Strasburg Out 12-18 Months, Needs Tommy John Surgery

Stephen Strasburg will be out a whopping 12 to 18 months with a torn ligament in his right arm. This means that not only is his rookie season over, but his sophomore season might be done as well. Strasburg will have Tommy John surgery on Friday after an MRI showed the extent of his injury.

Strasburg's diagnosis came under some scrutiny when Rob Dibble commented that he should just "suck it up" and play. 12 to 18 months seems a bit steep, but this is how long it takes to come back from this type of surgery. Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmerman just came back from the same surgery which he had a year ago. This is not a case of the Nationals being over protective of their star, this was just a completely unfair comment from someone who has no idea what he's talking about.

Yes, the Nationals have been very cautious with him this season, but that's because it is very easy to mess up a future star pitcher. There are numerous examples of prospective star pitchers who amounted to little because of injury or because of teams asking too much too soon. The Nationals were determined not to let that happen, yet despite their precautions, injuries have been a problem. Strasburg was placed on the disabled list a month ago when he complained of tightness in his back and shoulder. Strasburg then tore his tendon in his third start back right when the team was debating whether they should shut him down for the rest of the season.

The short term affects of this are pretty bad. This is almost worst case scenario for the Nationals. After two straight 100 loss seasons, the Nationals finally began to convince some fans that they had the pieces in place to begin building this team, and Strasburg was an integral part of that. He has been the face of the franchise all season long and has taken attention away from what will most likely be the Nationals' fifth last place finish in the division in the last six seasons. The Nationals were even selling out games at home and on the road with people who wanted to see him pitch and he did not disappoint. Strasburg's rookie season stats are a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 68 innings, the best strikeout rate in the Major League. After establishing Strasburg as their franchise player, the team has little to draw fans for the rest of the season and most of next season. The only hope is the quick development of number one pick Bryce Harper. The Nationals could really use a full time draw rather than a pitcher to bring the fans back in.

As bad as this may seem presently, the long term affects might actually not be too bad. Injuries are always serious when it comes to pitchers because there is the chance that they never fully recover to the pitcher they were or could have been. The good news is that around 90% of pitchers who undergo Tommy John surgery return to be just as good. While it is definitely something both Strasburg and the team need to keep an eye on, it is too early to worry that the future phenom's potential has already plummeted.

An interesting question that the team may have to ask themselves is whether they should bring Strasburg back at all next season. If Strasburg is ready to play by next September, will it be worth bringing him back? If the team is not in any sort of contention should they risk another injury for the valuable major league experience and fan draw or should they keep him back for the 2012 season? Something to keep an eye on.

For the near sighted this is pretty much the worst thing that could have happened. In reality, this may be the one long term injury that won't jeopardize his entire career. While I'm certainly disappointed that his season is already over, if the worst thing that happens from this is that Strasburg sits out a year, I'll be relieved.

This Week in Review: Bryce Harper, Brett Favre, and Roger Clemens

Bryce Harper Signed

For the second year in a row, the Washington Nationals signed the number one overall pick in the draft in an eleventh hour deal just beating the deadline. A lot was made out of this because of the similarities between Harper and Stephen Strasburg and because of Strasburg's comments, but I do not think there was any real doubt that Harper was going to sign. His entire amateur career has been sped up so that he could get into the majors. He completed his GRE after his sophomore year in high school, he signed with a college that plays in a wood-bat league; I really had a hard time believing he was going to let the deadline pass and sit out a full year for next year's draft. This is just how agent Scott Boras operates. He drags out these talks so that he can get the best deal possible for his players.

Any tension between Strasburg and Harper was purely a media concoction. Strasburg was badly misquoted earlier this week regarding Harper's negotiations. Far from being a negative comment, Strasburg was being very neutral and unconcerned saying that if he wanted to play in Washington then the deal would get done and if not he could go elsewhere. That's all. It was not a shot at his now teammate, it was just him being unconcerned.

