapologetic in saying that these were the people the team wanted to woo.

"All 41,000 of our customers are our most important customers," he said. "But those of you who are up here in the suites in the club seats, you're just a little bit more important than just the average customer. So we're very glad you're here. We think you're going to be knocked out by the place."

Tamala Scott, the associate director of new ventures for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, said her organization was considering renting out a suite for at least some games this year. The food options, she said, were impressive, but it was unlikely anyone from her group would be selecting the pea-crusted tuna while at the ballgame.

"With our members, we're more hot dogs, to be quite honest with you," Scott said, as she picked up a sausage. "I love sushi, but we don't have a sushi crowd. But whatever food you like, you will find and you will be happy with it."

Scott, of course, was also on a seperate mission, to test the suites for handicapped accessibility. The PVA has worked with architect HOK Sport to ensure proper access for the disabled, and has uncovered no problems so far.

Baseball fans rising early to see this year's opening game between the Red Sox and A's live from Japan may have found themselves disappointed. ESPN2, which was supposed to carry the game nationwide, has been unavailable on the DirecTV satellite service all morning. Red Sox fans in Boston are particularly irate, based on the feedback received at the Boston Globe's Web site. There have apparently been outages associated the New England Sports Network as well.

ESPN2 is currently airing the following message: "NO NEED TO CALL US. We are aware this TV station is temporarily unavailable. We will have this channel back as soon as possible. SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION"

So far I have heard explanations ranging from a transponder issue to a software problem. But nothing official from anyone at DirecTV. I have put in an inquiry to the company and will try and provide an update on the situation as soon as possible.

By the way, the Red Sox won, 6-5 in 10 innings.

- Tim Lemke

You can read my story today about the continued feelings of frustration from MLS and D.C. United officials about the slow pace of talks for a new stadium at Poplar Point. But one thing that didn't make it into the that story is that there is also a simmering battle between the team and D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission about a new lease at RFK Stadium.

I reported in January that the team was seeking a higher share of revenue from advertising, parking and concessions at the old stadium. Now we're just two weeks away from the team's opener on April 5 and a deal for a new lease is still not in place, team president Kevin Payne told me yesterday.

The issue is this: The team really wants its own facility, where it can bring in all the money from naming rights, advertising, concessions, etc. But in the absence of that, it would at least like to get a bigger share of revenue, particularly since it is now the only tenant there.

The sports commission understands D.C. United's point view but is not about to give money away, especially since it recently had to turn to the D.C. Council for assistance in balancing its budget this last fiscal year. The two sides understand the other, but there is growing frustration on the part of Payne, who feels that the commission should not be so heavily reliant on RFK just to make ends meet.

"To a degree, we're empathetic, but at the end of the day, their inability to drive enough revenue through the D.C. Armory, for instance, is not our problem," Payne said. "We've invested a lot in this team and this city and we've kept that stadium alive and we need a bigger share of the pie. It's that simple."

I asked Payne whether he felt like the commission would now be able to focus more attention on United now that they are essentially done with the time-consuming work of building the Nationals' new ballpark.

"It is frustrating for us. We understand the [Nationals] stadium is a big deal, but that doesn't help us. We're getting a little tired of being told, 'We're too busy.' But Greg O'Dell has been responsive and has done his best to get us answers in a timely manner, and we're optimistic we can get to the finish line shortly."

There are indications that the new, merged version of the Indy Racing League may already have more clout in the business community. Tire manufacturer Firestone announced that it will be the title sponsor of the IRL's developmental circuit, now to be dubbed "Firestone Indy Lights."

Firestone had been the title sponsor between 1991 and 2001, but dropped out as a sponsor. IRL re-named the circuit the Indy Pro Series.

"This is a fresh start driven by tradition," said Al Speyer, Executive Director of Motorsports, for Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC. "Our company has a long history of supporting the development of talent in the open-wheel ranks; this will be our 18th consecutive year doing so. With the unification of open-wheel racing, we thought it the perfect time to merge the excitement of the IRL's growing support series with the rich history of Firestone Indy Lights."

The IRL's season starts Saturday with the Indy Car Series' Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 from Miami-Homestead Speedway. The race will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Firestone Indy Lights series also starts at Miami-Homestead with the Miami 100 race that afternoon.

- Tim Lemke

Nationals Park formally opens this weekend with an exhibition game between the Nats and Orioles on Saturday, followed by the official home opener on Sunday night against the Braves.

I'll host a live chat on Friday at 1 p.m. to talk about what to look for, how to get there and, of course, answer any questions from fans. I'll also be happy to answer any other questions related to ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships or other sports business matters.

If you have a question but can't make it back Friday at 1 p.m., send an e-mail to me at tlemke@washingtontimes.com.

The cost of attending a major league baseball game has risen more than 8 percent this season, with ticket prices alone costing nearly 12 percent more than in 2007.

Team Marketing Report said the average cost to attend a game -- known as the Fan Cost Index -- will be $191.75, up from $176.24 last year. The FCI includes the cost of four tickets, two small beers, four small sodas, four hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two adult-sized caps.

TMR also said the average ticket price for 2008 is $25.40, up from $22.69 last year.
The Boston Red Sox top the list of the most expensive Major League teams, with a Fan Cost Index of $320.71. The average ticket price is $48.80, also the highest in baseball. The Cubs, Yankees, Mets and White Sox round out the top five in FCI.

The Nationals, meanwhile, rose 11 spots in the FCI rankings, from 24th to 13th, It will cost $195.50 for a family of four to attend a game at Nationals Park, up from $147.94 at RFK Stadium last season. The team rose from 17th to 16th in ticket pricing, with the average price rising from $21.11 to $25.00.

- Tim Lemke