A debut that actually almost lived up to the hype

    I was hoping the Pirates could come through.
    I was hoping Steven Strasburg's fastball would be a little flat.
    I was hoping that after the typical frothing at the mouth about something, our national media folks - hellloooo, ESPN - would be bopped in the head a little bit.
    And then little Stevie goes out and strikes out 14 for Washington in front of - and these next few words aren't uttered much in the Capital - a capacity crowd in D.C.
    Now, we get more frothing, clearing out Cy Young's locker in Cooperstown and printing Washington playoff T-shirts can caps and how in about 12 months, the number of male babies named Steven will have increased exponentially in the Washington area.
    Ug.

    Indeed, it was stunning: 100 mph fastball in the seventh, a curve that snapped and devastated, a 13-pitch, three-srikeout seventh, and legitimate humility throughout.
    But - here it comes - let's remember: it was one game. It was against a team that was 11 games under .500 at the time. It was at home. And his team isn't exactly all that hot, either, so how sharp will he be if the Nationals don't get any better and batters learn his stuff, because pro players always learn somebody else's stuff.
    And poor Strasburg, he really shouldn't have had that huge a debut. The bar was already absurdly high. Now we need a fire truck ladder to see it.
    It's good for Washington, though. The city as much as the team. With all those government types around, the city needs something that doesn't make it sick.

LOUGHDMOUTHINGS
    College football expansion talk is getting scary.
    Where is all this money everybody talks about? Aren't TV contracts regularly re-negotiated? Didn't CBS just change the NCAA tournament gig? Aren't cable TV rates high enough?
    The conference powers forget about all the other sports, too, and there's is nothing in stone that money will always be there.
    I'm telling you, those commissioners are gonna screw things up, and money can't fix everything. Money doesn't always counter "stupid" and "greedy." ...
    While John Wooden was unique, let's not overdo it.
    There are scores of people who preach the same things, who are smart and wise and fair, who work hard, who have ideas, who want what's right, who can teach.
    Granted, those traits are still in the vast, vast minority, but let's not make it sound like Wooden was the last man standing. There are many in substantially more important jobs than basketball coach doing right, and deserve more credit and attention.
    Nevertheless, we do need to point out the importance of those who aren't hypocrites and liars and thieves. ...
    Speaking of oil spills, how long does it take Steve Lavin and John Calipari to clean up the pool after a swim? ...
    Dear Tom Izzo, please don't go. Don't. Stay at Michigan State. I don't care really about the Cavs or the Spartans, but you got money in the accounts and a nice house or three and all your hair and probably pretty good health and immense job security.
    Don't be just about the money and LeBron.
    Sincerely, a quasi-interested observer. ...
    Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel isn't a doctor and doesn't play one with his column, but he has a quality diagnosis.
    Terrell Owens said last week that it's a false perception that he's a potential “cancer” to any NFL team. It's true. Once they have him on the roster, most coaches realize T.O. is more like a benign pain in the rear.
    "Terrell Owens said last week that it's a false perception that he's a potential “cancer” to any NFL team. It's true. Once they have him on the roster, most coaches realize T.O. is more like a benign pain in the rear."