Washington Nationals are a fucking disgrace!

[Bassmaster1984]

So they are sitting in first place and they are going to shut down Strasburg (sic). The fans in DC need to revolt and demand an apology and make sure ticket prices are cut in half since the team has decided that they have given up all hopes to win the World Series this year. What a CROCK of shit. Baseball has turned into such a league for pussies. Does anybody pitch complete games anymore??? The Nationals are a fucking disgrace to baseball. They better get fucking destroyed in the post season and never sniff it again.

[noam_bombsky]

Haven't they been talking about Strausberg's innings pitched limit for quite some time now? I thought Nationals leadership has said all along the were gonna shut him down after a certain number of innings pitched regardless of where they were in the standings. Everyone knew this was gonna happen.

[Bassmaster1984]

It still makes it wrong. Shut him down and then I pray they never make it to the post season again.

[Crazy Levi]

It still makes it wrong. Shut him down and then I pray they never make it to the post season again.

You are a fucking idiot.

Ask Kerry Wood what he thinks about it.

[Bassmaster1984]

Kerry Wood never played on a team as good as this Nationals team. Should have shut down Strasburg months ago then. The veterans must be pissed. No integrity.

[Crazy Levi]

Kerry Wood never played on a team as good as this Nationals team. Should have shut down Strasburg months ago then. The veterans must be pissed. No integrity.

Strasburg doesn't deserve to have his career ended early just to keep morons like you happy.

[LAglamrocker]

They wont use him in NLCS and World Series? How much is bottle water in DC? Its 6.50 at Dodger stadium!

[bane]

I typed out a long and somewhat clever response to this only to have my cell phone's battery croak a second before launch, so I'll cut to the chase and just say the OP is a fucking moron that really doesn't get it.

[johnk5150]

Kerry Wood never played on a team as good as this Nationals team. Should have shut down Strasburg months ago then. The veterans must be pissed. No integrity.

Kerry Wood was on a team that was five outs from playing in the World Series before the Cubs happened.

[Kamikaze_Russo]

I typed out a long and somewhat clever response to this only to have my cell phone's battery croak a second before launch, so I'll cut to the chase and just say the OP is a fucking moron that really doesn't get it.

Agreed. They will use him in the postseason if they need him.

[Crazy Levi]

I typed out a long and somewhat clever response to this only to have my cell phone's battery croak a second before launch, so I'll cut to the chase and just say the OP is a fucking moron that really doesn't get it.

Agreed. They will use him in the postseason if they need him.

I don't think they will. It doesn't work that way.

"Shut down" means shut down.

[Machado]

Nationals manager Davey Johnson says Stephen Strasburg could miss his final two or three turns in the rotation during the regular season.

In his first full season after undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery, Strasburg is 15-5 with a 2.85 ERA and a National League-leading 183 strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander has thrown 145 1/3 innings, and the Nationals are thought to have given him a limit of 160-180.

"I think it came out that with the off days we'd need another starter for I think two starts," Johnson said after talking with general manager Mike Rizzo. "I think two starts, might have been three."

According to the Washington Post, Johnson also said Strasburg would be shut down for the playoffs.

However, Rizzo told the Post the Nationals do not yet have a specific target for ending Strasburg's year and said he, not Johnson, will decide when to sit the young pitcher.

"When I see with my eyes that he's had enough, he'll have enough," Rizzo said, according to the Post.

[ParaDime77]

The Nats will wheel his ass out there when the fanbase goes beserk enough. Besides, Strasburg's last few starts he's throwing 10 K's in only 6 innings of work. I agree about the Kerry Wood arugment, the guy could have been Roger Clemens. You only get one arm and the guy is young, but they need to play him in the playoffs and limit his action until then.

[Machado]

The Nats will wheel his ass out there when the fanbase goes beserk enough. Besides, Strasburg's last few starts he's throwing 10 K's in only 6 innings of work. I agree about the Kerry Wood arugment, the guy could have been Roger Clemens. You only get one arm and the guy is young, but they need to play him in the playoffs and limit his action until then.

The Nats shot themselves in the foot and management is responsible for
this drama.
The team has already had plenty of chances to "limit his innings" and only now are they trying to implement a plan.
1)Strasburg could have been limited early in the season, had some starts skipped, etc...
2)Strasburg could have been "shut down" during the season for a week or two at a time
3)Strasburg could have been pitching every 6th or 7th day for a short period of time, instead of every 5th day.

