The Nats did a nice thing for 15,000 of their closest friends on Sunday afternoon. After soundly defeating the Phillies, 6-0, on a day perfectly suited to the game of baseball (75 degrees, cool breeze, sunshine), the team had a Picnic at the Park for season ticket holders. Now I have not purchased season tickets, but I was with a friend who did, and so I went along for the ride. This sort of mass event is the kind of thing that could go terribly wrong if poorly planned, and as we waited in the broiling sun to go through the ticket check, it looked grim. It turned out that the bottleneck was created as people made their way through Gate B, where we received a snazzy red or blue Nationals blanket and a tan Nationals cap, onto the outfield. You know that at DCist we love our free swag, so it was worth the wait.

Finally after a fairly long wait, emerging from the dark tunnel into the late afternoon sun, there we were on the outfield. The pitcher’s mound and dugouts were the only areas off limits, but you could take a run around the bases. There were queues all over for more free stuff: barbecue sandwiches, potato chips, miniature Nationals batting helmets, ice cream, sodas, water. Kids were playing catch, and practicing throwing at the speed pitch. A band played at a small stage, followed by a photo opportunity (complete with T-shirts being tossed and fired at fans) and then a Q & A session with four of the players, including pinch-hitter Daryle Ward, who had an unlikely solo homer in the game. Best of all, Nats fans were having pictures taken of themselves, sliding head first into second, leaping up to the top of the back wall to rob someone of a home run, and standing their toddlers on home plate. Except for those players who cut out early (the line to get in wound its way through the players’ parking lot — I’ve never seen so many Escalades and Alfa Romeos in my life), it almost made one think that Major League Baseball actually cares about the fans. At least for a day.