playing out the string

Notebook in hand, I went to RFK Stadium last night to watch the Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves.

7:02 p.m. - There couldn't be more than 1,000 people in the upper level, and probably aren't 10,000 people in the stadium for the first pitch.
7:05 p.m. - My claps for a first-pitch strike from Russ Ortiz echo hollowly against the stadium roof.
7:08 p.m. - A two-out double past first baseman Nick Johnson and Russ Ortiz's no-hitter ends.
7:10 p.m. - An Andruw Jones singly later, the shutout ends as well. Braves lead 1-0.
7:15 p.m. - RFK is as quiet as I've ever heard it when Alfonso Soriano leads off the bottom of the first with a single.
7:20 p.m. - Ryan Zimmerman launches a line-drive over the left field wall to tie the game. The lower deck bursts to life, and the crowd is still buzzing as Nick Johnson steps to the plate.
7:35 p.m. - The Red Hot & Blue pulled pork sandwich is tasty, but difficult to eat in a stadium seat, and isn't really enough food for $10.
7:38 p.m. - A three-run home run by Braves catcher Brian McCann spoils my upgraded seat in the lower deck. Braves lead 4-1.
7:55 p.m. - Even at $6.50 a bottle, something about a baseball game makes the first sip of beer even better.
8:06 p.m. - Thomas Jefferson wins the Presidents race after Washington squanders a big lead to mess with Teddy Roosevelt. Lincoln was a non-factor.
8:16 p.m. - Perhaps inspired by Jefferson, Bernie Casto hustles down the line to beat out an infield hit and the Nats close the gap, now trailing 4-2 after four innings.
8:25 p.m. - Andruw Jones hits a home run to put the Nats down three again. Doesn't look good for the home team.
8:49 p.m. - Jeff Francoeur homers in the top of the sixth, and I'm cold. Down 6-2, with no offense brewing and the temperature around 60, I head for the exit.
9:44 p.m. - I arrive home just in time to watch Soriano strike out on three pitches to end the game. Final score: Braves 7, Nationals 2.