Tommy John Talks Stephen Strasburg

Hey Washington Nationals fans, your team is in first place in the National League East with the best record in baseball...why the long faces?

Oh, that's right, manager Davey Johnson and team brass aren't budging and still plan to shut down your ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg once he hits 180 innings pitched.

Yeah.  That's a tough one.

For the uninformed, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said, before the season, that the 24-year-old phenom would be placed on an innings limit...playoffs or not.

Why?  Because dude is still rehabbing from his 2010 Tommy John surgery. 

And while there are plenty of skeptics out there, no one could be more puzzled that the 2012 Hall of Very Good inductee himself.

"They have a lot of money invested in him and are erring in the side of caution.  Is it right?  I personally don’t think so," Tommy John told The Hall of Very Good exclusively.  "After I had (Tommy John surgery), the only way we knew to get my arm stronger was to throw.  So I threw every day.  And the more I threw…the better my arm felt.  I never missed a start in the thirteen years after arm surgery because of my arm being sore or stiff because I threw off a mound to a catcher every single day."

The 23-year-old Strasburg is 12-5 with 160 strikeouts through 127 innings...but all that might be moot if he won't be available for the postseason.

"It’ll be hard to tell the other 24 guys on the ballclub, ‘you busted your ass and we’re not going to pitch our best pitcher the last month of the season’," John continued.  "If I was Strasburg, I’d be lobbying to pitch.  What you play for all season is to pitch in the postseason."

Triple-A Pitcher Sinks Full Court Shot

Suffice it to say, the imminent return of Stephen Strasburg is getting all the attention among Washington Nationals fans.

Until now.

I like my share of trick basketball videos (I've lost hours watching the Pool Domination videos), so when friend of The Hall Matt Antonelli posted the following video on his blog...I couldn't click on the link fast enough.

First...this is what Antonelli posted:

I have to confess. Many of you have seen my Nerf basketball video where my former roommate Wade Leblanc of the San Diego Padres and I drain some pretty ridiculous shots in our run down living room during Spring Training. Well, the truth is, a lot of those shots weren't made on the first try. In fact, some of them took five, ten, even twenty tries.  

But today I have something better for you. We're not joking around with this shot. No Nerf basketballs. I'm talking about the real thing. And this shot was made on the first try. No re-takes. No edits. First shot of the day. Swish. The shot is made by my current teammate J.D. Martin and he needs some props. If my shitty Nerf basketball shots made it all the way to ESPN and First Take then this shot needs to get there too. With you're help, and J.D.'s super human talents, I'm positive it will.

Now...here's the video.

Let's see Strasburg do that!

Stephen Strasburg Throws Off Mound...Can't Hold a Gun

Earlier this week, pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg tweeted some encouraging words to the Washington Nationals faithful.

First bullpen in the books. Felt great! Hopefully time will speed up now!

Of course, that was far better news than what Kevin Kaduk from Yahoo! Sports posted…that the big righty had been taken into custody by red ninjas.

Allow me to explain.

Wednesday…a fella by the name of “Vega” put up a gem of a post over at the Washington Nationals Fan Forum.

It started innocently enough:

I picked up a Mcfarlane Playmakers Stephen Strasburg action figure two weeks ago. I figured that you guys might want to see it, so here's my review.

Then the hilarity ensued...and it included a number of your favorite G.I. Joe figures, a chainsaw, Wolverine and, of course, those red ninjas.

Now, if the exploits if action figure Strasburg is a precursor of what might be on the horizons for a healthy Stras…oh my.

If he can't return from Tommy John surgery…I’m pretty sure homeboy has a second career as an American Hero already lined up!

The Season That Was...June

With three no-hitters (two of them perfect games!) already in the books...what could June possibly bring? Another no-hitter perhaps?

Perhaps a near perfect game?!? Nooo...that would NEVER happen!

Well...on June 2 it did!

One out away from what would be the third perfect game of the season, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga suffered the greatest on field travesty since Monica Seles got stabbed by that crazed German when umpire Jim Joyce blew what would have been the 27th out of the game.

What followed was mayhem and, well, to be honest...Galarraga got the next out and ended the game with a one-hitter. But, you would have thought Joyce killed a guy...or stabbed a tennis player in the back.

Three weeks later, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Edwin Jackson no-hit the Tampa Bay Rays.

The HOVG Mid-Season Report

So here we are, folks…the All-Star break. What have we learned?

The Yankees, with their league-best 56-32 record are dominating their opponents. Home runs are making headlines night after night and big league umpires need, according to many fans…better glasses.

Now while you’re bound to come across plenty of first half re-caps, here are ten milestones (or stories) that The Hall of Very Good has found of particular interest.


