Thursday, April 22, 2010

Strasburg On ESPN's 'Baseball Tonight'

On Thursday night, while most of America was watching the NFL Draft, ESPN2 had Nats phenom Stephen Strasburg on "Baseball Tonight ."

Below are some excerpts from what was asked and what he said. I'm going to bed, now. :-)

LET'S JUST GO BACK 24 HOURS TO YOUR LAST START, HOW ARE THINGS GOING, HOW'S THE ADJUSTMENT, HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU'RE KINDA MOVING UP THE SPECTRUM?

SS: Ah you know, I'm definitely getting more comfortable out there, obviously there's a lot of adrenaline going on, I'm starting to learn to harness it, and I'm just going out there, trying to throw the ball down in the zone.

PEOPLE HAVE ASKED, THOSE IN MY INDUSTRY, IS IF DIFFERENT . . . AS THEY PICTURED TO GO UP THESE LEVELS OR ARE YOU STILL THROWING STRIKES?

SS: you know, definitely you know, pitching just like I did in college; it's pretty much the same as it was and it'll always be the same out there; obviously you're facing . . . better competition up here, and obviously there's a lot more fans in the stands, too.

THAT'S A GOOD SIGN.

SS: Oh yeah.

BECAUSE OF THE ATTENTION ON YOU, YOU'RE KINDA LIKE THE LEBRON JAMES OF BASEBALL. IT'S LIKE EVERY GAME THAT YOU PITCH IS AN EVENT. WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE YOU'VE GOT FOR DEALING WITH THE KIND OF SCRUTINY YOU'RE GETTING?

SS: well I think about two years ago Tony Gwinn told me, 'Would you rather be batting .250 and nobody talking to you or batting .350 and having everybody talk to you?' And when you really think about it, you wanna be successful out there, so it's just something that's part of the game. You have to talk to the media and they're gonna want to talk to you.

YEAH WE DON'T ALLOW .250 HITTERS ON THIS SHOW. (FLORIDA QB TIM) TEBOW GETS DRAFTED IN THE FIRST ROUNDAND THERE WAS SOME TALK ABOUT HIS MECHANICS. AND YOU GET DRAFTED AND SOME OF THE DISCUSSION ON YOU IS THIS 'INVERTED W' – AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT YOUR MECHANICS. THE SAME WAY THAT HE (TEBOW) MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS – DID YOU HAVE TO DO ANYTHING? DID YOU NOT BUY IT? DID IT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS (picture of SS's posture while pitching)? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?

SS: I really don't know what the 'W' is; there's a lotta pitchers in history that don't have perfect mechanics and they're pitching 20-plus years.

THIS APPARENTLY IS IT (picture of SS's throwing stance)

SS: well, you know, that's the way I've been throwing my whole life, you know, haven't had any injuries, so I'm just gonna keep working hard, trying to you know, stick to my plan in between (starts) and prepare for the next start.

AMONG THE ADJUSTMENTS, THAT'S NEVER BEEN BROUGHT UP?

SS: No.

GOOD. WHAT'S THE MOST CHALLENGING ADJUSTMENT YOU'VE HAD TO MAKE IN PRO BALL?

SS: You know, I think definitely, just getting used to pitching every five days, it's a little bit different program that you have to follow, not as much throwing in between. I really like it though, it's nice, to, you know, if you have a bad outing or don't do what you wanted to do, you got four days of rest and you're out there doing it again.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE FREE TIME? HOW ARE YOU SPENDING YOUR FREE TIME? DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF IT?

SS: No, you know, that's the beauty of pro baseball is that you're going to the field every day, so when I'm not there, I'm trying to sleep.

SOME PITCHERS TRY TO LOOK AT THE RADAR GUNS, THEY GLANCE OVER THEIR SHOULDER; DID YOU LIKE TO KNOW HOW HARD YOU WERE THROWING?

