A daily accumulation of history and present as I follow the 2011 year through the baseball season and reflect on the glories and disappointments of the greatest game on Earth.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Stephen Strasburg

I'm still trying to figure out how I didn't go to see this guy pitch in Harrisburg while he was still Triple A. Perhaps, there was the idea that they'd nurse him a little bit, but then they sent him to Syracuse and tonight, he rewarded fans by pitching a 6 inning no hitter before getting yanked from the game.
Maybe they were afraid that he would give up his first hit in the next inning. It seemed like the Senators were afraid of that when they yanked him after facing 16 batters in 5 innings and only letting a runner on who advanced via a passed ball.
But don't just ask me; ask Curt Schilling: "Since I'm 5 years old, I've played the game, love the game. I've never seen anything like this. ... Never. Nothing close. ... Not at that age, that polished. If he comes up to the big leagues -- which he will, in the next, probably, month, some period of time before the halfway point of the season -- he'll immediately, potentially be the best pitcher in the game. He's that polished.
"And I don't know him like a lot of guys that you judge from far away. I've heard nothing bad about the kid. He's got a great work ethic, he's got a pitcher's mind, because there's a lot of guys who get to the big leagues who throw 96 [mph] who never get people out. He's pitching smart, which is rare for a kid his age. He commands the baseball. At that level, that stuff to command the baseball, I've never seen anything like it."

The future of baseball is here. It's a great time to get in on the game now. With all of the young players building up a foundation of excellence, Strasburg's first game can't get here soon enough. I thank the good Lord for giving me the MLB Network to watch it when it happens.
And with the Nationals in 2nd place and 4 games above 500 past the first week of the season, this could be the start of something good.

No comments:

Post a Comment