Now the story will be whether Harper can behave himself. He will no doubt start out in the minors next season and if he doesn't climb the ladder as quickly as he thinks he should, then there may be some trouble.

Brett Favre Comes Back...Again

After all the debate, after all the "indecision" Brett Favre announced he would be joining the Minnesota Vikings for another season. What a shock. Before you listen to any of his press conferences or any statements by him or the team, there are a few things that you need to bear in mind. First, he came back on the Tuesday after the first preseason game. This matters because that is the exact time he came back last season. I have a very hard time believing this is a coincidence. That means all the apparent indecision, all the soul searching, all of that was a blatant lie. He was stalling just so he could miss camp just like last year. The second thing you need to keep in mind is that I predicted this. I'm not pointing this out to stroke my ego, I'm pointing it out because everything he did was completely predictable. Everyone knew he was coming back which he did, everyone knew he was just trying to avoid training camp which he did. All this talk about it being about the team, everything he says he thought about and all the reasons he gave for coming back are false. This is what he was planning all along and most people saw it coming.

Now some people may say that he really was on the fence until some of his teammates came to Mississippi to beg him to come back. I do not know exactly what happened here, but it just goes to show you how big his ego is. Some of the best players on the team had to miss practice to get on their knees and beg him to come back. This is ridiculous.

If Favre can still play, which he proved last season, good for him. The reason I hate Favre is not because I do not think he should play or that he's old and should step aside, it's because he has made it all about him. You cannot sit out of training camp just because you don't want to do it. You cannot handcuff an entire organization by not telling them what you're planning to do. If Favre went to camp, listened to his coaches and teammates, and decided quickly whether he was staying or retiring, he would still be a great quarterback. Aren't you curious why head coach Brad Childress is on the hot seat despite having a team most people would classify as a Super Bowl contender? It is because he has completely mishandled the situation. If Minnesota does not make a deep post season run, he may be out of a job. What's more is that he has been a terrible influence to the younger players. Adrian Peterson reportedly left practice early because he did not want to participate anymore that afternoon. When your team leader can do it, the whole team gets the message. This whole situation has shown how selfish and egotistical he really is.

Roger Clemens Indicted

Speaking of egotistical, it is hard to have any sympathy for cheating baseball players desperately trying to repair their legacies. Roger Clemens has apparently decided to take the Barry Bonds route of denying ever taking steroids despite the fact that everyone knows he did. Clemens was indicted this week for making false statements to congress for which he faces a maximum of 30 years. He was offered a plea bargain in which he would receive no jail time if he simply admitted to using steroids and he refused. Maybe Bonds and Clemens can share a cell.

Yes, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I also think it is also worth mentioning that if I were charged of a crime I was innocent of, I would not admit to it just to avoid jail time either. But looking at the rampant cheating scandal through out baseball, Clemens' character, and the evidence against him it is hard to believe anything he says. The story began when the Mitchell report was released documenting the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. Clemens was mentioned 82 times in the report. He denied ever using steroids even while numerous other players in the report were coming clean. Then former trainer Brian McNamee came forward saying he personally injected Clemens with steroids numerous times and reportedly brought forward several syringes he used on him and bloody gauze (why he would keep it is a good question). Again, Clemens denied it and even tried to sue McNamee but the case was thrown out.

So, you have a player named mutiple times in a credible report, accused by a former trainer who has a box of evidence, and who now faces 30 years in jail and he refuses to admit that he's done anything wrong. If he is telling the truth, then good for him. If not, and it is hard to ignore the evidence against him, I do not know what he's trying to prove. His reputation is in the toilet, what is he holding on to? I do not understand what fantasy land these players like Clemens and Bonds are living in. Nobody believes them, their reputations are in shatters, and at this point neither will be getting into the hall of fame. Is it worth going to jail to protect a lie that no one believes?