Now the Nats have egg on their face and are stuck between a rock and a hard place with this guy's right arm/shoulder.

Worry about today or worry about the future-
Not an easy choice.

[ParaDime77]

Weren't the Nats also going to limit Bryce Harper's play at some point, or that he wouldn't be up on the main roster for the full season. A real bummer having some of the purest talent the game has seen and can't manage it. This team is a ratings goldmine come playoff time.

[Machado]

Weren't the Nats also going to limit Bryce Harper's play at some point, or that he wouldn't be up on the main roster for the full season. A real bummer having some of the purest talent the game has seen and can't manage it. This team is a ratings goldmine come playoff time.

Injuries forced the Nats to call up Bryce this season. The plan was to have him play at least 1 more full year in the minors.
Injuries happen. Nobody can predict them, so Bryce was called up and since he played so well out of the gate, there was no reason to send him back
down to AAA or AA.

[Crazy Levi]

The Nats will wheel his ass out there when the fanbase goes beserk enough. Besides, Strasburg's last few starts he's throwing 10 K's in only 6 innings of work. I agree about the Kerry Wood arugment, the guy could have been Roger Clemens. You only get one arm and the guy is young, but they need to play him in the playoffs and limit his action until then.

The Nats shot themselves in the foot and management is responsible for
this drama.
The team has already had plenty of chances to "limit his innings" and only now are they trying to implement a plan.
1)Strasburg could have been limited early in the season, had some starts skipped, etc...
2)Strasburg could have been "shut down" during the season for a week or two at a time
3)Strasburg could have been pitching every 6th or 7th day for a short period of time, instead of every 5th day.

Now the Nats have egg on their face and are stuck between a rock and a hard place with this guy's right arm/shoulder.

Worry about today or worry about the future-
Not an easy choice.

I don't know where you are getting this shit from. It didn't "come out of nowhere." Management has been clear about this from day 1.

He's on an innings count. You can't "shut him down" for a couple weeks and then start him up again. You can't cut him off now and bring him back for the playoffs. You can't "skip starts."

They feel this approach is absolutely necessary to avoid destroying his career like Dusty Baker did to the aforementioned Kerry Wood.

The only people with "egg on their face" are those who have no idea what they are talking about - IE most people in this thread.

[Bassmaster1984]

Look, he can miss starts but they still throw on their off days. Major fuck up organizationally speaking. The fan base better go ape shit. This team could/should win the National League pennant this season. May never happen again. I remember Dan Marino going to the Super Bowl his rookie year and never ever getting another sniff. Would hate the Nationals to go through the same thing. When you have a chance to win it ALL - You GO for it!

[LAglamrocker]

maybe he told them, I'm done this year. Because he cares about his future

[Monkey_Julius_Bowaffle_]

According to Oral Hershiser and at least a couple of other former pitchers whom have mentioned this very topic, yes you CAN shut a guy down for a month or two or whatever/whichever way you choose...and then RE-start him. As a matter of fact, according to Oral, in his opinion it's actually BETTER to do it THAT WAY vs. just shutting the guy down. He went into a much deeper explanation as to why that I do not fully remember, but I agree, the Nats should have shut Strasburg down @ some point or some way during the season and planned on using him if they DID make the playoffs (as it has seemed pretty much all yr. that they were going to, it's nearly a lock now).

But hey, I'm a Reds fan, let 'em shut the guy down ASAP for all I give a shit.

[FullDJacket]

There should not be a baseball team in Washington....and besides it's hard for me to respect someone who has supported his team for like 7 or 8 years...unless the person is 15 years old.

[johnk5150]

If I'm a Reds fan I worry about Dusty's tendency to overwork his starters. Everyone brings up Wood but don't forget Prior.

[Crazy Levi]

There should not be a baseball team in Washington....and besides it's hard for me to respect someone who has supported his team for like 7 or 8 years...unless the person is 15 years old.

So by that logic there should be no Baltimore Ravens fans right? That's kind of silly.

[FullDJacket]

There should not be a baseball team in Washington....and besides it's hard for me to respect someone who has supported his team for like 7 or 8 years...unless the person is 15 years old.

So by that logic there should be no Baltimore Ravens fans right? That's kind of silly.

phony fan says what!?

[Crazy Levi]

There should not be a baseball team in Washington....and besides it's hard for me to respect someone who has supported his team for like 7 or 8 years...unless the person is 15 years old.

