D.C. sports scene on a budget

One week. Four games. Four hot dogs. Four sodas. Parking. Metro.

$100 to spend.

This is the challenge to the cash-strapped fan. Money is tight. Life is hard. But this is not the time to abandon the local sports scene. Not with the Capitals all the rage. Not with Gilbert Arenas in the Wizards' lineup and LeBron James in town. Not with the Nationals and D.C. United back in action.

One week. Four games. Four sports. Three venues.

$100 to spend.

Seems impossible. Tickets aren't cheap. Parking's ridiculous.

Food? Biggest markup on the planet. Like facing Alex Ovechkin on a breakaway, this could be a daunting task.

First step: Check the schedules. A Saturday-to-Saturday swing can be done, with D.C. United's opener and the Nationals-Orioles exhibition as bookends. Caps on Wednesday, Wizards on Thursday.

Permission from the wife? Got it. She's a good egg.

The quest for tickets begins. A trip down to the Nationals Park box office a week in advance results in a ducat for just $10. The good egg gets a ticket too, but she's not part of this experiment.

Ninety dollars to spend.

Getting down to the Verizon Center box office ahead of time turns out to be a little tricky, so the Internet becomes a good friend - maybe. A cursory search for a cheap Capitals ticket proves fruitless. Things were a heckuva lot easier when the team stank. The Wizards? Tickets are available. A $20 seat in the top deck for the game against the Cavaliers. Not bad, but it's $29.70 when Ticketmaster fees are factored in. Ouch.

Now there's $60.30 to spend.

It's time to search for D.C. United tickets. Logic says it's best to just walk up on game day and buy one for $22. But there's a paranoia that the cheapest seats won't be available. Yes, it's irrational. And it's lazy.

And it costs a fan an extra $4 processing charge and $8.35 convenience fee. All for the privilege of picking up the ticket at will call. Ticketmaster is clearly not among the companies in need of a government bailout.

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