What a day for a game. Blue skies, sun, 71 degrees, not too hot. Casey gave me a call yesterday with tickets for today's game. Already the most baseball-intensive week of my life (four games), how could I say no to a fifth? Nats took the game, 7-3 after the home team hung a six-pack on the Crotalus adamantei in the seventh.

Picked up a scorebook at City Sports downtown, to solve the scorecard problem. Five bucks for 28 games! I just saved myself $275 . Feeling pretty good. Now I can totally justify that XM radio. Turns out Casey used to score Cape League games, so I managed to learn a couple things.

A special thanks to the Nationals' ushers who, through their laxness, allowed Casey and I to wind up in the second row next to the Diamondbacks' dugout. The "Affleck seats" as she called them. My Dad and I had seats two rows behind the Pirates dugout in '01, but I can't recall being as close as this before. Absolutely fantastic. Makes me wish I did bring my Nikon instead of killing a roll in the Elph. I could have got some amazing pictures. And free food!! They get free food down there! Ah, how the other half lives. I don't feel guilty in the least. Who doesn't come and claim their seats in the 2nd row on the first Sunday afternoon game of the season on a cloudless day? Communists, that's who. Or maybe albinos.

Notes from the game:
* I'm starting to like The Bobby more for ballgames. There really isn't much of a bad seat in the house. Ok, so the seats *themselves* can be a little shaky sometimes, there's nothing to detract from your enjoying the game.
* Three games and I've seen a handful of home runs, two triples, a double steal, an almost-cycle, a marriage proposal, a swinging bunt, some great - if not dazzlng - defensive plays, the Nats bat around two times, a 1-3-6-1-4 pickoff and a managerial argument. If I see a hiddden ball trick on Tuesday, I might just not go the rest of the season.
* Castilla cooled down after being moved up a spot to #5, only 1-4, but he did beat out an infield hit to third. Old man's got wheels.
* Moving Guzman from 8 to 2 did nothing to help his funk. Is there life below the Mendoza Line? Right now he's like one of those strange creatures marine biologists find near thermal vents in the sea floor.
* I thought Robinson had a quick hook for the second straight game, but it turns out Loaiza was at 114 pitches when he was pulled in the sixth. Conversely, Bob Melvin allowed Mike Koplove to get banged around, like he did to Choke last night.