You know who really angers me? The mainstream media. Part of what really annoyed me as a Yankee fan was the circus that followed players everywhere they went and the fact that their announcers were so overtly homeristic in their coverage that it made it impossible to listen to them and actually follow the game – you know? The reason we tuned in? Not to listen to your pathetic prattling over homerun calls and what Derek Jeter had for breakfast?
Well apparently Stephen Strasburg feels the same way. He had his first workout session in Viera on Monday and addressed the media that was covering him there. Do you know what Strasburg had the audacity to say?
"I thought I'd get a little bit of peace out here, but you guys are following me everywhere. It's something I guess I gotta deal with. I guess it just goes with the territory."
[sarcasm lock on] Oh my God! HE HATES BEING A PROFESSIONAL ALREADY!!! WHAT’RE WE GONNA DO?!?!?!? [/sarcasm]
Really – why is this such a big deal? He’s from Southern California and isn’t used to this sort of thing. He’s 21 years old and has a lot of stupid things he’s going to say ahead of him. In fact if you read it and imagine it being spoken, it sounds like he’s saying, “it’s really no big deal, I just didn’t think you guys would think that a throwing session would be newsworthy. Whatever.”
And you know what? HE’S RIGHT. This kid has more perspective at the tender age of 21 than these overbearing blowhards in the media have despite having more years experience than Strasburg has years of life. The kid’s 100% correct. IT’S A THROWING SESSION. Any baseball fan worth his or her salt understands this isn’t going to translate to a call-up on Friday and a no-hitter on Sunday. It’s really no big deal.
And if that’s not enough, he even made light of the whole fiasco by stating:
"Once I get into playing games and stuff, it should be able to die down. Hopefully it will die down sometime soon. . . . I'm just a baseball player. It's not like I'm the President or anything."
A - f’n - men. This isn’t a peace accord negotiation, this isn’t even a Major League debut. It’s a pitching session. The actual team is in San Diego. Why not spend your time with that?
The “outrage” on display by the columnists who are wasting their time talking about this act indignant. John Feinstein wrote about it yesterday. XM-175 and their morning baseball program is covering this thoroughly and while I fully appreciate the coverage, it would be nice to actually talk about baseball and not dissect this kid’s off-handed comments.
Honestly? Baseball This Morning's hosts are spending time comparing a 21-year-old freshly drafted Washington National to a player like Derek Jeter. Jeter was drafted by and brought up in a system that is world-renowned. The New York media is notoriously relentless. It’s not like the Washington sports media has a reputation – most people are dimly aware that there is a Washington sports media and the only columnist they can readily identify is George Will and he’s more of a political columnist than a sports columnist.
This kid was probably genuinely shocked that so many people cared about a throwing session that took place 3,500+ miles away from where the big-league team was getting ready to play a game.
In my heart of hearts, I believe these knuckleheads in the media are insulted by comments like these. When an athlete calls them out and asks them if they really don’t have anything better they could be doing it’s a personal attack. The audacity of some player actually telling them what’s news and what isn’t? Preposterous! I’ll write a column that’ll show him who’s decides what’s news and what isn’t!
Please. Leave the kid alone and cover the Nationals. This kid’s a minimum of three years away from positive contributions to the big-league club and you’re following his every move?
Wake up Washington sports media: YOU’RE NOT NEW YORK. There’s nothing endearing about the New York media to players or to fans that really follow the game. Shut up. Leave the kid alone and let him develop. Don’t you have any questions for Ryan Zimmerman – or anyone else actually on the team for that matter?
In all their angst, the columnists and op-ed folks apparently missed this little gem:
"I am going to take what's given to me. I know the organization has my best interest [in mind]. . . . When they feel my time is right, I'll go up there and pitch as good as I can. . . . This is the game I love. It's something I love to do."
But then again, it doesn’t help perpetuate their make-believe story.
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