Play (minor league) Ball!

Having been to the big, new major-league park in DC several times now, Kate, C, and I decided to visit the Potomac Nationals, the Single-A farm team of the Washington Nationals.  Single-A is the lowest of the minor leagues. If these guys do well, they'll get promoted to double-A ball; where if they do well they'll get moved up to the Triple-A minors; where, if they kick absolute ass, they might get a chance to advance to the Washington Nationals and find out what last place in the Bigs feels like.  All of which, sadly, is highly unlikely for these guys.

We start with a picture of Kate standing beneath a looming inflatable Uncle Slam, the highly amusing mascot of the Po Nats.  Minor league mascots are the best.  Uncle Slam is a creature of questionable provenance, imbued with a lazy energy that never moves faster than a mid-speed saunter.  He has George Washington hair put inexplicably into white dreadlocks, and can't seem to win a between-innings contest against a child no matter how young, flimsy, crippled, or droolingly incompetent the child may be. Uncle Slam is clearly a born loser.  I could have beaten those children in every single contest they put on. Easily.

Next a couple of shots to show just how close to the field you are at Pfitzner Stadium (or...The Fitz, as they call it), finishing with a picture of the unfortunate occupants of the minor league bullpen, who have to lurk basically almost in the crowd, which must be a drag sometimes.