Take Me Out to the Ballgame

As promised, here is my report on what a fabulous thing it is to go to a Nationals game at RFK. Saturday afternoon we had a mid-singles activity (which means its for all singles regardless of age, but we really hope the ones between 27-40 will come). First it was a BBQ at Steph's, followed by the metro into DC for a Nats game. When I first heard people calling our new team the Nats, I cringed. I'm still not crazy about it. But there are far too many things in DC that contain the name "National," so it is nice to differentiate them that way. And now I am a full blown Nats fan.
I admit I am still a baseball neophyte. I know very little, but I am catching on. What I truly love is crowd mentality and people watching. Since baseball moves so slowly, I can get plenty of this done and miss very little of the game. I love tradition, nostalgia, etc., which is what I think draws me to baseball games. There's a little tradition in college football still, but you miss that on TV. (And I went to GMU- a football free school.) But baseball is just steeped in tradition. The seventh inning stretch, curses, legends, singing, popcorn, hot dogs, etc. You just don't get that in any other sport.
I love to people watch and be a part of a large innocuous crowd. I could just sit in a stadium and watch the people for hours. There's the extreme Type A, red, extroverted personalities, with their excessive fan loyalties. You see them jumping up and down, starting the wave, screaming, and wearing matching jerseys. And then there is the official sports aficionado. They know every stat, detail, prediction. They don't miss a beat when it comes to the game. They go to the games with friends or alone, and it makes no difference to them. You have the people that are just along for the ride as well. They don't know about the game, the team, etc. But they came cause they heard its fun. When it comes to the Nats, I'm a little of everything. Maybe not so much an aficionado, but I think I could get there. I actually even read the sports page today just to find out what happened in Sunday's game. I even bought the souvenir cup at the game ($4.75 for a 1 liter of diet pepsi!!!), just so I could take the schedule home with me. I'm already making plans in my head to go down for the next series of home games (against Toronto). If for nothing else, I have to go back so I can buy the pink W hat (W being the official logo of the Nats, which always makes me think of all the political stuff that said "W for President."). I have to have the pink hat, of course, but I think a true Nats fan should also have it in blue or red, so I'll get one of those too. I think I am ready for this whole true and loyal fan business. Bring it on!