Author Topic: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread  (Read 49332 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline NJ Ave

  • Posts: 3485
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #25: July 03, 2013, 12:26:29 PM »
1. He's going to the all-star game.
2. He's going to do just fine.
3. The proposition was that he go balls out in the all-star game and throw 100 MPH just to show everyone what a stud he is. I think that's a poor idea.

Offline Ray D

  • Posts: 10073
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #26: July 03, 2013, 12:37:06 PM »
The proposition was that he go balls out in the all-star game and throw 100 MPH just to show everyone what a stud he is. I think that's a poor idea.
It should also be noted that Verlander tried that last year. And it was a poor idea then.

Offline Baseball is Life

  • Posts: 20393
  • Proud member of the Sunshine Squad.
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #27: July 03, 2013, 02:28:59 PM »
He's had TJ surgery, he spent multiple starts before that tugging at his shoulder and sleeves before every pitch. This season, he's been on the DL with an oblique strain that bothered him for several starts before he finally went on the DL. He already has a tough enough time in the first inning of a game he pitches (3.94 ERA this season with a 9/7 K/BB ratio in 16 innings; 3.39 career vs. 2.74 overall) whether he struggles to get loose or whatever it is. His body language has openly gotten sulky at various points if things outside of his control go wrong. He wilted in the heat at one point.


Those are the growing pains of the most analyzed/scrutinized pitcher in the history of the sport and nothing that hundreds of other pitchers have not experienced. And none of the above would qualify him as "finicky."
fin·ick·y 
/ˈfinikē/
Adjective
(of a person) Fussy about one's needs or requirements.
Showing or requiring great attention to detail.

In fact, he goes out of his way to insist that he be treated like "just another donkey." You might fault the organization for treating him with kid gloves, but that's because that's their responsibility.

Offline NJ Ave

  • Posts: 3485
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #28: July 03, 2013, 02:48:05 PM »
He's given up 9 unearned runs this year, and has a penchant for looking down in the dumps and lacking concentration if one of his fielders makes an error. He once had to come out of a game after 3 innings for dizziness in the heat and required 3 saline bags administered intravenously. He used to pace around and kick dirt around the mound when he wasn't happy with it. He had a crew come out and rework a mound he didn't like.

Others have called him worse than "finicky" but I think he's a little bit of a fussy guy who likes things to go as planned and gets a bit perturbed if they don't.

Call him a perfectionist if you want - I think he adds inflexibility to perfectionism, which is my definition of finicky.

Offline NJ Ave

  • Posts: 3485
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #29: July 03, 2013, 02:52:18 PM »
Gio's quirky, Jordan's the bulldog, Strasburg is the delicate genius - those are my lazy characterizations.

Offline Baseball is Life

  • Posts: 20393
  • Proud member of the Sunshine Squad.
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #30: July 03, 2013, 03:31:27 PM »
Others have called him worse than "finicky" but I think he's a little bit of a fussy guy who likes things to go as planned and gets a bit perturbed if they don't.

Call him a perfectionist if you want - I think he adds inflexibility to perfectionism, which is my definition of finicky.

The judges will accept accept fussy or perfectionist, not finicky.

All those other behaviors have happened to hundreds of pitchers but somehow he's held to a higher standard.

Offline Baseball is Life

  • Posts: 20393
  • Proud member of the Sunshine Squad.
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #31: July 03, 2013, 03:32:26 PM »
Gio's quirky, Jordan's the bulldog, Strasburg is the delicate genius - those are my lazy characterizations.

Gio is goofy, Jordan is intense, and Stras is the obsessive.

Offline hammondsnats

  • Posts: 37394
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #32: July 03, 2013, 04:12:49 PM »
he's doing his job :clap:

Offline Slateman

  • Posts: 63095
  • THE SUMMONER OF THE REVERSE JINX
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #33: July 25, 2013, 02:31:28 PM »
Stephen Strasburg is 1st NL pitcher in modern era (since 1900) w/ 8+ IP, 12+ K while allowing 2 or fewer hits and 0 walks in a loss

Offline Baseball is Life

  • Posts: 20393
  • Proud member of the Sunshine Squad.
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #34: July 25, 2013, 03:39:57 PM »
Stras is becoming the stud pitcher we thought he would be. He's overcome complete lack of run support this year and dispelled any wrongheaded notion that's he not tenacious or tough minded.

Offline DPMOmaha

  • Posts: 22875
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #35: July 25, 2013, 03:46:28 PM »
...He's overcome complete lack of run support this year...
Yep.  Except for this.

Offline TigerFan

  • Posts: 3890
  • A split allegiance is still an allegiance
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #36: August 12, 2013, 11:03:24 AM »
No one bumped this great performance?  First ever complete game and it was a shutout?!  99 pitches is an amazing feat.  The phillies are nothing great I get that.  However look at what they did to some of this board's fanboi Jeff Samardzija his last out.  Much props to SS. 

Offline Mattionals

  • Posts: 5732
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #37: August 12, 2013, 11:13:44 AM »
No one bumped this great performance?  First ever complete game and it was a shutout?!  99 pitches is an amazing feat.  The phillies are nothing great I get that.  However look at what they did to some of this board's fanboi Jeff Samardzija his last out.  Much props to SS.

