Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Strasburg shouldn't disappoint

For the first time, Stephen Strasburg will throw a major league pitch tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Washington. Not many can remember this kind of hype for a baseball player making his debut, and nor should they.

Strasburg has it all. He not only throws absolute gasoline from his cannon of an arm, but his curveball breaks knees like Furio from the Sopranos and his command is simply Maddux-esque. Though the Nationals are limiting him to under 100 pitches for his first start, the ballpark should be filled with buzz for the first time in the franchise's short history.

It has been a long road for the Nationals since their move from Montreal. There's no Vlad Guerrero or Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker or a young Randy Johnson. Moises Alou hasn't been heard from and Carl Pavano just never worked out. Switching countries and jerseys, the Nationals (or former Expos) now have something to be proud of. They already have arguably one of the game's best pitchers, and he doesn't even exist in the stat books yet. And not too far down the road, they'll have one of the game's best hitters, after selecting outfielder Bryce Harper with the first overall pick.

Baseball buzz certainly exists in the District of Columbia right now, with more to follow. The Nats signed some decent free agents in the offseason, such as successful closer Matt Capps, solid second baseman Adam Kennedy, and right-hander Jason Marquis. Former Yankee Ace Chien-Ming Wang will join the rotation at some point, and if he can give them anything between that day and 2011, the Nats may be able to fill the seats some more.

With the future beginning to brighten in DC, baseball is a better place. Teams like the Nationals and the former Rays (then Devil) improving is great for the game and easy for fans to like. People root for cellar-dwellers to improve and grow. And they should. Tonight, Strasburg makes the game of baseball that much better. Though the countdown on the ESPN ticker may be too much, and though the unlimited coverage may put you to sleep after a few hours, it can be a best bet that people will be wondering, "how did that phenom do last night?"

JMO

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