no word on whether he'll close tonight.
Actually, may have word soon on what's up with him. The Nats have set up a conference call for us blogging types. Uncle Stan was supposed to be on there but now we're told we'll get the four starters not starting tonight and a special guest, draft related. Too much to hope that it is Strasburg. I'm guessing it is Storen.
Yep, it was Storen. Seems like a bright, confident kid. He went to Stanford, so he's way too smart to be talking to the likes of me. Some highlights:
*Will report to Hagerstown, not sure when.
*Would like to contribute on the big league level - this year. Big fan of Chad Cordero. Used to be a bat boy for the Expos on special occasions.
*Has a "short-term memory" for the good and bad stuff. Likes the idea of staying in the bullpen.
*Got a great question (not from me!) about reduced pressure over the normal No. 10 guy, given the overwhelming shadow/aura/presence of Sir Strasburg. Said he felt pressure, too, because he was also a high pick. But spoke of it as a good thing, not a bad thing.
*He "knows" Strasburg but doesn't know him. They are Facebook friends.
If he pitches as well as he handles the media, albeit us non-traditional media types, the Nats will be OK. I'm eager to see this kid at some point soon and may check out Hagerstown's upcoming schedule.
The first session of this call featured John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammem. Nothing earth shattering from any of them, just a nice, general conversation about learning on the fly in the big leagues. Detwiler was candid enough to admit a bit of frustration - one bad pitch can often spoil an otherwise fine night (see last night for example). In the minors, maybe he gets away with that pitch.
Zimmermann isn't expecting anything out of this elbow deal - but the Nats' Nation always gets a little nervous when anything injury related followed by the words "but he's OK" comes up. Flores was OK, too. We could go on and on with that kind of list. Let's hope this time it's actually true.
Following up on my praiseful post of this a.m., it was nice of the Nats to arrange this. The media world has changed so much over the years, with us pesky bloggers springing up like weeds everywhere. I don't expect in any way to be treated the same way as mainstream media members, who have a real job to do. Having been on both sides, I understand the difference. Blogging is not journalism. Blogging is a form of personal expression.
But it is also nice that the Nats recognize we are out there. It is nice that they provide opportunities such as this now and then.
Wow. I really got up on the right side of the bed today.
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