The Clock is Ticking for the Nationals

After a promising start to the season, the Nationals went into the all star break in the familiar position of last place. Compared to the last two seasons this is actually an improvement, as the Nationals do not have the worst record in baseball and are on pace to win 71 games. Still, this is not where many hoped the team would be when Ted Lerner took over the team in 2006 and brought in Stan Kasten as team president to rebuild. Now, with many promising pieces coming together for this team, the Nationals are on the clock. This team needs to be a competitive team before Stephen Strasburg's contract expires or the core may fall apart.

The reason I set this goal for the team is because it will be VERY important to make sure Strasburg stays in DC and because this is not an unrealistic or unreasonable goal. Strasburg was one of the most hyped players coming out of the draft of all time. So far, he has lived up to expectations. In his seven major league games he has 61 strike outs and a 2.32 ERA. Yet, he has a 3-2 record. He will play a full season next year and, assuming a sophomore slump, I think Strasburg will be one of the best pitchers in the league in 3 years, if not the best. He is that good. Why, if you are that talented, would you continue to stay on a .500 team? Loyalty to the team that drafted you? Perhaps, but for big time players who want to win sometimes loyalty is not enough (Lebron James). Strasburg was born in Santee, California. He played college ball at San Diego State. When his contract expires, he may well consider moving back west. The Nationals MUST give him a reason to stay here. Sure, maybe he will decide he likes DC and will want to stay. I hope so. But the Nationals did not just draft Strasburg to fill seats, they drafted him to win games and help this team get better. The best way they can convince him to stay is to show him how good this team has been and will continue to be with him. A 71 win season does not do that.

Saying that this team needs to be a playoff team in 3 or 4 years is not unreasonable at all. The National's best season was their inaugural season in 2005 when they finished with a .500 record. Since then, they have been bottom dwellers. Now, the team is beginning to bring in a solid core. Pitching, the Achilles' heel of the Nationals for years, has been much better this season with the addition of Strasburg, Matt Capps, and the return of Livan Hernandez. Bryce Harper, if he can behave, will be a major asset to this team playing along side Ryan Zimmerman. The pieces are there, but the rebuilding needs to start showing more than just minor results. Besides, after five sub .500 seasons, is it really that unreasonable to want to see major improvement? When the Nationals first came to DC, games were always packed. Now, the seats are empty every night Strasburg is not playing. How much longer are DC fans suppposed to wait?

I think the first step for this team will be to re-sign Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham who will both be free agents at the end of the season. The two have hit a combined 37 home runs this season and with Zimmerman batting fourth, they make a formidable 4, 5, 6 batting lineup. Dunn actually leads the National League with 22 home runs. With the Nationals struggling at the plate this season (ranked 25th in runs, 20th in hits, 24th in RBIs, and 18th in batting average) you would like to see them keep two of their best hitters. I have had enough of this notion of "patience" and the idea that prospects will solve all of your problems. That time has passed. Do not let pieces of the puzzle walk because you are ok with setting the team back another two or three years so you can have more prospects develop. By the end of the 2010 season, barring a major comeback, the Nationals will have had five consecutive seasons with a sub .500 record. That is long enough. It is time to make a move up the standings.

Say what you want about Steinbrenner and the Yankees, but he did have one thing right. Every season you do not win the World Series is a failure. Plain and simple. Granted, some failures are worse than others, but that is the goal for each team each and every season, the Nationals included. In a few years, the Nationals are going to have to start convincing all those prospects that they tried to build the team with to stay in DC. That means the rebuild is taking too long. If not soon, at what point are you planning on bringing a playoff team to Washington? Now, you are on the clock to turn this around soon, or start all over.

Catching Up

As I've been gone for over a week a lot has happened in the world of sports so here are some quick stories to get me up to date:

Strasburg Dazzles in First Major League Starts
Stephen Strasburg made his highly anticipated MLB debut on June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and put together a performance that left Nationals' fans excited more than ever about their young franchise. He pitched 7 innings allowing only 4 hits and striking out 14. In his second start against Cleveland on Sunday, he put together what many analysts consider to be an even more impressive outing. Strasburg battled a hostile crowd and a disintegrating pitcher's mound for 8 strikeouts and 2 hits in over 5 innings. The Nationals may have something really special in this kid and they need to start building around him. Excitement in the team has not been this high since they moved to Washington from Montreal, and it won't last forever. If the Nationals hope to build on the current interest, they will have to build a team around Strasburg sooner rather than later.

