Maybe Nationals owner Ted Lerner thought he could use his GW connection to convince Mayor Vincent Gray to pay for a $300 million retractable roof on Nationals Park.

But Gray, a 1964 alumnus, laughed off the idea.

The Washington Business Journal reported that real estate developer Lerner – a former trustee, 1950 alumnus and Lerner Health and Wellness Center donor – asked Gray in a meeting this week if the District would pick up the tab for the pricey Nationals Park addition.

The business journal reported that a source said the plan “would be cost prohibitive and butt ugly” because the 2008 park wasn’t built with a roof in mind.

Foggy Bottom’s D.C. Council representative Jack Evans, a mayoral candidate, said a retractable roof would be a good idea – but on the Lerners’ dime.

“Great idea, but the Lerners would have to pay for it and I think there are creative ways to do that,” Evans told the Washington Business Journal.

Of course, the Nationals got more laughs with another announcement this week: the boy band One Direction will play the stadium this summer.