Strasburg-Rookie Cy Young Award Winner, Wait...Huh?
With a card on the market with a current bid of $16,203, I think we could agree that Stephen Strasburg mania has reached its peak. 
As you may have heard, there is pitcher currently in the minor leagues who has a June 8th start with his name all over it. And his name of course is Stephen James Strasburg, whose first major league start should take place on that very date at Nationals Park, a mere 52 miles from where I sit. Shall I make the drive to see a future hall of famer throw his first major league pitch? Not so fast my friend. I am reminded of the last time I paid top dollar for the right to own an Ace's rookie card. The name on that card was one Hideki Irabu. Remember him? Yes, THE Hideki Irabu who made front page news when he went from dominating Japanese leagues to wearing pinstripes and dominating news casts everywhere. I may be wrong, but that is the last time I remember this much excitement surrounding the first start of a pitchers career. As we now know Hideki's career did not live up to expectations and after just 6 seasons, he became a viewer of the game and not a participant. He finished with a 34-35 win-loss record and an ERA of 5.15. Ironically enough, Hideki has found his name in the newspapers once again after years of irrelevance. Though no longer front page news, on May 17, 2010 Hideki was arrested for DUI after he almost collided with a parked car. Yes, a parked car. An embarrassing moment for a once heralded star that was advertised as having "it". "It" is a very special thing, though those who have "it" sometimes don't treat it as such, thus these stories will make up the bulk of their career. Stephen Strasburg's name is the next in a long list of "it" guys. He can very well reach his potential, but along with success will come struggles. Because of that, we should all wait and see. We'll be helping Stephen more than you think.