Nationals Select Harper with Top Overall Pick in the Draft
With all the excitement over Strasburg, it is easy to forget that there are other things happening in baseball, but the draft did take place the Nationals hope they have just taken another step forward by selecting Bryce Harper. Harper is the first junior college player ever selected number one overall in the MLB draft, but his talent and performance last season makes this no real surprise. In 66 games he has hit 98 RBIs and 31 home runs, breaking the previous school record of 12. The league in which he played, the Scenic West Athletic Conference, uses wooden bats so there is no issue of inflated batting stats as you see with players in division one baseball who use aluminum bats. There are questions, however, about Harper's character. Harper was ejected twice in 2010, including during the National Junior College World Series. After being struck out, Harper drew a line in the dirt with his bat indicating where he thought the pitch actually was and was ejected. As this was his second ejection of the year he was suspended for two games and his team lost the series. Many have described Harper as an arrogant jerk and scouts have reported he has a disturbingly high sense of entitlement. Well, that will happen when your parents allow you to get your GED after two years of high school so you can start your professional career sooner and you get drafted number one overall at the age of 17. That's right, 17. Harper may have some growing up to do before he shows up in the Nationals' lineup.

USA Manages a 1-1 Draw with Favored England
USA opened up the 2010 World Cup with their highly anticipated game against England on Saturday and managed an impressive 1-1 draw. England always comes into the World Cup with high expectations and talent to match, but remain dreadfully inconsistent in international play (they failed to qualify for the last Euro Cup). USA came into the tournament with high hopes after an impressive second place finish in the Confederation's Cup a year ago, but also with the cloud of the last World Cup's terrible finish (0-2-1, including a loss to Ghana) and the daunting task of facing England to start. Four minutes in, England embarrassed the US team with a goal from captain Steven Garrard which made the defense look outmatched, unprepared, and just plain sloppy. The US really picked things up after that and matched England step for step. What many no doubt remember from this game, is goalie Robert Green's failure to corrale Clint Dempsy's innocent shot which tied the game at 1. Most would say the US was lucky to walk away with a tie, but after England's quick start, the US looked much better and even had the better chances. Late in the second half, Jozy Altidore burned England's defensemen and banged a shot off the post that would have given the Yanks the lead. Tim Howard, who was just cleared to play in Friday's game against Slovenia, looked very solid in net and US looked every bit England's equal late in the game.

What is important now is for USA not to have any feelings of "mission accomplished." True, they walked away with a point against the best team in their group, but the pressure is on after Slovenia's win over Algeria. In the last World Cup, the US managed to tie eventual champion Italy 1-1, but then lost to Ghana 2-1 in a game that could have earned them a spot in the second round. A 1-1 draw against England means little if the USA cannot follow up against Slovenia and Algeria.

College Shake Ups
When I left, there was talk of Big 10 expansion. When I came back, all of the sudden college conferences seemed to be breaking at the seams. While there seems to be a new story everyday, here is what has happened so far: Colorado is leaving the Big 12 for the Pac 10, Nebraska is leaving the Big 12 for the Big 10, and Boise State is leaving the WAC for the Mountain West. The Texas shakeup has been avoided for the time being, keeping Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State in the Big 12. I was surprised by how deep this story went. When I heard the Big 10 extended offers to Nebraska, Notre Dame, Missouri, and Rutgers, the only team I thought would consider the move was Rutgers. I was very surprised not only that Nebraska accepted, but that they did so because most of the conference was considering moving as well. The Big 12 is considered second only to the SEC in college football and I was shocked that so many were considering leaving the conference. Silly me, I forgot what drives all these decisions: money. In the end, the Big 10 Network and the money it brings is what won Nebraska over.

