Had a great time with friends and free tickets at the Nationals ballpark the other night. Probably had a better time than whoever thought up the business model or made the contract for the MLB in-park photos.

The deal: Roving team staffers try to take as many pictures as possible of fans in the stadium and then hand them each a card where the fans can find their photos online after the game. You think, "What goodwill! A photo from the game we can send around and post, so other friends can see what a good time we had." Viral, yes? Then you see prices.

An $11.99 5×7 print of the photo is the cheapest option. An 8×10 is $19.99. A mousepad is $29.99. And if you just want to download? No physical products, no mailing, no handling, no labor beyond the $10-an-hour staffer's already-invested minute to take the photo? $69.99.

We have the Nats, MLB and PrintRoom.com to thank. The price is so ridiculous that getting a 5×7 and a download actually costs $10 less. Even better? Even though the download involves no mailing and the checkout says "No Shipping Needed," the site adds $2 for shipping.

We lost. But the day was warmer than previous openers, and the sun even appeared for a few innings. The pre-game flyover was different.

The new art was as weird as the Post said ("the Washington Nationals of art"). Placement in the sun would do the mobiles a lot of good.

And this new food stand. Really? Really? …

As far as getting to the game, the Orange line was in great shape.

The L'Enfant Plaza switch to Green wasn't. This was boarding try #3.

Other notes: Top 10 signs of a good work team? They all like going to a ballgame. Happy birthday to Carlos. … Saw good buddy Jeff in right field, and he was equally amused by Adam Dunn's at-bat music: Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight and Silver Bullet Bob's Turn the Page. … After the game, did the walk to Capitol South for the first time, liked it. No crowds, took just about as long. … Pretty girls still love baseball. God bless America. … First time seeing Patti Austin since '98 Jackson Hole crazy trip. (Note of the rarely spoiled Nats fan: She was good but no Placido.) Where were James Ingram, Dorothy Hamill and Colin Powell? … Stadium Gifford's shouldn't run out of hot chocolate like it did. That stuff's great. But the beer stands are now pretty much everywhere.

The photo and caption chosen for the Post story on your job status:
……

2008's post was "Guess I shouldn't have complained about the hat."

Last year, I complained about MLB's merchandise for St. Patrick's day. The Yankees and Red Sox got all kinds of stuff. Far less prominent teams got a selection. The Nats got a hat. One green hat was disappointing. The knock-off guys on the corner sold hats across the rainbow all season long.

But I guess no one bought the hat. This year, MLB has given us nothing. Only 13 teams get green merch for the holiday, and the Nats don't make the cut. Of those who do, the Red Sox take the lead with 29 items, and the Mets grab second with 20 items. The Yanks freefall to third with 19 items. The Cubs get 14 and the White Sox a dozen. Oakland again leads the ridiculous meter. After leaving me incredulous last year with a pair of St. Patrick's Day sweatshirts, this year brings two shirts and hoody.

Well, guess what? Zero gets worse. The Nats are again shut out this year, but now they are only one of five teams to find themselves so. Twenty-five other teams have green merch for this holiday. That's two more than in the sale's previous peak in 2007. With participation on the way up, so goes quantity. The Red Sox get 33 items, Yankees and Mets 30 each, Cubs 28, Cardinals 20, Phillies 19, White Sox 18. And of course Oakland gets its St. Patrick's Day craziness with 12 items.

Yes, replacing Clint and stopping the ball-tosser ejections are on the list, but Fire Jim Bowden goes outside the box in some great directions.

12. Free admission after the 11th inning. When I was in high school and college, one of my favorite things to do on a Friday night with my friends was to go see the late night improv session at Second City, which was always free and first-come, first-served. It was almost always students who would show up, and none of us had the money to come to a regular performance, so for us that was our only option. And guess what–we had a blast, and now when I'm home for the holidays, often me and my old high school friends go to Second City, paying full fare. I think the Nationals could do something similar by having a standing rule that for any game that goes past the 11th inning, they'll open the front gates and anyone who wants to come watch is welcome. There's plenty of standing room in the concourses, so the paying fans wouldn't be disturbed at all. Frankly I doubt very many people would even take advantage. But it would create a buzz, and those who do show I bet would be young people like me and my old friends who would never go to a game under any other circumstance.

