Strasburg Already in a Special Class

Last night's Nationals game had all the electricity of a fight night, all the hype of any game not called the Super Bowl and it was all riding on the right arm of Stephen Strasburg. The kid delivered. His performance outshone the hype and had people buzzing both well before and after he walked off the mound. His fourteen strikeouts on 94 pitches was the fewest ever needed in baseball history. Without doubt, his performance elevated him into a special class of athlete reserved for the truly gifted.

After a mere one start I can safely say that young Mr. Strasburg has joined the ranks of my 'Please God Let Us See This Young Man's Full Potential' All-Stars. He's a rare talent to be savored and enjoyed by fans of all teams, not just his own. He's not a grinder that only the truest of fans can appreciate, he's not the guy that you hate, but would love to have on your team, he's a transcendent talent sent to this Earth to do one thing: Pitch. I asked Cleet who would be on his PGLUSTYMFP All-Star Team (working title) and he selected Jason Heyward, Derrick Rose, Ndamukong Suh, and the newest member Strasburg. On my team: Kevin Durant, Suh, Eric Berry, and the new captain Strasburg. I was tempted to add DeMarcus Cousins for selfish reasons, but even I can admit he's not a transcendent athlete.

Over the years several guys have been on the team among them, Vince Carter, Calvin Johnson, and of course LeBron. Ironically, all three have fallen short in some way. Vince's on the downside of his career and we were robbed by his apathetic approach and being buried on some bad teams, LeBron's priorities seem more clouded than ever and I'm not convinced we'll ever see him better than he was against the Pistons in the 2007 playoffs. Calvin's still only 24 but hasn't had the Randy Moss Thanksgiving 'Hello World' game.

Speaking of Hello World, a lot of people have gotten worked up over Tiger's lack of success since he returned. At one point, he was the only golfer to ever join the PGLUSTYMFP All-Stars, but now he's 34 going on 35 and while he may yet pass Jack's totals for Masters, his ability to be an awe-inspiring player again remains in doubt. We saw his best and while Elin surely does, I don't feel cheated. I hate the situation for him, but we've not been robbed of seeing his best. That's all I hope for with all these guys, because far too often it just doesn't happen. Enjoy the ride, one way or another we'll all be telling our grandkids about Strasburg's first start.