Strasburg Crazed!

Stephen Strasburg is more than just a phenom.  He's the real deal.  He proved it last night after his 7 inning, 2 run, 0 walk, 14 strikeout performance.  Sure, all Washington National fans should be excited about the future prospects of their organization knowing that Strasburg should be taking the hill in D.C. for the next 5 plus seasons.

But, is the young kid getting too much pub?  Does anybody really know anything about this kid besides the fact that he can blow 101 mph on the gun regularly and has a curve ball that even Sandy Koufax would marvel at?

Nope, nobody does.  But you will soon and businesses are making it clear that they love Strasburg too. 

Take this for example.  According to a report over at ESPN.com, Strasburg already has a sandwich named after him.  A D.C. restaurant named BGR: The Burger Joint, has released the "Strasburger" that they are selling for $10.99.  (We hope the restaurant does not sell Miller High Life, because they soon will be in a TV commercial soon and no longer distributing the beverage.)

Also, according to Yahoo! Sports, a Virginia town by the name of Strasburg, Virginia would love for the opportunity to change the town's name for a week during next season to "Stephen Strasburg, Virginia." 

The town has even started a website called RenameStrasburg.com which has a list of commandments on why the town's name should be changed.  Here it is from the website:

1. On June 8, 2010 the town of Strasburg, Va. plans to honor Stephen with a "Pride of Strasburg Recognition" Award.



2. The Strasburg town council will also draft a resolution to rename the town "Stephen Strasburg, Virginia"

3. Upon which the newly named town would welcome Stephen into town on the back of a firetruck and honor him with a welcoming parade and police escort.

4. We also invite Mr. Strasburg to throw out the first pitch to our new traveling little league team which would henceforth be known as the "Stephen" Strasburgs.

Ridiculous. 

Finally, Strasburg's next start is scheduled to occur Sunday in Cleveland.  The Indians owners couldn't be more thrilled.  The Indians are currently ranked last in the major leagues in attendance, but no worries, when Super Strasburg comes to town, people come through the gates.  The team easily sold 4,000 tickets in the last week and 1,000 since the end of the game last night. 

All of the hype is great and a welcome distraction from the other note-worthy and news laden events that have occurred in Major League baseball during the past decade.

But come on.  The man, excuse me, kid, has pitched in one game thus far.  The Washington Nationals, last time I checked, were still 6 games out of first place.  Strasburg can only pitch every 5 days.  He is only one player who has done very little. 

I swear I heard somebody at the office say they were offering Tim Lincecum and Matt Kemp for Stephen Strasburg straight up.  Get real.  Talk about a fantasy nightmare.  You'll be on ESPN with J.P. Riccardi before you know it making deals like that. 

For the kid's own good, everyone needs to slow down and take a deep breath.  Instead of naming your next child Stras', how about buying a Washington Nationals jersey and maybe showing up for a few games.  Heck, buy some season tickets and come see some baseball.

Stephen Strasburg is going to be a great pitcher.  But the key word is "going".  Let's calm down, take a step back, and let the kid enjoy the moment last night.  He'll get his true test when has to face Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and the rest that the Major Leagues has to offer.  Until then, don't buy stock in some upstart Internet company named Strasburg Inc.  Save yourself the headache.