Washington D.C. Stricken with a Bad Case of Strasburg-Mania

With the highly anticipated debut of pitching phenom and number 1 pick Stephen Strasburg, the Washington D.C. area has been enjoying a serious case of Strasburg-mania. Hype surrounding his drafting, signing and his eventual Major Leagues debut was always great, but as the date became official and Strasburg showed his stuff in his first endeavor on the mound, it reached even greater levels.

Here are a few examples of the ways that Washington D.C. has been rejoicing in Strasburg-mania:

-The Washington Post gave away Strasburg posters in several editions of the paper

-The "Strasburger" can be found on several local restaurant menus

-The town of Strasburg, Virginia, proposed changing its name to Stephen Strasburg, Virginia for the day of his first big league start

-Most shocking of all, people in the Washington D.C. metro area have been attending, watching and talking about baseball! It's true!

This is no baseball town, but Stephen Strasburg has been doing his best to make it into one. It's not impossible to imagine that in a year or two, the Nationals could have a much more substantial, consistent and rabid fan base.

Just take a look at the Washington Capitals. They were far from a hot topic in the area, until a certain number 8 named Alex Ovechkin came to town. Now, "Rock the Red" is the slogan of the area, Capitals Mohawk haircuts are sported during playoff season, and the town feasts on every opportunity to watch its star perform.

In addition to Strasburg, the Nationals have a couple of everyday foundations in the field that can help turn to team into a formidable challenger. Slugging Josh Willingham, nicknamed "The Hammer", mans the outfield and has been having the best season of his career in 2010. Pre-Strasburg franchise face Ryan Zimmerman is an All-Star third baseman, and working his way up through the ranks over the next few years will be Bryce Harper, selected by the Nationals first in the 2010 MLB Draft a day before Strasburg made his Major League debut.

So instead of Strasburg-mania being a fluky month that is forgotten about as the Washington Redskins stumble to another 7-9 season, it could be the next DC craze. Besides the obvious potential of turning himself into one of the best pitchers in baseball, he could help revitalize a franchise, and turn Nationals Park into a fun place to attend for more than Ben's Chili Bowl at the concession stand and sunset views of the D.C. monuments.

Sources:

Local television broadcasts, www.nationals.com