Capitol Disaster

It was bad news for Major League baseball and the Washington Nationals, with Stephen Strasburg out for the remainder of this season and most likely next season too.  Strasburg tore a tendon in his pitching arm and will undergo Tommy John surgery.  This is the worst possible surgery for a pitcher.  The injury and surgery has the longest recover for any type of pitching injury.  It is especially devastating for the Nationals and their fans.  Strasburg looked to be the real deal and gave the franchise hope for a bright future.  He threw over 100 miles per hour and a curve ball that made hitters knees buckle.  His 14 strike outs in his major league debut was amazing.  He was the reason why National fans went to games.  Their attendance increased by around 13,000 when he pitched.  They have been a miserable franchise ever since they came to Washington.  If you remember, they used to be the Montreal Expos.  A miserable franchise in one city becoming even worse in a new one.  

Baseball has become one big discussion on what's the correct way to bring up a young pitcher.  There are so many debates and points of view.  I have learned that nobody is right.  You never know what can happen.  Teams can protect them as much as possible or they can let them be free and pitch, but it really is a crap shoot.  One pitch can end it all.  Strasburg looked amazing this year.  He looked like he could become one of the next great pitchers in baseball.   The Nationals had innings and pitch limits on Strasburg, but it did not matter.  Throwing a baseball is not a natural motion.  The human arm is not supposed to do what a pitcher does.  Teams can try to protect young pitchers as much as they want, but there is no guarantee it will prevent them from injury.  There is no set way on how to handle them.  The limits on Strasburg did not prevent him from injury and he might never be the same.   

It is not all doom and gloom for the Nationals and Strasburg.  Despite the severity of the injury, around 75% of those who have Tommy John surgery come back in the same form or even better.  It has become the most common injury for pitchers.  The surgery is performed so often, it seems as if doctors perfected it. Recovery is much better than it once was.  At one point, Tommy John surgery was a career ender.  For many now, it has become a career booster.  Pitchers like Chris Carpenter, Josh Johnson, Billy Wagner, and Tim Hudson have recently had the surgery, and all recovered well and are performing at an extremely high level.  Some guys come back and throw harder than they did before the surgery.  Hopefully for the Nationals and Strasburg, it will be positive results.  He brought excitement to the game that is not always there.  Fans all across the country tuned in to watch him pitch.   There will still be the fear that he will never be the same.  I really hope he recovers because he is exciting to watch in a sport that can be extremely boring.  The city of Washington deserves a break.  Met fans love to complain about their futility, but at least they have won two world series.  The Washington baseball franchises not only have never won a title, but usually find themselves at the bottom of the standings.