I have to say, ever since marrying the hubby I have become much more of an avid sports fan. I love watching football and cheering for my Dallas Cowboys. I love going to baseball games and cheering for my Washington Nationals. (And yes, I realize I am cheering for teams from different states and even a team that is the main rival some say to the Washington football team, but oh well. My loyalties lie where they do). Right now on all the sports radio shows in the area, everyone is talking about Stephen Strasburg and his inevitable early end to his season because of his inning limit this season. He had a Tommy John surgery to repair his injury from 2010 and this season he has been on fire. However, his doctor and General Manager of the Nationals Mike Rizzo have stated that Stephen will only be allowed to pitch 160-180 innings this season in order to keep him healthy for the future.
Now, personally, I would love to continue to see him play, however, if his doctor believes that this is the best option, I have to trust that. I have heard numerous interviews on the radio from others who believe that if Stephen's arm is healthy and he is feeling no pain then there is no reason to stop his season short. This makes sense as well, however, these people may not have all the information that the team or his doctor have.
Either way, I do not think that the Nationals fans should be super worried for our team. Currently, we have the best record in baseball and are leading our eastern conference division. We have the best pitchers a team could ask for and I think many are relying too heavily on Stephen to win the World Series for us and discounting the players we will still have if Stephen is benched.
We have Gio Gonzalez with an ERA of 3.29 and WHIP of 1.14. We have Jordan Zimmermann with an ERA of 2.38 and WHIP of 1.09. We have Ross Detwiler with an ERA of 3.18 and WHIP of 1.16.
Yes Stephen is amazing and we will miss him with his ERA of 2.91 and WHIP or 1.13 - BUT WE STILL HAVE GREAT PITCHERS. And I am super excited to watch this team make it to the playoffs and hopefully make a run for the World Series title. I heard on the radio that it has been almost 80 years since the Nationals have made it to the playoffs (not sure if that is correct) - but everyone in the Washington area should be pumped and excited that our team is so amazing this year! I know I am. And I am pumped to go watch them tonight!
In reality, we need to support our team. It is fine to not agree with the decision that will most likely occur if Stephen is benched before the season is over - but we need to still support our team and realize that our team can still win.
Here is a couple good articles on the issue:
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/1770/simulating-stephen-strasburg-beyond-160
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/stephen-strasburg-innings-debate-mike-rizzo-deserves-benefit-of-the-doubt/2012/08/16/7a665932-e7a5-11e1-a3d2-2a05679928ef_story.html
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8270168/washington-nationals-players-question-club-plan-sit-stephen-strasburg
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