This is gonna be strange. I'm so nervous! This is like in online dating when you finally meet someone face to face. (Surely there is some abbreviation for that, right? F2F?)

Announcing:

Date: Saturday April 26
Location: The K
Activities: Tailgating. Watching the Royals battle the hated Blue Jays. Debating the relative merits of Justin Huber.

So, what is this again? Simple, just meeting up for a game, tailgating beforehand, and cheering on the Royals live. I see the tailgate being the main part of the "fest". I have a truck, so I'll be able to carry just about everything we might need. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a good spot (we can work out the details over the next month) and meet at least a few of you. As you may know, I live in Iowa and am moving to DC for the next few years after I get married. So it may be my last time to visit the K for awhile.

Seats? Tickets? You can't even buy tickets to that game yet, but I think that we shouldn't have too much trouble. The good news is, we have plenty of time to work out how we want to do this. Again, this is totally underground: I have no deal with the Royals, quite obviously. I imagine a few of us chilling in the upper deck or the bleachers somewhere, vaguely around each other. I am open to whatever the majority of people want.

Why this date? Full disclosure here: an advertising opportunity with Microsoft sorta fell into my lap over the weekend. The short version is that I need to make a post "live" from an event, to help demonstrate what one of their products can do. In exchange for doing so, they will help cover my travel costs. So, the fact that my gas money and hotel costs might get comped, pushed me over the edge and off the fence. There were only a few weekends available for me to do so, and the 26th fit. Honestly though, while I suppose a Cards or Yankees game or somesuch would have been a little better, I kinda like that its a basically random contest.