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Nats’ flame-thrower burns up pessimism

August 23rd, 2009

Joyous days at Nationals Park have been scarce, and afternoons when Washington Nationals fans can be proud are even more atypical.

No team has lost more games than the Nationals have. Nor has any team committed as many errors, walked as many batters or been on the wrong end of more off-field blunders.

You can’t compile a list of the team’s gaffes without first addressing the organization’s spelling troubles. Take the night when Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn played an entire game with jerseys that said “Natinals” because the “O” in the team’s name was not stitched on.

And people say the Nationals lack “D.”
There were rainy nights when the grounds crew couldn’t get the tarp down without the help of fans and opposing players.

There was a memorable bit-gone-wrong between innings where burritos were shot into the crowd to be consumed by hungry fans. Unfortunately though, some of the burritos weren’t wrapped well, allowing them to open up mid-flight. There were folks in the crowd wearing more of the burritos than they were eating.

But Friday was the type of day that makes all of those laughable moments seem like distant memories. Several hundred fans streamed into Nationals Park, some of them seven hours before the first pitch of Friday night’s game, to witness Stephen Strasburg’s introductory press conference.

Strasburg is one of the most revered college pitching prospects of all time and the No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft. There were more cameras at the park than there have been in months. There were fireworks during the press conference.

There were more smiles than normal, and a palpable element of pride that doesn’t typically surround an event being hosted by a team with the worst record in baseball.

But that’s what Strasburg brings to Washington. He may not yet be the face of the franchise–that’s Ryan Zimmerman’s distinction–but the 21-year-old right-hander represents a new beginning for a club desperately needing one.

With four more wins the Nationals could post their first winning month since September 2007. In the midst of an eight-wins-in-11-games stretch at home, and with Mike Rizzo having just been named permanent general manager, there’s an enthusiasm surrounding the Nationals that hasn’t existed since the inaugural game at Nationals Park last season.

Strasburg’s right arm has a lot to do with that, and while he shouldn’t be viewed as a savior, he’ll certainly play a critical role in a renaissance if the Nationals climb back to respectability.

“I’m just coming in here to try to keep doing what I’ve been doing at San Diego State,” a poised Strasburg told a throng of reporters on Friday afternoon.

“I like to think of myself as a winning personality. That’s all I try to do, and hopefully someday I’ll be able to do it up here.”

The Nationals will need for Strasburg to bring that winning personality with him to the big club when he arrives for good, which should be sometime next season. Until then, he’ll have to work his way toward the major leagues, riding on buses and staying in hotels with the other minor-leaguers in Washington’s system.

So far, so good, though, for Washington’s highest-touted No. 1 pick. His first event with his new employer was a mammoth success, and it gave Nationals fans something to celebrate in an otherwise forgettable season.

“There’s been a lot of attention paid to the bumps and bruises we’ve had over the last 12 months,” team president Stan Kasten said. “But there are a lot of good things happening here. This is a continuation of that process, and we are marching toward a very, very near turning around of the fortunes of this franchise.”
Grant Paulsen can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401 or by fax at 540/373-8455.

Posted by Grant Paulsen Filed in General, MLB, Articles

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Nats’ flame-thrower burns up pessimism

August 23rd, 2009

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