Priceless

Cab ride from DuPont Circle to RFK Stadium: $14
Front row seats to the business persons special next to the home team dugout: $60 a piece
A picture phone: $130
The inability to keep a straight face while you pose passed out drunk on the dugout for a picture that is sent in real time to your high school buds: priceless.

Last Thursday afternoon was the business person's special at the Nationals, and with Dusty Eggs in town living his usual brutal workweek spent golfing and schmoozing sales clients, he was able to escape the rigors of his job for a game against the Brewers. The least I could do was play hookie for the afternoon, which is easy to do because the bosses are both big baseball fans. Strolling up to the ticket window, we saw a scalper who had first row "diamond club" seats, face value of $90, offered to us at $60. The diamond club consists of the first two rows only, where you get all you can eat for free, though we still had to pay for the beers to the tune of $6 a pop.

Tim Russert, was two rows back, not within the confines of the diamond club. Maybe next time Tim, you peasant! How much did that hot dog cost ya? He was there with his two sons who look to be about college age. Russert ditched them for good after the third or fourth inning, and from thereon we could hear his kids singing the Cats in the Cradle over and over again. Sad. Really sad. The price of fame - not worth it.

Livan Hernandez, brother of El Duque, pitched the win for the Nats. He's Cuban, and the guy probably sets the record for the slowest walk from the mound to the dugout in between innings, sauntering along with a very disinterested look on his face. The guy next to us was trying to chat everyone up in the batter's box, and managed to get a little dialogue with Livan. Very cool. I also got a ball for the kids, flipped to us from one of the coaches.

The best part was sending pictures to the Giant, slaving away in his actuarial world, wishing he could be us (or at least Dusty Eggs). Dusty Eggs tells me, as a world traveler himself, that I would be remiss to pass up the opportunity to go to a gentleman's club while in India for the remainder of the week. He tells me that when you tip the ladies, they start adding layers of scarfs, so you literally pay them to get dressed. Go figure.

I'm off to India to hang out with Vijay. See you all next week.