And let's not forget Boise State who has gotten lost in all the speculation over Texas. The Pac 10 really dropped the ball by not getting Boise State. I do not know all the details of how this happened, but if the Pac 10 did not do absolutely everything they could to bring Boise State in, then they messed up. Boise State is a major competitor in college football and seemingly the only thing keeping them out of the National Championship game was their non BCS conference. Boise State would have brought a lot of interest, media coverage, and revenue to a conference who's traditional powerhouse has now been banned from postseason play for 2 years. It may have turned out that the Pac 10 did pursue Boise State and they chose the Mountain West anyway to help out fellow "ignored by the BCS" contenders TCU, BYU, and Utah. If that's the case, then you cannot fault the Pac 10, but this really seemed like a good fit to me and they must be kicking themselves now for not getting it done. What this means for the Mountain West is that they are going to push hard for a BCS bid and no doubt, because the BCS is run by morons, they will be ignored until conference expansion destroys the Big 12 or the Big East. Still, the Mountain West is now poised to become a power conference very soon.

Nationals' Pitching Reevaluated

Thirty games into the 2010 baseball season and the Washington Nationals find themselves above .500. The last time the team was above .500 was five games into the 2008 season when they went 3-2. The recent success of the team has to be credited with the tremendous pitching they have received so far this season. After a slow start, this Nationals' bullpen looks very good.

There are of course a few players struggling early on. One of the team's big signings in the offseason was starter Jason Marquis, who has been nothing short of terrible so far this season. In three starts he has only lasted 8.1 innings and has three losses and a staggering 20.52 ERA. Now he is currently on the disabled list with "floating bodies in the elbow." Three games does not a bust make, but I do not think these are the numbers the team had in mind when they signed him. Ace John Lannan has also struggled somewhat this season with a 6.34 ERA through six starts, posting only two quality starts.

Still, there are several bright spots on this new Nationals' team. Scott Olsen put together an impressive game on Thursday against Atlanta, holding a no-hitter until the eighth inning. Reliever Tyler Clippard has five wins which is currently tied for second in the league, Livan Hernandez has the second best ERA among all starters with a 0.99 trailing only Ubaldo Jimenez who many believe is the leading Cy Young Candidate, and closer Matt Capps has 12 saves which leads all of MLB. And of course, one cannot forget this team still has Stephen Strasburg in the mix. Strasburg made the jump to AAA this week and in his first start allowed one hit in six innings.

No doubt everyone will be keeping an eye on him to see if he continues playing well at the AAA level, but the real question right now is are the Nationals actually poised to challenge for the wild card? It may be too early to start thinking about that, but when the team has lost 100 games the past two seasons, having an above .500 record 30 games in is definitely a hopeful sign that the team is finally turning things around. In order to continue winning, however, the Nationals will need to continue getting strong performances from their surprising bullpen.

Three Games in, How's that Pitching Working?

The Washington Nationals are three games into the 2010 season and managed to pull off one win in a three game series against Philadelphia. In the offseason, the team really focused on pitching as it was their clear weakness. How'd they do? Take a look at the pitching stats through the first three games:

9.00 ERA (15th in NL)
.324 BAA (15th in NL)
2.28 WHIP (16th in NL)

They have one save, but most importantly they have 0 quality starts (six innings pitched in a game by a starter). Those new pitchers? Well starter Jason Marquis after his first game has an ERA of 13.50 and 2 strike outs in 4 innings. He allowed 4 runs off of 8 hits and has a WHIP of 2.75. Matt Capps has the only save but also has a WHIP of 2.50. Tyler Walker has 3 strike outs in two innings pitched which is respectable. Brian Bruney has 3 walks and a WHIP of 2.50 with 2 innings pitched.

