The Nationals are the big news of the day, with sending Stephen Strasburg to the minors.  Of course this  has a big part for the sake of keeping him in the Nationals fold just a bit longer.  I mean why rush a kid to the big leagues and start his clock ticking if you do not have to until you have the pieces to go around him to make you a winner.

The downside from a business perspective, is how do you sell tickets without some buzz around a player- and Strasburg is a player that people will buzz about.

But despite everyone’s shock, making sure he is ready to pitch in the majors- and in the NL East is also important.  Don’t want to rush someone who still had things to work on, both on the field and off. When he shows up- they need him to pitch and not just throw.  And by that, I mean understand the strategy and gamemanship as well as the mechanics of the perfect pitch- no matter how good you are at throwing, that takes time at this level.

The other big piece of news is that the team released Elijah Dukes.  Though he is a phenom with the bat, he is a rough personality to be around from all reports.  One rumor even had it that his AAA club woundn’t allow him to play there- so he had to go to the majors because the minor league club wouldn’t permit him on the premises.  Not the way you want to make the major leagues.  And, if you can’t send him down, that puts a stranglehold on your team and defeats the purpose of having a young player.  If you can’t stay on the Nationals roster, is there a team that will take a chance on him?  I would be surprised.  Here is more from Adam Kilgore.