It's official, the phenom Bryce Harper is now a Washington Nationals. After all the buzz before the 2010 MLB draft, it's now time to show up and perform for the young kid whose expectations are as high as ever.
It's my second draft in a row that I am bummed out by the results. Since the moving from Montreal to Washington, the wounds have healed but they're still sore. I remember Les Expos and sometimes, way too often, I wonder what could have been after all those years.
The Nationals didn't make much noise with their performances on the field, thus the reward of two consecutives first overall picks. But sill, lousy baseball is better than no baseball at all.
I remember the 90's of my youth with Les Expos filling my summertime vacations with all the thrills and excitements that brings an MLB season. Most of the time we were eating the dust of rivals such as the Atlanta Braves but nevertheless, they're was always a reason to go to the Stade Olympique for some baseball.
When I was a kid, it was all about Dennis Martinez. The early 90's were El Presidente's playground and Montreal had eyes for him only. Then came the good days before the lock-out with the likes of Larry Walker, Delino Deshields, Marquis Grissom and many others until the birth of young Pedro Martinez. We witnessed the genesis of the monster superstar that was awaiting a chance to shine. Martinez made the highlights every other day in Montreal and the town was inspired by the kid's growth. Baseball was frantic and at his peak, it was a thing of beauty.
I was young so the timeline is kind of blurry but still, I do remember seeing Pedro live at the Stade and it's as good a memory as it gets.
Then came Vladimir Guerrero. If you think the Angels loved Vlad, think again. The Montrealers adored their best player in more than 15 years and it was the town's talk about since hockey was kind of down in Montreal in the mid-90's after the infamous Patrick Roy trade with the Colorado Avalanche.
As a young high-schooler I played ball with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero in my television set every damn day. The pulse of my hobby was the same as Vlad and for the time being, there were no greater things in Montreal than Vladimir Guerrero and Pedro Martinez.
What's Bryce Harper got to do with that? With him and Strasburgh, it could have been the same frenzy in Montreal all over again. It could have been our championship season that never was because of the player's association strike. It could have been the appex of 40 plus years of baseball in this weird town that speaks french way too much for everybody else in America. It could have been but yet, it is not.
I've watched Strasburgh first game tonight and I do believe the hype. Him and Harper will bring life to a fanbase that since now didn't really cared about baseball, much like Montreal before Gary Carter in the 80's.
If you're in the DC area, you are lucky. You are about to experience something quite unique and unlike me, you will be able to bring your children to witness the parade. Don't miss it out, live it to the fullest.
You never know what lies ahead...
