WASHINGTON – To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Washington Nationals selected San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.
"We are thrilled to select someone with the special talents Stephen possesses," acting Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. "Those talents have long been on our radar, and Stephen's domination at San Diego State and vast experiences gained with Team USA last summer have done nothing to change our thougts about his abilities."
About an hour before the Nationals made their pick, heavy showers began to fall on Washington. Was it one last sign that one of the most downtrodden franchises in baseball is headed for a new dawn?
Have you heard of San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg yet? He can leap buildings in a single-bound and he throws a ball faster than a speeding bullet. And he'll immediately be the Washington Nationals staff ace when they draft him first overall in this June's draft.
Actually, that last sentence isn't too far-fetched to many baseball people. Tony Gwynn, Strasburg's collegiate coach who knows a little something about major league baseball, has said himself Strasburg would be their current ace. Gwynn also, more recently, has stated he's worried about the workload of the young phenom. He even went as far as to say that he would shut down for the rest of 2009 if he were Strasburg.
To anybody who has had a chance to see San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg, it's pretty clear the kid is the best player available in the amateur draft this summer. With his 99 mph fastball and ability to locate pitches, the only thing that could possibly keep him from being chosen first by the Washington Nationals would be fear of the money Scott Boras is going to want for him.
If you were to ask his manager, Tony Gwynn, what he thinks the Nationals should do about their possible fears, he'd tell you that the Nationals need to get over it. After all, if Strasburg joined the Nationals today, right this very second, Gwynn says he'd already be the ace of their rotation.
Amateur baseball players normally fly under the radar until they get drafted, and in most cases even after that.
But Stephen Strasburg has become something of a rock star at San Diego State this year, routinely busting out 100 mph fastballs before sellout crowds, wide-eyed scouts and curious members of the media from around the nation.
"He's the best I've ever seen," said a scout who has been watching players for 23 years. "He could be a top-three starter in a major league rotation today."
We know Bud Selig has said he will try to be there when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home run record. At the time that he made the statement, Selig specifically said that he would not skip his commitment to be present for Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown when Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. get inducted. The weekend has come, and Selig has made a call to the bullpen, asking Bob DuPuy, MLB's President and COO, to come in for relief.
The good news is on Selig's end that he has sent a high ranking official to attend Barry's games in his place. However, dispatching DuPuy to San Francisco does not entirely mean that Selig is in the clear. It's been over a week and Barry is still stuck on 753. At this rate, it appears unlikely that Bonds will break the record over the weekend, which is probably what Selig was secretly hoping for. Bud has said he plans to be there in Los Angeles on Tuesday if Bonds has yet to break the record by then, which is what I'm guessing will be the case.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are this Sunday in New York, and all the way in California the Giants will be hosting the Marlins in San Francisco. Should Barry Bonds sit out on Sunday so as to not risk overshadowing what's happening in Cooperstown? After all, wouldn't it be a disservice to Cal Ripken or Tony Gwynn to steal their thunder by tying or breaking the home run record?
"I think [Bonds] should play," said Frank Robinson, a Hall of Fame outfielder, induction class of 1982. "You don't step aside for an induction ceremony. [Ripken and Gwynn] are Hall of Famers because they went out and played. You owe it to your ballclub and to baseball itself." ...
"It's basically good versus evil," said former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer, a 1990 Hall of Fame inductee. "Here you have two guys who played the game the right way, who were marvelous people on and off the field, and another -- nothing against Barry -- who wasn't."
Nice disclaimer there at the end: nothing against you, Barry, but you're evil. Way to be polite and speak with conviction.
Personally, I'm shocked someone would even think of this question. Of course Bonds should play on Sunday. I thought it was ridiculous that some people think Bonds should sit out all road games, now people want him to play in only specific home games, too? Besides which, is that any way to treat the thousands of faithful fans at AT&T Park, the ones who keep the stadium sold out despite a team that's 15 games under .500? I don't see it happening.
Unless Bonds wants to have his shining moment in history to be breaking the record on the road and then having the field showed with debris from angry fans, he's not going to waste any opportunity he has to get this thing over and done with at home.
Matt Watson told you nearly two months ago that Padres legend, and soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee, Tony Gwynn, was taking a swing at weight loss. Gwynn was participating in the Wheaties Fit to Win Challenge which encouraged online users to eat healthy. Apparently Gwynn succeeded because he's now going to be featured on the cover a Wheaties box for the second time in his career, something he's truly excited about:
"It's kind of weird. I got a ballpark named after me in San Diego State, I have a street out here, Tony Gwynn Drive, and now I have a statue out in the Park at the Park to go along with my retired number on top of the scoreboard."
"Out of all the stuff that's going on this year, this is up there and I'm really excited about it."
Is it being pictured on the box that's exciting Gwynn, or the fact that he changed his eating habits and lost some weight? Now that would be worth getting excited over.
