The Nationals only got 6 hits yesterday (the season lowest), and it was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the shaded stands with occasional wind gusts, but still fun being there with our friends, the Markisons and our cousin Alison.

Edie and I arrived at Nats Park early, and had time to wander a bit. We first went into the team store, which is  now almost as big as a Walmart or Ikea, it seems. There was quite a bit of commotion in the store, with strangers talking to each other, shaking their heads, and laughing. The subject of the conversations? The prices.

Want a cap? $45.

A t-shirt? $40.

Short sleeve shirt? $135

Jacket? $250.

They even were selling t-shirts with names on the back of Dylan Crews and Josiah Gray, both of whom are now playing at Rochester in the AAA, without a discount.

I actually did buy something. A key chain (which I needed to replace one that broke) for $9.99. But wait! Always observant Edie saw a small sign on the counter that said if you show them your AARP membership card, you get 20% off. So, I did, and I did. Now if I had seen that before  we were looking at those $250 jackets…..

The Nats were playing the Cardinals, and lost 6-1. That is a special score for me, as my first baseball game, back in 194_ something ended with a 6-1, score, the Cubs beating the Cardinals. Equally disappointing, although in those days, I was a fan of the Browns, not the Cardinals.

The park looked good yesterday, if underpopulated.

And the scoreboard looked as cluttered as it did last year. Maybe more so.

A new feature is a mini-food court, called Change-up, which features food from the visiting team’s home city. Yestetday, you could get toasted ravioli, St. Louis slingers, Gerber sandwiches (Say, what? Apparently, it is a thing.) and an assortment of milk shakes. We just looked. Passover and all.

The game was at 4. We were home by 7:30. Soup and an omelette for supper. Regular food starts tonight. And we are scheduled to leave town tomorrow. Looking forward to some toasted ravioli.