Aug.17. Welcome. This is one of those dates that we've all awaited for quite some time now. Stephen Strasburg Deadline Day is the baseball human equivalent of the iPhone launch and the "Star Wars" premiere and, heck, we might as well throw Christmas onto the list, too -- though Christmas never ends without presents. Except maybe at the Scott Boras household.
We've known for quite some time this day was coming. I still remember the final weeks of the 2008 season, as the Nats ably jostled for the league's worst record. I even remember then-GM Jim Bowden sitting in the dugout one day talking about how he wanted the league's worst record, because he wanted a particular pitcher named Stephen Strasburg.
Think about this. Because college baseball is obscure (but for a week or two when teams heads to Omaha and ESPN pays attention), and because high school baseball attracts interest from only parents and scouts, the average list of drafted players is, with few exceptions, anonymous. Even a stud -- a first-round pick -- is generally unknown to fans until the minute he's drafted. How many in NatsTown, for instance, knew of Aaron Crow in May 2008?
But Strasburg, he's been the most famous quasi-component of the Washington Nationals for almost a year now. We have observed every second of his junior year at college. We have enough material for a full "ESPN SportsCentury" special, full with retrospective I-knew-him-when interviews and grainy, sepia-toned footage of the innocent early times.
Just one random quote from way back when:
Bowden, speaking in front of hundreds of fans at the team's late-January fanfest: "Well, you never get it done as quickly as possible when Scott Boras is the agent, but that being said, yeah, it's phenomenal to sit here picking 1-1 because you know you can get a game-changer. Just like when Tampa Bay took David Price. Strasburg, if he stays healthy, is as good a pitcher as we've seen in the draft in 10 or 15 years. Our people saw him pitch two days ago. Every pitch was 98 to 100 mph throughout the game. He's got great size, a great breaking ball, great change-up. He's a pure No. 1 by 12 of our scouts."
So now, we have deadline day. Strasburg must make up his mind. Most who read the tea leaves believe a deal will get done. At least one who knows Strasburg hopes a deal will get done. My advice for the day: Don't worry too much about what gets said, if anything, anytime before 8 p.m. I've talked to execs who've tried to sign Boras players in previous years, and several have shared the story: Until the final, frantic hours, there's just no freakin' way to know what will happen. Boras has an extensive history of creative tactics with amateurs and down-to-the-wire negotiating. Both sides have their leverage points -- to an extent.
But both sides also have plenty to lose, which is why I think Strasburg signs at the last minute. That's just a guess, nothing more.
Stay tuned.