Some favorite things

Monday night, I saw the Braves win their 11th straight. I also visited Nationals Ballpark for the first time. Amazingly, these two things happened at the same time.

My Five Favorite Things About the Braves
1. They have two every-day players who are below the Mendoza line.

2. They have two brothers in the outfield.

3. They have a starting pitcher who throws like you’re not supposed to throw.

Sorry, gotta be a top three. I might have been able to come up with two more, but I was annoyed by the Braves’ uniforms Monday night.

My Five Favorite Things About Nationals Park

1. I walked to the ballpark. This is not generally recommended, but I’m stubborn. And I was rewarded with a wonderfully ancient ghost sign, not half-a-mile from the U.S. Capitol.

2. Walking around the concourse, I found a gluten-free food stand and bought some spicy pumpkin seeds. The gluten-free stand also sold Skittles, which now that I think about it must be gluten-free, also.

3. Once the sun is down, the big scoreboard clock shows itself to good effect.

4. If you walk over to Section 136 and peer westward between the edge of the stadium and the parking garage, you can see the Washington Monument a few miles away. Similarly, if you make your way to the upper deck in right field, you can see the top of the Capitol dome.

5. I walked back to my hotel from the ballpark, too. Which also is not generally recommended. But I was rewarded with a stroll that took me straight to the Capitol, which simply must be seen at night, and up close.