I generally like to lead with Nationals news, this being a Nats blog, but there were two stories yesterday that are just too important to be buried:
A blown call by Jim Joyce cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game, which would have been the third of the season. Should Bud Selig retroactively award Armando Galarraga a perfect game? My vote is yes.
Ken Griffey Jr. announced his retirement, ending his 22-year career after 630 home runs, ten Gold Gloves and thirteen All-Star appearances. See you in Cooperstown, Kid. You'll be missed.
Nationals News
Mike Rizzo is still keeping mum on Monday's upcoming number one pick, but we all know it's Bryce. He also said that Scott Olsen is "coming along," Chien-Ming Wang is "dilligently doing his workouts" and Jordan Zimmermann is "way ahead of schedule."
Strasburg's first start is pretty much sold out at this point, with tickets going for $102.13 on average on Wednesday.
Nationals president Stan Kasten says that Strasburg will be shut down after 100 to 110 big league innings. More importantly, he says that Scott Boras was not exaggerating how good Strasburg was. It's not likely that he'll pitch out of the bullpen at all this year, like the Rays did with David Price in 2008.
Stephen Strasburg's debut will be televised on MASN2 HD, leaving FiOS subscribers without the chance to see the phenom in HD. Unless you go to the Park, of course.
Ray Knight LOVES the telestrator.
Keith Law says he, too, hasn't seen anything like Strasburg, and that the Nats have set him up to succeed in the majors.
Craig Stammen's rough season has made him a likely candidate for AAA when Stephen Strasburg is called up.
Since being outrighted to Syracuse, Jason Bergmann has pitched very well, giving up just 3 earned runs in 17 innings.
In the newest All-Star voting numbers, Pudge Rodriguez is still the only National to place in the top five at his position.