Jason Heyward Hits Home Run in Major League Debut
With one swing of the bat, Atlanta Braves super rookie did something only 104 players had done prior to Opening Day 2010…ht a home run in his first at bat. Within weeks, three more players joined him…most notably was what Boston rookie Daniel Nava pulled off.


Mike Leake Skips Minors…Debuts in Reds Rotation
While most of the baseball world was applauding the debut of Jason Heyward and counting down the moments until Stephen Strasburg took the hill for the first time…Cincinnati starter Mike Leake was busy not playing in the Minors and taking his act to the pros, winning his first five starts in the process.


No-Hitters, Perfect and Notso Perfect Games
If one more person calls 2010 the “Year of the Pitcher” I’m going to vomit. So here we are…living in the Year of the Pitcher! Never before have we seen two perfect games (Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay), two no-hitters (Ubaldo Jimenez and Edwin Jackson) and whatever you call what Armando Galarraga pulled off…all before the All-Star break! I’m almost afraid to see what the second half of the season has in store for us.


Matt Stairs…Professional Hitter
My fascination with Matt Stairs started in his first season in the Minors…1989. More than 20 years and a Major League best 20 pinch hit home runs later…Stairs is still swinging for the fences. Matter of fact, he’s done so for more teams (11) than anyone else out there today.


Junior Retires
Fifth on the all-time home run list with 630 career bombs, "The Kid" was regarded as one of the game's premier players throughout the 1990s, nabbing ten straight Gold Gloves while playing with Seattle and being elected to start eleven straight All-Star Games. Quietly, he called it quits June 2 and made the 2016 Hall of Fame induction an easy day to schedule.


Stephen Strasburg Makes His Historic Debut
What can be written about Stephen Strasburg that hasn’t been written before? How about the fact that dude sold more jerseys (78,000) in June than any Washington National has in their history? Oh…a big thanks to those who have found The Hall while Googling “Stephen Strasburg shoe size”.


Home Run Milestones Aplenty!
Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Scott Rolen all reached the 300 home run plateau for their careers. Not to be outdone, Andruw Jones hit his 400th. The next big home run milestone on the docket? Alex Rodriguez is a mere three longballs from 600.


Jamie Moyer Becomes Home Run King
And speaking of home runs…did you hear the one about Jamie Moyer becoming the all-time leader in home runs by a pitcher. Last month, Moyer served up home run number 506 and later this month…he’ll get his AARP card. You know…because he’s old. ZING!


Jon Adkins Sets Save Record
Sure, it’s not a Major League milestone…but it IS a milestone. Good friend of The Hall, closer Jon Adkins became the all-time saves leader for the Cincinnati Red Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats back in June. Unfortunately, Adkins won’t be able to add to his career total…the Reds released the pitcher on the eve of the Major League All-Star break Sunday night.


Goodbye, Old Friends
In a season full of memorable debuts…we’ve also seen our fair share of departures. In May, the baseball world lost both Ernie Harwell and Jose Lima. And right before the All-Star break, longtime Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard passed. But in what will be regarded as one of the top sports/news stories of the year…Yankees owner George Steinbrenner succumbed to a heart attack early Tuesday morning.


To put a cap on the first half of the baseball season, Gar Ryness, better known as Batting Stance Guy was at the All-Star Game in Anaheim Tuesday night and ran into “reputable reporter” Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

Here’s their round up of the 2010 season so far.

Ten Things About Stephen Strasburg's Debut

With Halley's Comet not entering our skies until mid-2061 and the next Twilight movie still three weeks away...something had to take our minds off of our collective disdain for British Petroleum.

Enter the most anticipated debut in our nation's capital since Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president in January 2009.

At 7:06pm Tuesday night, last year's top pick threw his first pitch in a Major League uniform. Ladies and gentlemen...here are ten things you might not have known about Stephen Strasburg's epic debut for the Washington Nationals.

$15,100,000
On August 17 of last year, with a mere 77 seconds left for ink to touch paper, Stephen Strasburg signed what became a record $15.1 million dollar contract with the Nationals. Prior to this deal, pitcher Mark Prior held the distinction of being the highest paid draft pick when he inked a $10.5 million dollar deal in 2001 for the Cubs. Curious how Strasburg's deal shakes out? The rookie was paid a prorated share of the minimum major league salary of $400,000 last season, is guaranteed $2 million this year, $2.5 million next year and in 2012...a cool $3 million.

