ESPN

The word of the day is "Natitude." The buzz around the Washington Nationals was at a fever pitch as their two phenoms -- Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg -- delivered in a big way Monday against the Marlins. Harper became the youngest player in the live-ball era to hit two home runs on Opening Day, while Strasburg gave up a leadoff single then sat down the next 19 Marlins in a row. Which young star impressed you more? Cast your votes!

How many home runs will Bryce Harper hit in 2013?

•  
  21%
  29 or less
•  
  56%
  30-39
•  
  16%
  40-49
•  
  7%
  50 or more

(Total votes: 54,796)

Which Nationals player had the more impressive performance on Opening Day?

•  
  45%
  Bryce Harper (2-4, HR in first two plate appearances)
•  
  55%
  Stephen Strasburg (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, retired 19 batters in a row)

(Total votes: 97,112)

The Nationals said they would shut down right-hander Stephen Strasburg for the season once he reached about 160 innings. They made good on their word Saturday, ending Strasburg's season a day after he allowed five runs in a three-inning start against the Marlins. Washington maintained all along they would protect their 24-year-old in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, even as the first-place Nats closed in on the playoffs. But manager Davey Johnson said the mental side of the impending shutdown was affecting Strasburg the most. Did the Nationals make the right decision?

• posselts2007: "Mark it down. The Nationals will never win a World Series. They are assuming they have the makings of a consistent contender. Not so. They should have planned Strasburg's innings count more long-term, with the postseason in mind. Failure on management's part, which will cost them dearly now and in the future. Baseball is fickle. They may never sniff a season like this again for a long time."
• cwashington79: " 'Johnson said it was clear that his head wasn't in the game' ... I wonder why?!."
• eelderbroom: "He has struggled of late and hammered twice by Miami. Time to shut it down - good move."
• baseballfootball155: "They should have handled the whole thing better. Agree with limiting him but not the way they did it."
• jkess56: "There are enough distractions without your own team adding a huge one. If this was the plan, they should have kept it quiet so that Strasburg didn't have to spend the last 2 months answering the same questions over and over again. He pitched every game like it was Game 7 in an effort to convince this Mickey Mouse franchise that they should let him see this through. The Nats spent more time in his head than his opposition."



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On Friday, "First Take" debated Stephen Strasburg's likely limit of 160 innings pitched this season. The Nationals may shut Strasburg down due to his youth and injury history. Stephen A. Smith thinks athletes these days are way too coddled, but Skip Bayless thinks it's a prudent move, given Strasburg's profile and importance to the team. What's your take?

The Nationals have decided when they'll sit Stephen Strasburg for the remainder of the season, but they're not letting anyone know when that is yet. Should Strasburg have an innings limit?

• Mayo Maniacs: "If Rizzo was GM of the Tigers Verlander would've been shut down by July in his younger years. If the kid feels healthy and the docs say he is healthy let him pitch."
• brackattack20: "heck if you are going to monitor anything let it be pitches....it's not the number innings that puts more stress and your arm its the number of pitches."
• milkmanv1: "It's not the pitches or innings that's problematic, it's his elbow-shredding delivery. Shutting him down will not protect him in the slightest. You don't need to throw him out there for 300 innings like Dusty did to Prior and Wood, but if your team has a chance to get in the playoffs, you have to keep him going. We just saw a team win with pitching alone two years ago and this rotation can be as equally good."
• curruptbuckshot: "The dumb thing about innings limits is the labor part. If his innings aren't making him work then he should go past his "limit" and pitch into the postseason. Otherwise pull him when he hits the limit and save him for the postseason. That way he gets some rest for his arm while the Nationals, if they make it, have a great arm to rely on in the postseason."
• Sorch60: "Go ahead turn Strasburg into Joba Chamberlain. These innings limits are stupid."



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Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles and stories give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

Today's story: Stephen Strasburg returns to mound, passes on fan attention.