Another: "Southwest airlines-style first-come-first-serve seating for one game." I love it. Read much more. (Link va Let Teddy Win.)

The dirt's on the basepaths is harder than you expect it to be, but you figure your knees and butt could get used to it. If you were able and asked to play professional baseball, you'd play on a field of glass.

So, when you get the chance just to walk on the field, you grab it. The season ticket-holder picnic doesn't make you special, but the day does get you running the bases, throwing in the pen, touring pricey seats, and hearing players talk. Willie Harris, also versatile in conversation.

Hadn't been back to the ballpark since the Red Porch, where the Nats let me down and I let myself down more. One could compare fan and team to no good results. When were they all finally going to grow up? Who knew. With that thinking, the idea of going back hadn't felt great. 

But it was good to go back for this day. It was free and no one was going to lose. All you really had was the weather — crisp vs. sun in a day game – and the field. You wanted definition, you got it. Scenes…

This isn't a photo of Ryan Zimmerman in the Nats dugout. This isn't a photo of Ryan Zimmerman's helmet in the Nats dugout. This is a photo of the hole where Ryan Zimmerman's helmet goes in the Nats dugout.

'05 Montreal clerk: "Ah, you stole our team!" But I still wear your shirt.

If you didn't know, I'm a little obsessed with baseball groundskeeping.

Make that a lot obsessed. Sprinted to watch paint spraying and drying.

Who knew there was a fence in front of the out-of-town scoreboard? Who knew the scoreboard was tiny lights and not one giant picture?

There's always next year. For team or fan, they say it and I believe it.

The Internet? Can't beat it. Especially when the dog who might win the big one for the Cubs finds you, through his owner. Thanks to Beth reading and e-mailing in, I can introduce you to Wrigley and the Cubs.

On opening day for the Cubs at Wrigley field, I turned on the television and I could not believe my eyes! Wrigley sat still for close to two hours (something of a miracle in itself) and actually watched the game. The Cubs won. And they continue to win.

Aside from Mussina tracking, this blog hasn't had a lot to root for on MLB fields this year. Can the Nats lose 100? Any time the Nats and the Cubs play, this blog is going with the home team. But the Cubs have a special place in my heart. If October wants to expose that place, let it.

After the good things and the mixed things, the bad thing about the Red Porch is service. You're paying a premium for table service, but the wait staff isn't required to ask for orders, give out menus or even show up. If you wait for them to show, you wait the whole game. Your empty cup-holder sits in front of you, and you get angry because apparently you've got a glass half-empty streak in you.

The two mixed things about the first row of the Red Porch.

I have his autograph. If you want to talk about adulation, he's up there with Ripken for me. There's an upper tier of sports mascots in my mind, and he's entrenched. And now he's the enemy. He cheers for the enemy, a team I don't enjoy any more, and picks fights with our mascot. But he's so damn cool. If there's any way a cartoon could return to standard-issue MLB uniform hats, the Orioles Bird would be involved. If there's any way Nats management could realize Screech is a big wimp instilling no team pride in anyone above the age of six, the Oriole Bird would be involved. He could stand perfectly still next to the Screech for half an hour, and everyone would understand.

Not far from the mascot discussion is the presidents discussion. We saw Teddy take a big lead in our game, only to get a trip from the Bird. We didn't feel much. Teddy used to have an any-given-gameday feeling to him. But his losing runs to shutter RFK and open the new ballpark have gotten a little too close to the overall team feeling. When are we gonna win? Our most celebrated game spectacle is somebody losing in humiliating fashion. I still love Teddy, but my love of the other presidents and their handlers is falling off fast.

Previously: The two good things. Coming soon: The one bad.

The view across the field and the view next to your seats. You escape from the crowd some and move further into the game. The neighboring bullpen belongs to the visitors, but relative casualness is surprising and worth witnessing. On the field, we didn't have anyone crash into our wall or get to lunge at home-run balls, but we got close. Coming: The two mixed things and the one bad thing.