It's Winterfest weekend at Nationals Park

Who's up for some baseball on a mid-January weekend?

Yes, it's time for Nationals Winterfest, the annual offseason gathering of players, coaches, team executives and fans to whet everybody's appetite for the upcoming season. Not that this upcoming season is going to be difficult to get excited about.

The date of this year's event was pushed back (it was Dec. 1-2 last year), but the location remains Nationals Park, which proved popular with fans after previous Winterfests were held at various local convention centers.

Here's what's on tap the next two days. (Note: The Nationals say today's session is sold out, but there are some tickets still available for Sunday.) ...

* Season plan holders are allowed early entry from 10 a.m.-noon. Everyone else is allowed in from noon-4 p.m.

* Fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used baseball or softball equipment for a chance to win a meet-and-greet with a Nats player while also helping local youth leagues in need.

* Among the planned activities are photo ops with the Commissioner's Trophy, players, coaches and mascots; clubhouse tours; a chance to hit in the Nationals batting cage; a chance to run against the Racing Presidents; a curling station; and plenty of Q&As with players, staffers and broadcasters.

We'll have access today to a whole bunch of players and coaches, plus general manager Mike Rizzo, so look for plenty of posts on the blog with any news or interesting tidbits that come out of those interviews.

And if you're attending either day, be sure to post your thoughts, experiences and advice for other fans in the comments below!