This afternoonās Nationals baseball game was A TIME.
I need to preface this story that we have season tickets- and have since 2019 (the year the Nats won the World Series). And so I go almost 1x/ week all summer, and weāve had the same seats the entire time.
I went to the game this afternoon by myself because J had a wine thing, and all the friends I asked were busy or out of town. No big deal, just sit outside and watch the game. They were playing the Orioles - so the Beltway Classic. Lots of Orioles fans (as normal).
Our seats are in the upper deck, in a section that is empty other than us on random week night games. But today, I walked up at the top of the 2nd inning (after eating) to a basically full section. People were in our seats, so I sat in the last remaining seats two rows in front of our seats to just enjoy the game.
In 5 minutes, I realize itās going to be a long game. Some asshole is taunting and yelling. This isnāt abnormal, but annoying. He was a Nats fan, but was taunting the Orioles pitcher and then their batters. Loud and obnoxious.
There were lots of Orioles fans around us, and when the Nats scored 3 in the third inning the annoying fan started yelling āsucks to suckā etc. And the Orioles fans are all complaining to themselves about it.. At this point I was like, oh shit- thatās ALSO the asshole who is in my seats!!
So Iām sitting there watching the game, and the people whose seats Iām in show up. We chat and the two gals are like cool, we will just sit here in other empty seats.
The taunting gets worse. Now some of the Orioles fans are starting to yell back. And I am also, I just want to watch the game in peace. So I turn to the woman across the aisle, who watched me tell the women Iām in their seats because some asshole is in mine. And I say, should I kick them out? She goes, those are your seats? And I tell her yes. She says yes please.
There is no usher at our section, and I didnāt see one on either side of us.
So middle of the top of the fourth inning, I walk up and go. āHi. Youāre in my seats. You need to leave.ā Guy starts to say something to me which was probably not going to be nice, and I go āNo, youāre being annoying and youāre in my seats. Iām a Nats season ticket holder, you have to go.ā The friend goes āLetās just go.ā He gives me a dirty look, and they walk down the aisle and out of the section.
EVERYONE suddenly turns to me and is thanking me. In front of me, behind, the woman I was sitting near and her group, the people to the right of me. It was very nice. Iām just glad he didnāt throw his beer on me.
I then tell the women they can have their seats as simultaneously the people whose seat they sat in come back.
And so then, I sat in our seats and enjoyed the weird presidents race (see video). And the Nats score 7 in the bottom of the 7th inning. And it was a beautiful afternoon at the ball park. My first win of the season - 1/5 which is about normal.