So by that logic there should be no Baltimore Ravens fans right? That's kind of silly.

phony fan says what!?

You are a retard.

I'm not a Nationals fan.

[Machado]

The Nats messed this up.
They could have rested Strasburg at any point during the season. They chose not to.
The Nats could have "shut down" Strasburg at the beginning of the season, so that he would be available for the remainder of the reg season and the playoffs(if necessary). They again chose not to.

Instead of being pro-active, they are re-active and catching a lot of criticism for their decisions.

[Crazy Levi]

The Nats messed this up.
They could have rested Strasburg at any point during the season. They chose not to.
The Nats could have "shut down" Strasburg at the beginning of the season, so that he would be available for the remainder of the reg season and the playoffs(if necessary). They again chose not to.

Instead of being pro-active, they are re-active and catching a lot of criticism for their decisions.

THIS HAS BEEN THEIR ENTIRE PLAN ALL SEASON.

It has not been a secret. Why do you keep insist that they are being blindsided here? I've been hearing about this since April. Your head has clearly been in your ass all season.

And according to the Nats, they can't shut him down and start him later. Like I've said 10 times. What the fuck does Orel Herschiser know? The guy hasn't pitched in a decade or so.

[Machado]

The Nats messed this up.
They could have rested Strasburg at any point during the season. They chose not to.
The Nats could have "shut down" Strasburg at the beginning of the season, so that he would be available for the remainder of the reg season and the playoffs(if necessary). They again chose not to.

Instead of being pro-active, they are re-active and catching a lot of criticism for their decisions.

THIS HAS BEEN THEIR ENTIRE PLAN ALL SEASON.

It has not been a secret. Why do you keep insist that they are being blindsided here? I've been hearing about this since April. Your head has clearly been in your ass all season.

And according to the Nats, they can't shut him down and start him later. Like I've said 10 times. What the fuck does Orel Herschiser know? The guy hasn't pitched in a decade or so.

Take a moment to chill out and think about the situation.
The Nats knew all along Strasburg would be allowed to pitch a specific amount of innings.
Why burn the kid out before the season ends, making him unavailable for the playoffs instead of beginning his season later than the rest of the team and securing his availability for the playoffs(if necessary).
The Nats knew the plan all along, but it was the wrong plan.
The Nats did not make any adjustments to the plan during the season either.
Look at the White Sox. They had a plan for Sale and it has worked just fine to date. He pitched, was "shut down", went back to pitching again-All to limit his innings and keep him available for the entire season.

[Crazy Levi]

Take a moment to chill out and think about the situation.
The Nats knew all along Strasburg would be allowed to pitch a specific amount of innings.
Why burn the kid out before the season ends, making him unavailable for the playoffs instead of beginning his season later than the rest of the team and securing his availability for the playoffs(if necessary).
The Nats knew the plan all along, but it was the wrong plan.
The Nats did not make any adjustments to the plan during the season either.
Look at the White Sox. They had a plan for Sale and it has worked just fine to date. He pitched, was "shut down", went back to pitching again-All to limit his innings and keep him available for the entire season.

It comes down to this - fans saying "come on! They can win the Series! Leave him in!" vs. the Nats saying "We have had a plan - for the entire season - to bring Strasburg along in a way that we think we most benefit us and him in the long term - and we are sticking with it."

I think they are doing the right thing. They obviously didn't come up with this plan on a whim. Strasburg might be the best pitcher in baseball. And he might be for another 5-10 years if they handle this correctly.

[Monkey_Julius_Bowaffle_]

If I'm a Reds fan I worry about Dusty's tendency to overwork his starters. Everyone brings up Wood but don't forget Prior.

I've heard about Dusty destroying arms for I don't know how many yrs. now and I STILL don't fully buy it. Plenty of arms got worked, back in the day, without innings limits and all that nonsense.

Don't forget Prior, sure, but also don't forget Harang blaming his bullshit on Dusty because that was the "in" thing to do when it was HIS fucking choice to DO IT (go in and pitch in an extra innings game and later claim that it fucked his arm up). I just don't buy it.

Believe me, I give Dusty more than his fair amount of shit and the guy can get under my skin about as bad as any mgr. in the game (poorly constructed lineups, stupid bullpen usage, choosing to play "creamy" veterans over proven and much more talented rookies/younger players, etc. etc.), but I have always had a hard time w/this. However, having argued this topic back and forth for a gazillion pages over @ RedsZone, I'll choose to let you and whomever else believe as they want regarding the issue here.