Ouch, the burn hurts man.  :mg:

I wouldn't ever give up Strasburg.  I'd just love to have Samardzija TOO.

More likely that the Nats use their trade chips this offseason to get a decent bat though.  Taylor Jordan is for real and Karns is coming into his own.  Maybe, just maybe, the Nats should focus on trading a few of the "pieces" to get Howie Kendrick or Chase Headley.

Offline TigerFan

  • Posts: 3890
  • A split allegiance is still an allegiance
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #38: August 12, 2013, 11:28:45 AM »
Ouch, the burn hurts man.  :mg:

I wouldn't ever give up Strasburg.  I'd just love to have Samardzija TOO.

More likely that the Nats use their trade chips this offseason to get a decent bat though.  Taylor Jordan is for real and Karns is coming into his own.  Maybe, just maybe, the Nats should focus on trading a few of the "pieces" to get Howie Kendrick or Chase Headley.

Haha I didn't even remember who wanted him honestly and I, too, think he would be a value added piece to this staff especially if Det is more of what we've seen of him the last two months and not the first two months. 

I'm really sold on Jordan and think with some refining he can be an above average #4.  I've not really seen Karns at all so I can't comment on him. 

Offline ajcartwright

  • Posts: 2362
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #39: August 12, 2013, 11:57:22 AM »
would Stras have gone nine
had DJ not been in the
training room - props Knorr

and props to Stephen
tonight, I saw a man, not
a boy, but a man

Offline Smithian

  • Posts: 11497
  • Sunshine Squad 2022
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #40: August 12, 2013, 12:21:07 PM »
And to think certain posters feel he should be traded.

Offline expos1994

  • Posts: 339
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #41: August 12, 2013, 12:32:23 PM »
And to think certain posters feel he should be traded.

Hopefully after revealing this these posters were promptly tarred, feathered, and publicly ridiculed.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39371
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #42: August 12, 2013, 01:18:44 PM »
Hopefully after revealing this these posters were promptly tarred, feathered, and publicly ridiculed.
Well, the Expos did acquire Tony Armas Jr. and Carl Pavano for a pitcher they weren't going to sign.

 :twisted:

Offline DPMOmaha

  • Posts: 22875
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #43: August 12, 2013, 01:25:27 PM »
would Stras have gone nine
had DJ not been in the
training room - props Knorr

and props to Stephen
tonight, I saw a man, not
a boy, but a man
Considering he finished with 99 pitches for the game, I'd think yes.

Offline Baseball is Life

  • Posts: 20393
  • Proud member of the Sunshine Squad.
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #44: August 12, 2013, 02:11:34 PM »
Hopefully after revealing this these posters were promptly tarred, feathered, and publicly ridiculed.

We did our best to ridicule any notion of trading Stras.

The most ridiculous post of the year (poster will remain anonymous) was about two weeks ago and proclaimed that "Stras is just an average pitcher."

Offline GburgNatsFan

  • Posts: 22277
  • Let's drink a few for Mathguy.
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #45: August 12, 2013, 03:01:41 PM »
Stras is, in fact, a man-beast with unearthly stuff, a nasty attitude that needs sanding around the edges - or just don't touch him - and a competitive streak about as wide as a skunk's white stripe.

We did our best to ridicule any notion of trading Stras.

The most ridiculous post of the year (poster will remain anonymous) was about two weeks ago and proclaimed that "Stras is just an average pitcher."

Offline madj55

  • Posts: 7759
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #46: August 12, 2013, 03:09:42 PM »
Let us all appreciate the lineup that lost against the Phillies on September 28th, 2008 that helped us land Strasburg:

Bonifacio - 2B
Hernandez - SS
Casto - 1B
Langerhans - RF
Gonzalez - 3B
Bernadina - CF
Montz - C
Orr - LF
Perez - P

Offline Smithian

  • Posts: 11497
  • Sunshine Squad 2022
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #47: August 12, 2013, 03:13:55 PM »
Bonifacio - 2B - Traded him for Willingham and Scott Olsen. Why do teams trade Willingham for such nothing?
Hernandez - SS - Gross
Casto - 1B - Kory?
Langerhans - RF - Morse!
Gonzalez - 3B - Zimmy was hurt :(
Bernadina - CF -The Future!
Montz - C - Seriously, anyone know this person? No clue.
WARRIOrr - LF
Perez - P - Opening day starter. Ace.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39371
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #48: August 12, 2013, 03:14:48 PM »
wow, all three heads of the bonihernalez monster.  Langerhans not only helped us get Morse but also Stras?  i say retire the man's number!

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39371
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
Re: The Stephen Strasburg Appreciation Thread
« Reply #49: August 12, 2013, 03:17:24 PM »
In terms of 2013 playing time, I'm guessing it was Boni, Bernie, Gonzalez, Montz and maybe Orr?

Luke Montz DH'd a couple of games for the As this year.  A catcher, but we had enough depth to make him redundant and drop him from the 40 man that offseason.