STEPHEN STRASBURG - THE SUMMER OF THE ROOKIE

Last year the Washington Nationals had the number one pick in the Major League Baseball's draft. They chose a college pitching phenom named Stephen Strasburg, a picture who already is showing awesome pitching skills and baseball savvy. Amidst much hype and hoopla, Strasburg who started the season in the lower minor leagues made his first major league start, two nights against the Pittsburgh Pirates:

The San Francisco Chronicle, commenting on critics of the hype that surrounded Starsburg's debut wrote"

"Over-hyped? Are you kidding? Stephen Strasburg went beyond the hype — and anyone's reasonable expectations — by striking out 14 batters in his electric major league debut.

With a standing-room-only crowd cheering every pitch, the Washington Nationals phenom put on a dazzling display of power pitching Tuesday night in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. His heaters reached 100 mph, and batters found his nasty curveballs nearly impossible to hit."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/06/08/sports/s165515D70.DTL&flv=1#ixzz0qJij8P2T

This seems to be the summer of the rookie. My own beloved Tigers have a starting center fielder, Austin Jackson; and an outfield/DH Brennan Boesch who are with batting averages exceeding 320 are among the top 15 hitters in the American League. (We aren't missing Curtis Granderson one iota.) These three rookies have infused a lot of hope in their respective baseball cities and have injected an element of hope that maybe the World Series is in reach. Strasburg has actually achieved Messiah status in Washington DC. (Some people were hoping Mr. Obama had a lock on that job.)

Not all rookies are more than a flash in the pan; but sometimes they turn into great players. All of us are rookies at something at some time in our life. Thank goodness for the people who gave us a chance, encouraged us even with a little hype, and cheered out first efforts.

Do you know any rookies who need your encouragement?