SS: You know, I think when I first stepped into college I was definitely a guy that would look over my shoulder. Not so much now; you look at the guys in the league, just like (Phillies pitcher) Jamie Moyer, they're throwing 80 miles an hour and he's getting guys out. Velocity isn't everything.

MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION IS, WHEN DO YOU GET TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES? ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS OR DO YOU JUST WAIT FOR THE CALL?

SS: Definitely just waiting for the call. They gave me some things to work on, that's what I'm gonna stick with right now, I'm enjoying every second of it down there in Harrisburg. We got a great team, great coaches, and I'm just trying to learn from everything.

DO WE GO MONTH-TO-MONTH RENT, SIX MONTHS, A YEAR?

SS: Definitely going month-to-month.

. . .

(CINCINATTI REDS PITCHER) MIKE LEAKE – HE'S STARTING THE YEAR IN THE BIG LEAGUES, IS THERE SOME PART OF YOU THAT'S. 'AHH, JEEZ, I WISH I'D BEEN ON THAT (PLANE?)?

SS: Ah, you know, obviously, being a baseball player your ultimate dream is to pitch in the big leagues, but you know, I trust, I trust what the Nationals are doing with me, you know? They're doing it the right way; it's not how fast you get there, it's how long you are there.

(They ask SS, who played with Leake on a San Diego travel team when he was nine years old if there were any other future major leaguers on the team, and SS says no, but also that Leake was known as “Mikey” back then.)

(SS then shows former Nat Aaron Boone and Eduardo Perez how he grips his fastball, curveball/slider, two-seam change-up and sinker)

OFF OF YOUR FASTBALL, WHAT SECONDARY PITCH DO YOU FEEL LIKE IS MOST DEVELOPED RIGHT NOW?

SS: I think definitely closing my freshman year at (San Diego) State I was with this fastball and this breaking ball here, so that's my pitch. I'm really confident throwing that any time in the count; my change-up's been really good ever since I (started) playing pro ball with these smaller seams, it's just gotten a lot better. And then I've definitely been throwing my sinker a lot, too. That's kind of an easy ground-ball out right there.

SO WE HEAR ABOUT ALL THESE TEAMS, MANAGERS AND COACHES ALWAYS TRYING TO GET OUR PITCHERS TO QUICKEN UP IN THE STRETCH TO CONTROL THE RUNNING GAME, SO TO SPEAK. WELL, THE NATIONALS SEE YOU AS BEING SO QUICK TO HOME PLATE THAT THEY FEEL LIKE MAYBE IT'S TAKEN AWAY FROM SOME OF YOUR STUFF, SO THEY'VE ACTUALLY TRIED TO SLOW YOU DOWN, IS THAT RIGHT?

SS: Yeah, you know, I mean, in college, I was always you know, just a straight slide-step every time, you know, I didn't really lose velo(city); all my stuff was still there, and virtually eliminated the running game. But you know, I was right around a second with that, and they wanted me to be more around a 1.3, so they had me starting out with more of a load on my back side, kinda loading right here and getting going, it helps me keep the angle on my fastball a lot better.

DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE LETTING GUYS GET TO FIRST BASE SO YOU CAN WORK ON IT?

SS (amid chuckles): It happens, yeah, it's part of the game.

SO YOU WALK A GUY AND YOU'RE LIKE 'OK, COACH, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, JUST WORKING ON MY MOVE'?

SS: well no, I mean, it's definitely part of the game, you know, it's good to, you know, when a guy gets on first, you know, it's like, 'Next pitch, here we go, ground-ball double play,' And also part of the game, you really have to vary your times and everything, and that's something that they also want me to work on, you know, really controlling the running game.

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH IT? IS IT COMING ALONG FOR YOU?

SS: Oh absolutely, you know, I think it's really more important now because you've got guys with lightning speed out there, and guys on the base paths are a lot smarter . . . they're gonna pick up the little things and . . . be off running on the next pitch, so it's really important to kind of help your catcher out with being quick to the plate and give him the chance to throw out some guys.