40,315
According to FanSnap.com, the 40,315 patrons to Tuesday night's game at Nationals Park shelled out (on average) $132.72 to get a glimpse of Strasburg squaring off against the Pirates. The biggest crowd for a Washington-Pittsburgh matchup last season...18,579. But packing in the fans is nothing new to those following the much hyped righty. When Strasburg toed the rubber for his second start in Double-A Harrisburg...there was a record 7,895 fans at the park. A month later, when he made his debut in Triple-A Syracuse, a record 13,766 showed up.

97
Minutes after Strasburg emerged from the Nationals dugout and dug in on the mound, he unleashed a 97 mile per hour laser to Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen that just missed the inside corner. After his first two pitches being called balls, Strasburg hit his mark...getting the Pirates lead off hitter to line out to short. It would be the first of only seven outs to be recorded by those backing up Strasburg...the rest he would handle himself. More on that later.

94
In seven innings of work, Strasburg threw 94 pitches...65 strikes (22 of them called) and 29 balls. In his last three innings of work, Strasburg turned in what was probably his most impressive performance by striking out eight of the final nine batters he faced. In that stretch, the fireballer threw 38 pitches...31 of them for strikes. His last pitch of the night was a 99 mph strike to Pirates thirdbaseman Andy LaRoche.

37
If you've seen any Washington Nationals fans walking around, they're more than likely wearing a number 37 on their backs. In what is surely going to become one of baseball's top selling jerseys, Strasburg's 37 is a rarity. Throughout the Majors, only two teams have retired the number...the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. And who was the guy who donned the number? None other than Hall of Fame skipper Casey Stengel. As far as other popular number 37s...fans are hopeful that Strasburg is more Kenny Rogers or Dave Steib than Matt Albers or Todd Wellemeyer.

35
Stephen Strasburg is the 35th former San Diego State University Aztec to make his way to the Major Leagues with 16 of them being pitchers. Odds are he'll have a longer career than fellow Aztec Jim Campbell who pitched in just two games for the Kansas City Royals in 1990. But with any luck, the phenom will match the longevity of his former college coach, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who made the cross country trip to watch Strasburg's debut.

21
A month from now, Strasburg will be all of 22 years-old. So for now, at 21 years, 10 months and 19 days old...the fireballer is the youngest member of the Washington Nationals. Also born in 1988...NBA hoopsters Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, NHL star Patrick Kane and actor Michael Cera. I'd include Brooke "Hulk Hogan's daughter" Hogan...but I'm not really sure how to classify her.

15
According to ESPN (those guys know everything!), Stephen Strasburg wears a size 15 shoe. Ladies.

14
By now you know that out of 21 possible outs, 14 of them came via the strikeout? Only twice since 1920, has a pitcher struck out more than Strasburg did Tuesday night. Former Houston Astro J.R. Richard struck out 15 during his pro debut in 1971. 17 years earlier, Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Karl Spooner struck out 15 New York Giants...a roster that included future Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Monte Irvin. So yeah, 14 Ks is a league high so far this young season, but c'mon...Garrett Jones and Jason Jaramillo are no Mays or Irvin.

0
We've heard all about the 14 strikeouts...but no walks? In 135 years worth of Major League debuts, no pitcher has ever fanned 14 and walked zero. If you add that up...that's a ton of pitchers, people! And as Jayson Stark pointed out, there have only been five pitchers since 1900 that have had a 14 strikeout and zero walk performance in any game, at any point in their careers, in which they went seven innings or less. Those five...Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Javier Vazquez, Mike Mussina and Brad Penny.

So Merry Strasmas, Nationals fans, Jesus has finally touched down in Washington...and he wears a face full of shaving cream and a silver Elvis wig.

Earlier in the season, two other big name rookies, Jason Heyward and Mike Leake got the "Ten Things" treatment...be sure to check them out as well.

Ten Things About Jason Heyward's First Home Run

Ten Things About Mike Leake and His Jump to the Majors

(Don't) Believe the Hype?

By the time last year's first pick Stephen Strasburg throws a pitch Tuesday night, this year's number one, Bryce Harper, will have been the property of the Washington Nationals for close to 24 hours.

That said, the Ultimate Warrior lookalike is already being called "the Lebron James of baseball" and, along with Strasburg, is being looked at to make the Nationals a power in the National League East.

Now, while we're probably a few years away from that (if not more), one thing is for certain...greatness is not necessarily a guarantee.

Sure, Strasburg finished his minor league stint with an overall record of 7–2, an ERA of 1.30, 65 strikeouts and 13 walks in 55⅓ innings and was featured prominently across ESPN's Bottomline.

And sure, Harper's legendary 502 foot bomb at Tropicana Field last year has a few million views on YouTube and in 62 collegiate games this year, he batted .442 with 29 home runs, 88 runs scored, 89 RBI and 18 steals.