It's high times for San Diego sports as both the Chargers and Padres have enjoyed tremendous success recently -- each team winning division titles in two of the past three seasons. The Chargers had the best record in the NFL last year, and they sent more players to Hawaii than a group of La Jolla high schoolers on winter break. The Padres have held up their end of the bargain, posting the best record in the NL thus far. Here's a list of some of the most notable stars and favorite athletes that are making it happen in the town:
5. Adrian Gonzalez: The Eastlake High product is a San Diego native and thriving in his current status as a hometown superstar. Stuck on the bench in Florida and Texas, Gonzalez capitalized on his full-time role with the Padres, posting back-to-back stellar offensive seasons. Gonzalez is by far the best hitter on a pitching-dominant team.
4. Jake Peavy: An absolute bad boy from down South, it's hard not to be everyone's favorite when you're also the best pitcher in the game. Peavy is realizing his full potential this year, forcing the nation to take notice, and fans in San Diego to like him even more. What also makes Peavy so popular, aside from his wicked fastball and splendid slider, is the fact that he's a homegrown player from the Padres organization. Drafted straight out of high school, Jake's enjoying his ninth season in the San Diego system, and sixth season of excellence in the big leagues. Sorry, No Photos
San Diego Padres legend, and soon-to-be Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Tony Gwynn, was a guest on TNT's post-game show following the Cavs' 109-107 2OT win. Not only did Gwynn have some basketball insight to offer, considering he was an All-American point guard for San Diego St., but Gwynn was also cross-promoting TNT's upcoming coverage of Major League Baseball. In the custom of all baseball-related interviews, Gwynn was asked for his opinion on Barry Bonds.
Barkley: "I'm pulling for Barry Bonds, I think one thing people always want to play judge and jury. I think the media circus towards him as been somewhat unfair because he's a surly guy. What do you think on that situation?"
Gwynn: "I totally agree with that. Obviously Barry hasn't made it easier on himself by being a nice guy. And I think if he was a nicer guy maybe the heat wouldn't be on him as much as it is. I'm looking forward to it. Myself, I'm a big baseball fan and I know how difficult what he does is. You were talking earlier about 'you gonna pitch to Tony Gwynn in that situation?' if Barry Bonds is hitting behind me heck yeah they're going to pitch to me. I really look forward to him hitting the 10 home runs he needs to become the all-time home run leader because I've seen him since he was a kid coming up in this game and I have a lot of respect for the way he's handled a lot of this stuff. I think any lesser man would be a little bit upset right now. But he just tends to go about his business. Obviously I'm a big Barry Bonds fan."
There you go -- now you can chalk up another big name as a supporter of Barry Bonds. Given this information, it sure sounds like Tony Gwynn would give Barry Bonds a Hall of Fame vote, but that's a completely different discussion for another day. Not too often both the interviewer and interviewee are supporters of Bonds, but that was the case in this instance.
Tony Gwynn never had the physique of a bodybuilder, but he didn't need one to win eight batting titles in a 20-year career with the Padres. But, like a lot of athletes who were a bit portly during their playing careers (ahem, Charles Barkley ...), Gwynn's weight has -- how can I put it delicately? -- ballooned during retirement.
He hopes to do something about that before his Hall of Fame induction, though, and you can follow his progress online -- he's teaming up with Wheaties for their "Fit to Win Challenge." From the press release:
During the course of the 12-week challenge, Tony will adopt a weekly exercise regime and learn how to eat smart. There will also be detailed information and advice on the Wheaties.com website about how consumers can take the FIT TO WIN CHALLENGE to help achieve a healthier lifestyle following tried and true nutrition tips and incorporating exercise into their daily routines.
Riveting stuff, eh? For what it's worth, Tony is three weeks in and has lost 4.8 pounds. From the looks of the photo (taken this past January), he only needs 63 more weeks to get down to his playing weight.
WASHINGTON – To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Washington Nationals selected San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.
Have you heard of San Diego State pitcher 
To anybody who has had a chance to see San Diego State's 
We know 
The Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are this Sunday in New York, and all the way in California the Giants will be hosting the Marlins in San Francisco. Should Barry Bonds sit out on Sunday so as to not risk overshadowing what's happening in Cooperstown? After all, wouldn't it be a disservice to Cal Ripken or Tony Gwynn to steal their thunder by tying or breaking the home run record?
Matt Watson
It's high times for San Diego sports as both the Chargers and Padres have enjoyed tremendous success recently -- each team winning division titles in two of the past three seasons. The Chargers had the best record in the NFL last year, and they sent more players to Hawaii than a group of La Jolla high schoolers on winter break. The Padres have held up their end of the bargain, posting the best record in the NL thus far. Here's a list of some of the most notable stars and favorite athletes that are making it happen in the town:
San Diego Padres legend, and soon-to-be Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Tony Gwynn, was a guest on TNT's post-game show following the 
Tony Gwynn never had the physique of a bodybuilder, but he didn't need one to 
