Let the Hype Begin!

If you’re in front of a TV, I just got this e-mail from Mike Gadza, Nat’s PR man and all-around good guy:

Good morning. Just wanted to shoot a quick note to make you aware that espn will be airing portions (cut-ins) of stephen strasburg’s debut today live during the 1 pm sportscenter.

He will be making the start (2 ip or 40 pitches) in today’s instructional league game vs. The tigers at space coast stadium in viera, fla.

ESPN, the sports hype center, has started paying attention to a Nats player. That’s gotta be worth something.

Dunn Only Hits 38, to Be Disassembled

The Nats finished up their season yesterday, and Adam Dunn managed only to hit 38 home runs all year. Because he was specifically designed to hit 40 or more (and had done so for 5 consecutive years) he will be disassembled and sold for parts.

Invented in the late 20th century by Honda Research and Development’s Fundamental Technology Research Center, the android eventually known as Adam Dunn was the 4th in a line of robots designed to walk, strike out, and hit home runs.

Called Three True Outcome Robots, Adam is Version4.0, a grand leap in technology from his predecessors. Originally created back in the early 80s, V1.0, nicknamed Dave Nicholson, was good at doing what his creators intended. But on balance, he did too little of the most important outcome, hitting home runs, and was scrapped for parts before most of the engineering world knew of his existence.