The Nationals Didn't Even Bother to Call a Doctor Before Shutting Stephen Strasburg Down
Screen grab via Nats Enquirer
LOL.
Not a big laugh out loud guy, as I generally prefer a good haha or a snarky witticism to convey a hearty chuckle. But, sometimes a good ol' LOL just fits. Like a new pair of boxer briefs before they get all stretched out and shit (from my huge dong, of course) and turn into nothing but homoerotic-looking shorts.
Anyway, that strange lede aside, I’m laughing at the Washington Nationals. Again.
I think shutting Stephen Strasburg down was moronic. But, until this week, I didn’t really care, since it didn’t appear like it would affect the Phillies in any way, shape or form. Now, however, it might, and I’d literally get off on the Phils beating the Nats in the deciding game of a playoff series that could have been pitched by Strasburg.
The Nationals’ reasoning for shutting him down, they say, is to save his arm following Tommy John surgery. That’s great and all, but as this excellent Grantland article points out, it’s more likely that the Nats shut Strasburg down to prevent him from suffering a fate similar to that of Kerry Wood or Mark Prior– overuse at a young age which led to injuries. The problem with that thinking is that baseball – with pitch counts, late-innings specialists, and the general coddltry (word?) of starting pitchers – has likely already saved pitchers, like Strasburg, from throwing their arms off. And even if the Nats were shutting Strasburg down solely because he’s coming off Tommy John surgery, that, too, would be silly– the procedure generally strengthens the elbow, and if Strasburg was healthy all season, there’s no reason to think his arm wouldn’t be as strong (or stronger) than the next guy’s. So, it’s dumb. The Nats are saving Strasburg for the future, even though their future is now. Like, literally right now. RIGHT FUCKING NOW, YOU GUYS.
Oh well. Their loss.
Today their handling of the situation became even more hysterical, as Strasburg’s doctor – the surgeon who performed his Tommy John surgery – says he hasn’t spoken to Nats GM Mike Rizzo or Strasburg in, like, months. Go, LA Times:
The doctor who performed elbow surgery on Stephen Strasburg said he did not tell the Washington Nationals to shut down their ace pitcher.
“I wasn’t asked,” Dr. Lewis Yocum told the Los Angeles Times.
Yocum said he had not talked with Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo since last year and had not talked with Strasburg since spring training.
Yocum said that, had he been asked, he would not have been able to provide conclusive information about whether Strasburg’s long-term health would be best served by shutting him down.
“There’s no statistic as far as studies,” Yocum said.
Soooo… the Nationals, who have the best record in Major League Baseball, and who will jump through hoops and do dog and pony tricks just to sell a few extra tickets, didn’t even take five minutes to call a doctor to check and see if shutting down their best pitcher before entering the playoffs with the league’s best record was a necessary step. LOL.
via (@dcsportsbog)