• travelerhp: "Blow by fans obviously awaiting your arrival. Not even a tip of the hat when leaving to a standing ovation. How about a little respect for the people paying your salary? You don't have to go door to door shaking hands, but a little respect goes a long ways."
• davem30560: "Give the kid a break. He's been through a lot over the past couple of years -- being called the "best MLB prospect in history" and going through Tommy John surgery. His goal right now is to get healthy and get back to the majors. He has the rest of his career to wave to fans, tip his cap and sign autographs."
• texman182: "I was at the game and was one of the autograph hopefuls. I'm OK with that, the only thing that struck we the wrong way was when he left the game. He had just struck out his fourth batter and left to a standing ovation and never once tipped a cap or even looked up to acknowledge the cheering fans."
• palmer2johnsontd: "You don't like the attitude of players, then don't pay to go watch the games, period. The entitlement some fans believe they have. Obviously, we all know how stuck up these athletes are. But it's the same way with fans, all acting like immature little kids when a player doesn't acknowledge a fan."
• taayox: "For every story/time that Stras has "ignored" his fans, there are countless of times he has gone out of his way to acknowledge/greet or sign autographs for them. There are some times that people just don't want to do stuff like this, but rather focus squarely on the task at hand, especially for someone just coming back from an injury."



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• Rank 'Em: Which year produced the best class of No. 1 overall picks?
• Vote: How soon will we see Bryce Harper hitting in a Nationals uniform?
• Chat: Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, 11 ET | SweetSpot blogger Rob Neyer, 12 ET

During the same stretch of days in which Sam Bradford took his first snaps in an NFL preseason game and the Nationals signed Bryce Harper, Royals pitcher Bryan Bullington picked up his first major league win. We like our sports irony like we like our coffee, thick and served up by someone from Kansas City.

Eight years ago, Bullington was in Harper's shoes after the Pirates made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft. After all those years, he's progressed from complete bust to nice story ... but he's still a bust, at least until he repeats Sunday's feat about 50 times. And when you think about names like Courtney Brown, David Carr, Matt Bush, Kwame Brown, and Alex Smith, he's hardly alone in that category as a former No. 1 pick.

So as Bradford, Harper, John Wall and NHL No. 1 pick Taylor Hall get set to begin their pro careers, who are you most confident won't be the next Bryan Bullington?

Harry (NY)

Is the hype and media attention surrounding this year's draft a bit much - what happens next year when there isn't a Harper or Strasburg to generate excitement?

Keith Law

I think part of my job and BA's and Jonathan Mayo's and KG's is to generate it. Next year's draft class is epic. It doesn't have the single star prospect, but it is freaking stacked with talent. Full transcript

• Rank 'Em: Who baseball's best rookies this season?

Maybe this is the "Year of the Pitcher" in Major League Baseball, but this week has offered its fair share of evidence pointing to another theme. At least until the Phillies traded for Roy Oswalt, the week's bggest pitching story was Stephen Strasburg's trip to the DL. The big Phillies news prior to the trade might have been Domonic Brown hitting a home run in his first game -- the same night Atlanta's Jason Heyward stole home against the Nationals.

Could this actually be the Year of the Rookie?

John Wall's performance in NBA summer ball receives detailed analysis. Sam Bradford's contract talks with the Rams is the subject of daily updates. Neftali Feliz's progress? Well, he probably has more name recognition in Dallas than Cowboys fifth-round pick DeAngelo Smith. Maybe. Actually, don't quote us on that.

Most of the time, even the best baseball rookies are hardly household names right away. In some cases (Jerome Walton, Marty Cordova and Bobby Crosby spring to mind), they stay that way even after winning Rookie of the Year. But as the news of the week suggests, and Jayson Stark pointed out in a recent chat, this year's class has a chance to be different.

Mike (SF)

Does Posey have a chance at the ROY? Has his power surprised you this early in his career?

