Far too early. Don't build him up as the second coming of Jesus and then trash him because he isn't. He's a good young pitcher who needs to build up arm strength.

Worry instead about who the Nationals are surrounding him with. You cannot win with one pitcher and a cast of scrubs.

As Sam Donaldson used to say, "Now hold on, Mr. President...."

The Nats are no band of scrubs. As even Mink Monica might almost kinda admit if we held her puppy at gunpoint, there's a lot of good, young talent on the team, together with the old hands like Pudge and Dunn. When they click, they're a pleasure to watch. It's all about the consistency now.

BTW, speaking of the Phils, when did they pick up Brian Schneider? One of the original Nats who came down from Montreal. I was surprised to see him the other night, as last I'd heard he was still with the Mets.

Oh, and I'm really only venting some anxiety here. I was always uneasy about the whole Straspalooza thing and am worried that Fate may be getting ready to hocus us as payback.

Aren't you supposed to hold puppies at blender point?