Spring Training with the Nats!

I have just returned from Spring Training with the Nationals in sunny Viera, Fla. The team was still doing morning workouts while I was down there, so the fans had incredible access to the players. The guys work out on 4 practice fields and you can, literally, stand right behind the fences like you would for a high school game and watch them practice. They run back and forth between the fields and you can talk to them or get them to sign things. They walk into the complex every morning at 9am and you can just walk right in with them!
I got a chance to chat up John Patterson the starting pitcher who I found out likes techno music. I asked him what kind and he said he likes trance and hard-house. He mentioned Tiesto and I told him about my roommate who moved to Asheville for the trance scene. He thought that was cool.
Pictured below: John Patterson in foreground, with Manny Acta in background at third base.


I talked to Ray King, one of the new relievers briefly, and said good morning to bullpen pitcher/catcher Nilson Robledo every day. Mark said I had a "thing" going on with him and wanted to rough him up. I said I would pay money to see him try.

(#88..my new "friend"...yeah, I'd like to my boyfriend go up against him)

Mark introduced me to Nick Johnson the injured first baseman, and we talked about golf and Yankee Stadium (Nick is a former Yankee). That was very cool. I was also introduced to the GM Jim Bowden and Manny Acta the new manager. They were both very nice and shook my hand and said it was nice to meet me. I met all of the writers and some of the Nats PR guys. I felt very important, as they all had heard about me, including Nick Johnson. How cool is THAT??
I had such a great time watching the practices and just being there amongst the players. I really felt like I was getting to see something that most fans don't. It was a much more intimate setting than I would have found at, say, Yankee camp because there were much fewer fans at Nats Camp. I suspect Yankee camp is probably a mob scene and that security is very tight.