Strasburg returns on September 6

Just as I'm gearing up for football season to begin, I get wind of some great Nationals news: pitcher Stephen Strasburg will be returning to the mound as a Washington National on Tuesday, September 6!

This is great news for me, as the arrival of Strasburg last season provided the Nationals with a great boost in their talent—one that was badly needed. I was lucky enough to see his debut game in June of last year, as Will made an educated guess as to what game it would be—and lucky for us, he guessed right! I remember very well the unexpected influx of traffic that evening prior to the game (Nora got stuck in it, too, as she was driving to Riverhouse from Loudoun County), not to mention the comical wait for a cab following the game, but the energy during the game itself was fantastic. Rarely had I seen the Nationals fan base so alive and so energized at the prospect of great talent on our team, and lucky enough, Strasburg lived up to the hype.

Now that he's back after his long absence from surgery, I only hope he can bring with him the spirit and the energy that he brought with him the first time! Welcome back, Strasburg!