But how many former number one picks have gone on to greatness?

Would you be shocked to find out that since the draft started in 1965, there hasn't been a single number one draft pick to make his way to The Hall of Fame?

It's true.

Matter of fact, only four players that have been selected in the top ten of the respective draft classes have been enshrined...Reggie Jackson (drafted second overall in 1966), Robin Yount and Dave Winfield (selected with the third and fourth picks in the 1973) and Paul Molitor (taken third overall in 1977).

All in all, a pretty good foursome...but you've gotta admit, it is a little surprising.

And before you ask, yes, there appears to be at least three number ones that will be joining Jackson, Yount, Winfield and Molitor in Cooperstown in the upcoming years. Ken Griffey, Jr., Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez were all taken first in 1987, 1990 and 1993 respectively.

So, before you start to ponder whether or not you should make reservations in Cooperstown some 25 years from now remember this...for every Junior and A-Rod that get selected first overall...there are two times as many Al Chambers and David Clydes.

"Jesus" Strasburg Sent to Double-A

After giving up just two runs this spring training for the Washington Nationals, last year's number one overall pick, Stephen Strasburg packed his bags, his Bible and is heading north.

Unfortunately, he'll be passing up our nation's capital and landing in Pennsylvania's...but don't let anyone tell you that this wasn't about money.

"It's not an easy decision," National General Manager Mike Rizzo told the Washington Post, "but we can't be short-sighted. We have to look what's best for the organization long term. That's dictated by what's best for Stephen Strasburg's development."

Really? The guy has a Major League cannon for an arm, hits 100mph on the Jugs gun...yet this is "what's best" for his development?!?

How about the fact that Harrisburg just recently dumped a ton of money into renovations at Metro Bank Park? What about the fact that that same ballpark is home to this year's Eastern League All-Star Game?

And, oh yeah, if he stays in the Minors for the first two weeks of the season, Strasburg's free agency and eventual departure from Washington gets pushed back a year. If he's there for two months...his arbitration eligibility gets pushed back an extra season as well.

To me, it appears that Strasburg's "development" coincides with a potential windfall organization-wide for the Nationals.

Let's just hope that this slight speedbump doesn't derail Strasburg...because just by being the first pick in the draft guarantees him instant success, right?

Wrong.

Would you be shocked to find out that since the draft started in 1965, there hasn't been a single number one draft pick to make his way to The Hall of Fame?

Matter of fact, only four players that have been selected in the top ten of the respective draft classes have been enshrined...Reggie Jackson (drafted second overall in 1966), Robin Yount and Dave Winfield (selected with the third and fourth picks in the 1973) and Paul Molitor (taken third overall in 1977).

All in all, a pretty good foursome...but you've gotta admit, it is a little surprising.

And before you ask, yes, there appears to be at least three number ones that will be joining Jackson, Yount, Winfield and Molitor in Cooperstown in the upcoming years. Ken Griffey, Jr., Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez were all taken first in 1987, 1990 and 1993 respectively.

Lastly, tickets for the Harrisburg Senators home opener go on sale Saturday.

Is Stephen Strasburg destined for greatness?

Being the first pick in the draft means instant success, right?

Wrong.

But try telling that to the 1985 me and I'd sooner spit in your face than agree with you.

Please...allow me to explain.

In 1985, the Topps card company had, among their seemingly ENDLESS amount of sub-sets, a block of cards reserved for baseball's past number one draft picks.

All the big ones were there...Bill Almon, Al Chambers, Bob Horner. Even Shawn Abner, first pick overall by the Mets in 1984 was included.

Suffice it to say...I was hooked and I had to collect all of those first picks.

25 years later, I got to thinking..."is this year's number one pick destined for the greatness everyone seems to think he is?" Think about it...is Stephen Strasburg already knocking on the door to Cooperstown simply because he was picked first?

Well?

Would you be shocked to find out that since the draft started in 1965, there hasn't been a single number one draft pick to make his way to The Hall of Fame?

Matter of fact, only four players that have been selected in the top ten of the respective draft classes have been enshrined...Reggie Jackson (drafted second overall in 1966), Robin Yount and Dave Winfield (selected with the third and fourth picks in the 1973) and Paul Molitor (taken third overall in 1977).

All in all, a pretty good foursome...but you've gotta admit, it is a little surprising.

And before you ask, yes, there appears to be at least three number ones that will be joining Jackson, Yount, Winfield and Molitor in Cooperstown in the upcoming years. Ken Griffey, Jr., Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez were all taken first in 1987, 1990 and 1993 respectively.