Jayson Stark

Absolutely. Buster Posey is the real deal. In my midseason awards column, I gave Jaime Garcia the midseason ROY award. But a lot can change in the second half, with Jason Heyward coming back, Stephen Strasburg going out there every five days, Posey raking and one of the great rookie classes of recent times. If I were Jaime, I don't think I'd reserve a spot on my shelf for that trophy just yet. Full July 9 transcript

• Rank 'Em: Is Stephen Strasburg the biggest draw in baseball?
• Vote: Is Strasburg having the best season of any NL rookie?

Newly-crowned Miss Iowa Katherine Connors lists the following nugget of inspirational goodness from Eleanor Roosevelt as her favorite quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." (Connors also enjoys shopping, watching movies and spending time with family.) Ironic, then, that Nationals emergency starter Miguel Batista called on Connors in searching for a comparison point when disgruntled Nationals fans did their best to make him feel inferior in the town in which Roosevelt spent many years.

Batista got the call to start just minutes before Tuesday's game after scheduled starter (and the reason more than 40,000 people showed up) Stephen Strasburg was scratched with inflammation in pitching shoulder. Talking about the smattering of boos in the park, Batista, a published poet and author, offered up this pearl of wisdom. From the recap:

"Imagine if you go there to see Miss Universe, and you end up having Miss Iowa."

Of course, as Batista proved with five shutout innings in an eventual win for the home team, Miss Iowa isn't always just a consolation prize. And considering Connors wants to be a registered nurse, perhaps the Nationals could have used her Tuesday.

“

wow, jason heyward vs the struas man is gonna have to wait AGAIN!!

” -- rfly12321

“

How do they get shut out by a 39 year journeyman who hasn't starter a game in two years??!!??!!

” -- IndyDolfan11

• Vote: How will the Strasburg do tonight?

The Beatles come to America. Tiger Woods announces his presence to the world. Genghis Khan embarks on his "World Devastation Tour 1215." Stephen Strasburg makes his major league debut.

It's a bit too early to tell if Strasburg's first start in the majors will stand alongside the other great debuts in history (sporting or otherwise), but it's clearly among the most hyped. The Nationals have actually sold out a home game that isn't Opening Day, an event that is striking in its rarity.

Strasburg could be the next Nolan Ryan, or the next Ben McDonald, but he's already brought the Nationals a kind of relevance that they haven't had since Vlad Guerrero was mashing home runs in Canada, way back in the early '90s. Strasburg is already challenging SportsNation's collective power rankings of pitchers -- he lost to Johan Santana in a question regarding which pitcher fans would rather have for the second half, but just barely.

Strasburg had better enjoy the spotlight while he can, as the Nationals drafted another super-prospect last night in Bryce Harper. It's good they're on the same team -- if Harper ever swung at a Strasburg fastball, the resulting collision could rip a hole in the fabric of space and/or time.

“

alright nats, nows the time to open up the wallets a bit for a few years here while you have the talent to get that championship run going. And everyone knows where im going with this one, after strasburg and harpers contracts are up they probably will go to whatever al east team pays more. it will happen, just like the rays are gonna be hurting again pretty soon here.

” -- bledsoe6671

“

I'm all about the hype and I hope this kid lives up to his expectations except for when he plays my Bravos but long awaited might be adding just a hint of sensationalism to the mix. It was relly smart to wait for a variety of reasons such as the most important which most will not agree with. The kid has played extremely well against the minors but by waiting until after June 1st for arbitration purposes I think the most important thing is who'll he be pitching against. One of the worst lineups in baseball to help build the confidecne and momentum for the remainder of the season.

” -- appalachianmatt

“

As a Phillies fan, and a baseball fan, I cannot wait to see this kid pitch, for tomorrow and the next few years! National fans, you've got something special getting started in DC with a great young team that will be good for the next few years, enjoy it!

” -- philliesfan4ever20