Going around the horn with the national media's reports on Stephen Strasburg's day in Buffalo:
---Washington Post reporter Dave Sheinin covered 10 of Strasburg's 11 minor-league starts and here's his article on Thursday's game at Coca-Cola Field, which features this juicy stat nugget: "Strasburg averaged 10.6 strikeouts and only 2.1 walks per nine innings. Granted, he was facing minor league hitters, but in the past 110 years only three big league pitchers have completed an entire season with both rates as good or better than those: Pedro Martínez (1999, 2000, 2002), Curt Schilling (1997, 2002) and Randy Johnson (2004)."
---Strasburg says he just wants to do his job but it won't be that easy anymore. Every facet of his life will be dissected along the Beltway and an example is an item in the gossip section of today's Post about him trying to be low-key as a newlywed with his wife and dog. You don't get this much info on the normal first-round pick.
---Here's the Post's photo gallery from Strasburg's day in Buffalo.
---Colorful Toronto Globe & Mail columnist Jeff Blair, a former Montreal-based writer, reminds us of this interesting connector: Strasburg's final minor-league game came in a park that once hoped it could house the Expos (Bob Rich was looking to buy and move the club in the 1990 range), and his next start will be for the team that replaced the Expos.
I've known Blair, who possesses quite the dry wit live and on his must-follow Twitter feed, for several years and sat next to Blair and Sheinin Thursday. It was quite an enjoyable tag team to spend a work day with.
---In the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bob Cohn tells the Pirates Strasburg is ready for Tuesday's debut.
---In the Syracuse Post-Standard, Lindsay Kramer has this message: "It could be a long wait before anyone with his talent, mound presence and turnstile appeal passes through town again." Couple folks e-mailed me Thursday's column from Bud Poliquin in Syracuse as well. Another solid farewell to a player who put Chiefs baseball on the map like never before.
---Minorleaguebaseball.com has this video highlight package of Strasburg's outing.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Photo: Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
tagged
Bisons/Mets | International League | Major leagues | Minor leagues | TV/Radio/Media
