One of the most enjoyable things about having a baseball team in town is attending the games with your friends.  Ever since the Nationals came to DC, my friends and I have been season ticket holders.  81 games is a lot of games – and it can get expensive – so we wisely share amongst a core group of friends.

I share the Nats with a group of very good friends — Kurt, Ross, “Breezy” and Todd.  Kurt, one of my closest friends, is by far are most ambitious and ardent supporter of the Nats.   When he doesn’t use our tickets, he goes to additional games.  He must attend 35 – 40 games a year – plus he goes to support the Class A team in Potomac, VA.

After not having a MLB team in town for so long, it’s great to have MLB here at least 81 games a year.  And, I honestly don’t care who they’re playing — I’m just happy to have baseball in town.  I can watch any team play the Nats and I’m content.  More importantly, it’s wonderful to go to games with your good friends.  The game has its own pace — and we certainly have our routings — maybe getting a burger from Shake Shack, chili cheese dogs from Ben’s Chili Bowl, nachos from Hard Times Cafe, etc.  And, there’s not many better things than a very cold beer on a hot and humid day.

In addition to attending games with good friends, I also regularly take mentees and / or students to games.  It’s a great way to watch the game but also to talk about life, career, hobbies, etc.   And, it’s also fun to teach the younger generation about the game of baseball.  There’s strategy that goes into every pitch.  Some complain that the game is boring or slow-paced – but that’s because they don’t understand what is happening with every single pitch.

It’s also a lot of fun to attend games with friends in various cities.  There’s nothing like the passion and intensity of the baseball fans in NY, Boston and Philly.   St Louis probably is the best baseball city in the US – and the fans are the nicest people.   The LA Dodgers scene is always entertaining and interesting.  And, it was a great thrill to attend my first-ever game at the history Wrigley Field last summer with another one of my close friends, TK.

Thank you, baseball, for being in our lives.  My friends are grateful.  Oh, and it’s good when your favorite team is in 1st place.  Let’s go, Nats!