WHO ON THE NATIONALS AT SPRING (TRAINING) DID YOU GET TIGHT WITH?

SS: Definitely John Lannan, Garrett Mock, there's a bunch of pitchers up there . . . they were great, they really made my Spring Training experience a blast. I learned a lot from them, especially theguys out here, Randy Tomlin, Randy Knorr, the coaches here in Harrisburg, they've been great, too.

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU CAN THROW HARDER NOW WITH THAT DELIVERY?

SS: You know, the velo(city) is pretty much the same, there's really no difference from the wind-up to from the stretch, but you know, I'm angle to keep that angle to stay in the bottom half of the zone.

###

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Nats 0 Rockies 2

Hey, if we're gonna lose a game, this is the way I'd wanna lose it. Not often, mind you, and yeah, they couldn't get anybody around the bases (tip of the hat to Ubaldo Jimenez, who STILL wound up pitching less than Livo), but with Livo pitching a solid 8 innings, only conceding two runs with no errors by his fellow infielders and outfielders, I'll take ten of those games over any ONE of the games from last season when we couldn't hold a lead due to a horrid bullpen or horrid infielders.

Friday, April 16, 2010

No Z-Man, No Dunn, No Problem.

Nats 5, Brewers 3

Well that was a fun one. When Dunn got tossed in the first inning for throwing his batting helmet inside the first base line in frustration after a completely stupid third-strike call by the third-base ump, you'd have to figure that -- with Zimmerman once again out of the starting lineup -- that changed the whole complexion of the game.

It did, but not in the way one would think. What an 8th inning! Gonzalez beats out the throw in an infield single, Willingham -- who earlier in the game hits an inches-over-the-wall, left-field homer -- gets hit by a pitch, Desmond sacrifice-bunts them both ahead, then Kennedy and Nieves both hit hard singles to drive in three go-ahead runs.

And Lannan! SEVEN strong innings. The only shame is that he wasn't able to pick up the win. THAT's the pitcher we all know and love.

All in all, a good way to start the weekend.

Up next: DC United vs. Chicago Fire on Saturday night, and maybe I might check out the Hoya baseball game on Sunday.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Caps Karma

. . . the bad sort for tonight.

Mike Green, it's your fault. Your non-call for tripping is what gave the Habs the victory tonight. Forget all the puck know-it-alls who'll look at Ovechkin's disappearance during most of the game, or anything else. When a ref misses a call like that, you know it's gonna come back to bite you, and tonight it did.

It's just bad Karma.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Regional vs. Local

Interesting ESPN article on the Bundesliga, and how teams who do well and are rewarded with European footie the next season then flop domestically:
One explanation for this is the lack of money in the Bundesliga. Apart from Bayern, no club can afford a squad that is deep enough to allow for the physical and mental rigours of playing both in Europe and domestically.

This means clubs that have been rewarded for a good league season with a place in Europe are likely to be punished the following season by the double-duty curse. Take Stuttgart and Wolfsburg, whose Bundesliga form suffered for many months, or Hamburg, struggling since the winter break. Those three clubs have been overtaken by Leverkusen, Schalke and even Dortmund, all of whom didn't have to cope with midweek distractions under European floodlights this season.
MLS has a similarity -- albeit on a much lower financial scale -- with the Bundesliga here.

Could that be the case this year for DCU, which this season won't have to worry about the CONCACAF Champions League, and once Onalfo and crew manage to right the ship (yes, several gallons of Kool-Aid have been consumed) they'll be able to concentrate on their winning ways of old?

These are the kinds of delusional thoughts that pop into a fan's head after seeing the first three games of the season end in defeat.

Another delusion: during MLS' inaugural year, DCU lost the first four games and still managed to win both the MLS and Open cups. So maybe I should cheer for a loss in this upcoming weekend's game against the Chicago Fire, thereby conjuring up some spirits of old that will help the team get over this funk and start winning again?

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Shocker!