Granted, the Nationals are only 3 games into the season so it's not entirely fair to scrutinize these stats, but is this the start you think the team was hoping for? Clearly not. With stats like these there is going to be a lot of pressure to call up pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg who played exceptionally well in spring training. This is going to follow the team all season long. If the team cannot be competitive without consistent pitching, then by not calling him up you risk the entire season. By calling him up too early, you risk his development. Many people thought the Nationals should pass on Strasburg because top draft pitchers always seem to fizzle in the major leagues. While this is certainly no reason to pass on major prospects, what it does show is that teams have to be very careful when developing these players. If the pitching does not get better for the Nationals, they will be faced with a choice: should they write off the 2010 season very early and save Strasburg for 2011 or risk Strasburg's development to try and save a season in which they won't really compete anyway?

Many were very optimistic about the Nationals coming into this season, and while I certainly think they will finish better than they did the last two years, did anyone think they were going to challenge for the division or a wild card spot? The decision to me seems easy. Keep Strasburg in the minors and let him develop into an MLB pitcher. There's no point in bringing him up so the Nationals can still finish with a sub .500 record. The Nationals have certainly improved from last season, but if these first 3 games are any indication, they still don't have the tools to become competitive for a playoff spot. Don't risk the best thing you have just to stop the whining of some impatient fans!

More of the Same for the Nationals

The baseball season got off to a roaring start yesterday for the Washington Nationals as they lost at home to the Philadelphia Phillies 11-1. This game was especially embarrassing considering that the Nationals headed into the fourth inning with a 1-0 lead. Ok, so the Nationals faced the two-time defending National League champions and newly acquired pitcher Roy Halladay, widely considered to be the best pitcher in the MLB, but this is really no excuse. The Nationals are not a minor league team, they are in the same league and division as the Phillies and they should have done better than an 11-1 blowout on opening day in their own stadium.

To add to the misery of opening day was all the fans who packed the stadium clad in red and blue not for the Nationals, but for the Phillies. With a strong fan presence their team did not disappoint. Despite all their moves in the offseason to become more competitive, the Nationals had only three starters from last season's lineup, the team failed to produce on opening day. Ace John Lannan was pulled in the fourth inning having pitched zero strikeouts and allowing seven hits and five runs. New shortstop Ian Desmond made an error off of the first ball hit to him. It just looked like the same disorganized and dispassionate team from last season.

Now granted, it was the first day of the season and teams will have their bad games. There is no reason to write the Natinals off yet, oops I mean Nationals, where did I get Natinals from? (I would buy a Natinals jersey if they sold them) What worries me is that this game didn't happen in June or July, when teams hit that wall and players struggle to stay motivated for every game. This happened on opening day. Early season jitters? Stage fright at playing in front of President Obama even if he did only stay for a short time? A testament to the strength of Halladay and the Phillies? Let's hope something like that did happen or it's going to be a long season again for the Nationals.

The good news? The Nationals are only one game below .500 and one game back in the division. It's good to think positive while you still can.

Nationals to Hire Jim Riggleman as Manager

Reports say that Jim Riggleman will be hired as the Washington Nationals manager for the 2010 season. The team will be holding a press conference some time today in order to make the announcement. Riggleman took over for previous manager Manny Acta after he went 26-61 with a .299 winning percentage. Under Riggleman, the team's performance improved with a record of 33-42 and a winning percentage of .440.

Clearly a change was needed. While the Nationals may be rebuilding, Acta was not getting the most out of his players. The team became much more competitive very quickly under Riggleman. The sign of progress is encouraging and I hope Riggleman can continue to improve the team with spring training and a full season to work with. Yet I have to wonder if Riggleman was the best candidate out there. In situations such as these, many teams don't seem to look very hard. Rather than search for the best candidate teams now seem to look for the most obvious. Riggleman improved the team enough to ensure the Nationals finished with the worst record in the league. Prior to his time in DC, Riggleman managed the San Diego Padres from 1992-1994, the Chicago Cubs from 1995-1999, and the Seattle Mariners for part of the 2008 season. His overall record is 522-654 with a winning percentage of .444.

I'm not saying that I don't trust Riggleman to do the job or that he wasn't the best candidate to lead the Nationals forward. Yet his resume can really only be described as average. I hope that the Nationals see him as the man that can lead the team forward and not the easiest hire they could get away with.