I've been reading all I can and getting links together to get you through the next two hours before Stephen Strasburg throws his first Major League pitch tonight, here's the best of what I've come across. Don't worry, less than two hours to go...
• Reds' rookie pitcher Mike Leake excels without any hype - Paul Daugherty - SI.com
"Strasburg makes his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are major league by association only. It was a shrewd move by the Nationals, who want to break the kid in slowly. Against Pittsburgh, he'll feel like he's still in Syracuse."
Q: Tonight feels like a new beginning for Washington Nationals baseball. Thoughts?
A: It really is an exciting time to be affiliated with the Washington Nationals. We have a great mix of veterans and young guys who play competitive baseball and expect to win. It’s a much different attitude surrounding the team this year - very refreshing . Regarding Strasburg’s debut, I’m glad that it is finally here as the hype and build up have been overwhelming - we have more than 200 credentialed media on-site today. We are treating this game as our second Opening Day and recognize that many people in the stands this evening will be attending a Nationals game and experiencing our brand for the first time, so we are trying hard to over-deliver on the experience. Hopefully, everything goes well, our fans have a great time and will want to come back to Nationals Park soon.'"
SI.com - Joe Posnanski - "What Strasburg Means"
"Stephen Strasburg is about to make his first big-league start for the Washington Nationals. There has never in the long history of major league baseball been a more anticipated debut. Why? Yes, Strasburg’s talent is dazzling. Yes, he throws a 100-mph fastball and two absurd secondary pitches — and all for strikes."
"Washington, D.C. is an event town. I can't tell you how many times I've been told this about the nation's capital in the five years since my Expos relocated from Montreal to D.C., when I've wondered aloud why it was that MLB was determined to relocate the first major league team to play outside of the United States to a city that had already lost two franchises to relocation and hadn't had a team call it home in over 30 years."