Finally, the Washington Nationals are relevant.
Stephen Strasburg pitches Tuesday before an overflowing crowd that includes 2,000 standing-room only tickets. Better yet, they’ll cheer for the Nats instead of opposing fans packing Nationals Park.
The endless supply of Strasburg jerseys could easily cloth those from Strasburg, Va., who want to rename the town after the pitcher. Coincidentally, its 4,400 population would fit neatly in the bleachers.
For the first time since their 2005 arrival, the Nats have a bona fide star who packs the house. Ryan Zimmerman has been terrific but isn’t a gate attraction. Washington is all about star power, and Strasburg may be the biggest sports name in town. Bigger than Alex Ovechkin, Gilbert Arenas and Clinton Portis. Maybe bigger than Donovan McNabb, who won’t play his first game for the Redskins until August.
Strasburg is the second coming of “The Big Train,” so Walter Johnson High maybe readying for a name change, too. The hype around last year’s top overall draft pick is disproportionate for the town’s fourth-most popular pro team, but the Nats have been so awful for two years that flirting with .500 lately seems like a pennant race.
Strasburg is supposed to be the franchise’s savior. An unhittable college star who raced through the minors in two months. An unassuming superstar who married his college sweetheart. How long before he starts kissing babies and running for office?
Oh, if only this one is really it. Not some superstar like Michael Jordan or Albert Haynesworth who came to Washington to get paid and not deliver. This time the local team gets a star from the start like the Capitals managed with Ovechkin.
The Nats won’t need their regular Tuesday T-shirt giveaways to avoid a near empty stadium. The media alone might fill the park. Everyone wants to see the next great thing. That is, before Strasburg flames out or someone else becomes the next great thing.
No detail has gone unnoticed. One linesmaker posted odds on everything from Strasburg’s first pitch being a strike or ball to the first batter striking out or homering.
If Strasburg doesn’t win 300 games, sport a couple World Series rings and reach Cooperstown on the first ballot, some will consider his career a bust. By Washington’s bad luck standards, though, if he doesn’t walk off the mound after the third inning holding his elbow, the night’s a success.
This is where it all begins for Strasburg and the Nats. But one night tells us nothing. Plenty of spring phenoms never make it to the fall classic. Wait a season until opponents have seen Strasburg a few times before judging him.
For now, it’s a time to dream.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