Nats 5 Mets 3

I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED to find a Nationals pitcher that can go more than five innings!

I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED to find a Nationals team at .500 for the first time in two years!

What's next, are pigs gonna fly now?!?

And oh yeah, K-Rod: YER NUTS.

Finally, A U.S. Rivalry

Now THAT was trip. Aside from being put in the nosebleed section of Lincoln Financial Field with a thousand of your closest friends (a very small few being of the stupid, beer-throwing-onto-the-Union-fans-below variety), just the march into the stadium was worth the price of the bus and game ticket (not to mention the side trip to Atlantic City on the way up)!

We were so far up, though, that it wasn't until I came home and watched the highlights that I was assured we'd actually been heard. Even the crowd noise from the Union fans in our perch was somewhat muted. Somehow I think it'll be a TOTALLY different environment when the SoBs come to RFK on Aug. 22. At least then, hopefully the only things their beer and spit will fall on will be the VWs parked in the "garage" endline section.

The DCU players? Well, the first half I'd have covered the eyes of any kids standing around me, DCU was so bad. They couldn't seem to string more than three passes together in the final third. It was almost if they were thinking, "Oh, I'm the second one to get the ball -- MUST PASS IT TO A UNION PLAYER NOW NOW NOW." Le Toux deserved the hat trick, given how badly he was defended on the first two goals.

I mean, Jeepers Creepers...

Second half was definitely better, both Tino's goal as well as Jaime Moreno's absolute UNDRESSING of Union GK Seitz, but yeah, Troy Perkins, you were right to have taken responsibility for the loss. That third goal man, Jeezus, even we up in the stratosphere could see you had a gaping hole on your right side.

It'll be interesting to see how the atmosphere changes once the Union moves into their little sandbox of a stadium. And oh, by the way, Philly Union ownership, way to go to predict the size of the soccer market in Philly. Yes, yes, Opening Day and all that, but not even counting the thousand or so DCU fans, y'all had well more than 33,000 people show up. That's what, FIFTEEN THOUSAND or so potential ticket owners and concession buyers that you won't be able to satisfy at itty-bitty PPL Park? Seriously, good business decision to decide on an 18,500-seat stadium!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Reminders of Potential

During Wednesday's Nats-Phils game, the jumbo TV showed a shot of Washington Capitals players Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom sitting in the plush seats near home plate.

A nice reminder of the fact that the Caps a few short years ago ALSO sucked, and ALSO had their arena invaded by away team fans until they started getting good. Nowadays, GOOD LUCK getting a ticket to a Caps game if you're an away fan.

So as irritating as Opening Day was, I'm willing to wait just a little bit longer to start seeing the Nats become a contender.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Philly Invasion -- INVERTED.

Yes, there's been a lot of moaning and groaning about the invasion of Phillies fans at Opening Day yesterday, but the reality is, given how the Nats have played over the past couple years, what can one expect? One Philly fan told me they brought FORTY buses down from parts north for this game.

On my way home from the game, I spoke with a couple longtime Caps fans on their way to the Caps-Boston game. They knew EXACTLY what it felt like because that's how it was before the Caps started getting good, so it gives me hope that in the next couple years the Nationals can mirror that kind of success, both on the field and in the stands.

For the meantime, however, I'll be one of the HUNDREDS (Edit: As of Thusday 4/8, it's over a thousand) of DC United fans who'll be making the trek up I-95 this coming weekend for the opening game of the Philadelphia Union, where I hope to make myself as OBNOXIOUS a fan as the Phillies fans were yesterday. (Heck, the DCU Team Store even had scarves made for the occasion!)

The difference: In soccer, home teams EXPECT to have away fans in their stadium, and set it up so they're essentially walled off by security in one single section to ward off any unpleasantness (some of which, unfortunately, I saw yesterday at Nats Park).

It's still interesting to see how different sports handle visiting teams' fans (remember that 'Skins-Steelers game at The Snyder MoneyPit?).