Stephen the Magnificent

Stephen Strasburg began his much anticipated major league career last night with a sparkling performance. The hype surrounding this game was so over the top that one wondered how the game could even begin to live up to expectations. It did. Not only did Strasburg throw 99 mph fastballs, but the slurve (his term) and the other off speed stuff was devastating. I pretty much expected that. What I didn’t expect was the control. He was always around the plate and after a while the home plate ump responded by giving him strikes on the edges.

The crowd was into every pitch at a level usually reserved for the bottom of the ninth in playoff games. Fans young and old who had a microphone thrust into their face all said they had been waiting for this since the young righthander signed last August. An added bonus was the return of Pudge Rodriguez from the DL who was the perfect complement to Strasburg at the other end of the battery and called an almost flawless game.

While all the special TV coverage droned on, the Nats post game ritual was unchanged. As Strasburg tried to respond to our local reporter's questions, he got the shaving cream pie in the face. A teammate thoughtfully wiped it off but only to make room for a second pie. And then the moment we Nats fans had been waiting for: Stephen got the giant gray Elvis wig and wore it throughout the rest of the interview. He’s a Nat at last.

Change We Can't Believe In

Orioles’ management is not doubt aware of how relieved we all are that they fired manager Dave Trembley. After all, Trembley has led the hapless Birds as they marched down the path of futility these last few years. Must be his fault that they keep losing. Can’t be that he’s been given players who don’t belong in the major leagues. Can’t be that they traded away his closer and replaced him with a guy who blew almost every save opportunity he was given and promptly went on the disabled list and has not been heard from again. Can’t be that the team is comprised of other team’s cast offs, utility players forced to play every day and a bullpen with nine saves all season. Must have been Trembley’s fault.

So last night we rang in the Juan Samuel era with a rousing 11-0 loss to the Red Sox. The game was essentially over in the first inning with young Chris Tillman on the mound for the Birds. I don’t know if Tillman belongs in the major leagues or not. He certainly didn’t last night, overmatched and struggling with his control. But hey, it must have been Trembley’s fault. Oh, make that Samuel.

What's Perfection Got to do with it

Armando Galarraga’s reaction to the blown call which ended his hope for a perfect game is nothing less than astonishing. A perfect game is a fragile gem, dependent on every pitch, every play, every swing going your way. Galarraga and the Tigers were perfect that day and he was on the verge of completing the last out and joining only twenty other pitchers who had done so. And then it was gone, A runner was on first who didn’t belong there and an umpire who didn’t believe in giving a guy the benefit of the doubt had blown the call. Turns out the umpires have to be perfect too.

What did Armando do? He smiled. He didn’t throw his glove down in anger and frustration and he didn’t get into the umpire’s face. He just walked back to the mound and kept throwing. I honestly don’t know how he did it. Nor can I imagine very many other players acting so gracefully. Instead, what comes to mind is the Nats center fielder who recently missed a ball and thought it had gone over the fence. He threw his glove down in disgust even though the ball had actually rolled back on the field a few feet away from him. Or players who throw their bats and helmets when they strike out or everybody’s favorite tantrum thrower Carlos Zambrano who specializes in destroying water coolers for reasons known only to himself.

So Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game and Jim Joyce, by all accounts a very good umpire, blew what should have been the last call of the game. Galarraga’s comment was something like “I really feel for the guy (Joyce). Nobody’s perfect.” But that’s not true. Joyce’s apology and Galarraga’s reaction were nothing short of perfection.