The infamous "Summer of 2010" is about to begin...

Strasburg's arrival, and a look at the World Cup

So I realize that it has been far too long since I have posted. Lemme take this moment to apologize for that - once I find someone willing to pay me 50k annually to write on this, I'll post more often.

Steven Strasburg made his MLB debut last night, and every single person who saw or heard the game went to sleep last night amazed. The kid is 21, he had never pitched a game in the bigs, his catcher was Ivan Rodriguez (a future first-ballot hall of famer), and Nationals fans sold out their stadium for the first time all season. The pressure on Strasburg was unbelievable, and everyone would have understood if the Pirates knocked him around with four or five earned runs.

But that didn't happen. The Pirates are almost as good as my homemade lasagna (no, I've never made lasagna, but I'm sure if I tried it would turn out horrible), but they are still a professional team. Their players were not playing their first MLB game last night, which says even more about Strasburg - no one has seen anything like him in a very long time.

Yeah, the kid was awesome (I suppose I am allowed to call him a kid because I am two years his elder...*sigh). But before I follow the path of the media and Nationals fans in crowning him the savior of baseball in Washington, I wanna keep in mind the fact that it was ONE start. The next time Strasburg takes the mound, the batters are going to know what to look for. They will have an idea of what is coming. The even bigger test will come when teams (like the Pirates) get a second chance to face the phenom. Not only will players have an idea of what to expect, they'll already know what it feels like to stand in the batters box with Strasburg on the mound, which is a very big advantage in baseball.

So, do I think Steven Strasburg will be a very good MLB pitcher? Yes, depending on his health. Am I ready to bet $100 on him winning at least one Cy Young Award?...not quite.

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The biggest sporting event on the face of the Earth begins in a few days, and I am very anxious to see how the United States will fare in the World Cup. Cautiously optimistic best describes my attitude, and here's why...

I'm not completely sold on the talent level of the Americans. I'm a casual soccer fan - I'll watch a game or two here or there when I have time, but I'm not as hardcore as some. This may be why I can only name about a half dozen players on the U.S. roster...lemme think for a minute...

Jozy Altidore

Clint Dempsey

Tim Howard

Landon Donovan

Edson Buddle

Oguchi Onyewu (spelling?)

...off the top of my head, thats all I got. Half an hour from now I'll think of someone and say "oh yeah, forgot about him." But for now, that's my list. The sad thing is, I think most Americans could come up with only one or two names if put on the spot.

So yeah, soccer is not huge in the U.S. Right now you're undoubtedly thinking "Richard, tell me something I don't already know?" My point is that much of America has absolutely no idea how their team stacks up against Brazil, Italy, Spain, and the rest of the traditional World Cup powerhouses. Sure, you can look at the U.S. victory over Spain last year and take some optimism out of that, you can feel good about the fact that many U.S. players are now playing professionally on club teams in Europe, and you can enjoy the hype leading up to Saturday's match with England. But what you really can't do is feel 100% confident in a team that you don't know much about.

This is why I am looking forward to Saturday's opening match with England. On Saturday, all Americans will get to learn a ton about those representing our country in South Africa. The "World's Game" will feature the United States front and center, and we ALL will get a chance to see what our team is made of...and maybe, just maybe...learn a few new names as well.