The clock is ticking on the Washington Nationals and their race to sign San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg before Monday's deadline. The chances of them beating the clock, especially when they have to deal with agent Scott Boras, don't appear to be too good.
According to the Associated Press, the Nationals offered Strasburg more than the $10.5 million Mark Prior got in 2001. All I can say is that's a lot of money for somebody who has yet to prove anything. I don't care whether he throws 100 mph or not, he hasn't done anything yet.
Guys like Boras make me sick. He has the top three prospects from this year's draft and none of them had signed by last night. This happens whenever Boras represents anybody. Teams don't want to deal with him because he's always driving up prices.
I blame Strasburg, too. How much money does the kid need? Heck he could live off $10 million for the rest of his life. How bad does he want to play? How many teams does he think can offer him $11 million or more?
Strasburg throws harder than anybody in college baseball, and probably harder than most the pitchers in the majors. Throwing hard is great, but it's not the only thing. You have to have a second or third pitch, and you have to have control. Strike zones in the minors and majors are a lot tighter than in college.
I remember umpiring Mike Mussina during his first year at Stanford. He threw 89 to 92, but had just a fastball and slider. At times it was enough, but at times it wasn't. Mussina struggled with location and gave up more than a few homers because he got the ball up. It wasn't until he developed that big curveball that he truly turned into a pitcher.
I hope the kid and Boras come to their senses. Personally, I'd like Major League Baseball to slot money depending on where you are selected. I know the agents wouldn't like it because they would lose a lot of money.
• A couple of more weeks. I can barely wait.
As the days get shorter and we head into the latter part of August, my excitement grows, because it means school is back in session, and that means high school sports are back.
It means covering cross country, soccer, volleyball and football, and renewing relationships with student-athletes and coaches. Truly, that is the most enjoyable part of my job. We're lucky in Carson to have stand-up coaches who always find time to make themselves. We appreciate it.