Transit and Wildlife at Baseball Games: Flora, Fauna and Human

Transit

Here’s another piece about getting there[1] by public transportation: this week, let’s go to the ball game (e.g., a baseball game between the Nationals and NY Mets, 4/30/17).  (Whilst it’s true you can get from DC to Baltimore to see the Orioles, it’s *much* easier to see the “home team” at Navy Yard!)

Most people who don’t drive to the stadium will take the train to [Green Line’s] Navy Yard-Ballpark Station and exit at M & Half Streets, SE, walking 0.6 miles to the stadium. On the train, it’s usually easy to spot fellow fans with their distinctive garb: “W” baseball caps often in white, red or blue and t-shirts or sports jerseys of favorite players[2].  On the lower half, while shorts may predominate, pants make a stronger showing than professional suits or skirts. (N.B., when the game is over, Metro wants you to enter the system via M Street & New Jersey Ave SE; adding another 2 and a half blocks beyond the distance originally walked to the navigation inside the stadium between entrance, seat, restrooms and concession/s.)

If you’ve started at Gallery Place Metro Station, WMATA recommends the Green Line train over the 74 bus, even though the bus is frequently the same price ($1.75/off peak price) or less (peak price) and gets you closer (Half & O Streets, SW; 0.2 miles), since most seem to prefer the frequency of the train (when not in Safe Track mode) to an every twenty minutes, bus.  It will also run fairly late; the last trip Sunday night is at 12:02 am; i.e., a baseball fan’ll get out of the neighborhood but might not have a connection all the way home.

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Wildlife

One of the unfortunate habits of weeds (aka, unwanted vegetation or plant/s growing where you didn’t want them) is their spread.  I.e., you don’t have a single dandelion (Taraxacum officinale); instead, you have fifteen to twenty yellow flowers smirking at you in what you thought was a weed-free lawn.  The baseball park itself, has a gorgeous Kentucky blue grass expanse on the playing field that excites green eyes in lawn aficionados.  Most of us are unwilling pay to have a 42 employee grounds crew working on our lawn or garden.  While many of us water our growing areas, how many of us irrigate?  DC residents who participate in the RiverSmart program can collect (free!) rain to water their gardens with either the RainGrid RiverSides rain barrel (132 gallons), Stormworks Hydra rain barrel (116 gallons) or purchase a commercial barrel and receive a rebate of $2 per gallon captured.

Despite what are probably gallons of herbicide and insecticide on the grounds and stands, it’s often easy for your eye to be caught by the flight of living or inanimate object/s.  Some of these are baseballs for the lucky to catch (but are often trash or detritus), but these can also be butterflies, dragonflies, starlings or sparrows.  On Sunday April 30th (2017), I saw dragonflies (twice but didn’t get photos [drat!]) and starlings, in addition to the frequent foul balls, pop flies and home runs, in a Crackerjack effort by the Nationals over the Mets, 23 to 5.

Like a floral weed, the human squatter spreads themselves on the field (and in the stands), frequently across (what your ticket proclaims is your paid for) seat.  If you’re assertive enough, the ticket holder is aided by the stadium staff who will arbitrate the discussion (and removal of items) from your chair (and beverage holder).  The passive aggressive personality may instead take themselves to an unoccupied seat whose occupant may/may not show for the cycle to repeat.

No matter how you get there (although the above gives public transportation options!); root, root root for the home team at the old ball game!

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[1] “Getting there” is actually both departing to a desired destination and returning home

[2] The MVP of the 4/30/17 game, Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon went 6-for-6 with a double, three homers, five runs scored and 10 RBIs against the Mets.  Chances of seeing Rendon/6 jerseys seen will probably rise.

Ramona Winkelbauer is part of the GovLoop Featured Blogger program, where we feature blog posts by government voices from all across the country (and world!). To see more Featured Blogger posts, click here.