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Rescue Strasburg (And Sam!)
Published: 6/29/2010 3:06 PM
Last Modified: 6/29/2010 3:56 PM

It is the semi-noble intent of pro sports to level the playing fields by letting the worst teams pick up the best prospects.

Too bad it doesn't work. Teams improve through trades and free agency.

What happens now is the brilliant young stars are given so much money, they have to play right away with the bums bad enough to have earned the number one pick in the first place.

As a result, the talents and personnas of our great young stars are being stomped and ground into gridirons and diamonds and courts all across the land by dogs of teams.

Just look at this amazing young Strasburg, throwing darts and Yo-Yos for the Washington baseball team, as puny a bunch of swingers as you'll ever see.

Strasburg's fast one has them swinging at sounds, his change-up has them swiping at shadows.

Yet the team stinks and his brilliance is being wasted.

An arm has only so many electrical charges in it.

America deserves more than to see its greatest talent slumped at the end of a bench, black and blue.

Something must be done to free this nation's best and most athletic. Intervene. Send in some choppers. Rescue this kid, get him out of there. Reduce the period before free agency kicks in to a year, 18 months, somewhere in there.

The same goes for poor Sam Bradford.

After achieving all your goals, you have to play quarterback for St. Louis?

Riding bucking bulls would be safer.

Strasburg at Washington and Sam at St. Louis, that's like making a Rhodes Scholar work for the government.


Reader Comments 16 Total
Live Wire (3 years ago)
Agreed, Picker. However, 15.1 million for playing baseball is a little bit better than $25k/year for laying brick.
Kat Hat (3 years ago)
"To bad it doesn't work."

I love your stories most of the time, as I do this one... But come on, dude... Don't tell me you need an editor, to [sic]!
The Picker (3 years ago)
If we had an editor, you might have to pay more for all this.
Proud Sooner (3 years ago)
Picker: You're mostly right, but you forgot how bad Dallas was until they drafted Aikman, then Emmit, and so on, so they rebuilt in the 90's with the draft.. Pittsburgh drafted Big Ben it's paid off, I'd say it still works rebuilding through the draft, although I am FEARFUL FOR SAM...St. Louis isn't that good at all and they might knock him out of the dome and into EAST ST.LOUIS and well we know that's a bad area...Hope they get him some help...
Proud Sooner (3 years ago)
Picker: You're mostly right, but you forgot how bad Dallas was until they drafted Aikman, then Emmit, and so on, so they rebuilt in the 90's with the draft.. Pittsburgh drafted Big Ben it's paid off, I'd say it still works rebuilding through the draft, although I am FEARFUL FOR SAM...St. Louis isn't that good at all and they might knock him out of the dome and into EAST ST.LOUIS and well we know that's a bad area...Hope they get him some help...
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Pick, I completely agree with you. The drafting system is majorly flawed. It doesn't inspire competition, it denounces it. Which business ever gets better by rewarding failure?

If the system worked, why haven't the teams that have received numerous top 5 picks gotten any better? Year after year, who do you see receiving top picks? The Detroit Lions, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Pittsburgh Pirates. And year after year who do you see at the bottom of each league? The exact same teams.

Instead of rewarding their failure, make them earn their draft pick. I guarantee they'll start making changes in order to grab the best prospects possible. Until then, potential stars like Strasburg and Bradford will waste their talent just as Barry Sanders did.
Loki (3 years ago)
Given how Bradford held up physically with OU's offensive line last year, he may become Monty Python's Black Knight in St. Louis. (Rams ONLY gave up 44 sacks in '09.)
The Picker (3 years ago)
The Rams pick up where they left off, getting obliterated. Fan pressure mounts, play our billion-dollar hero. Bradford trots onto the field to begin his NFL career versus the Baltimore Ravens. First play, Bradford is under center, takes the snap, drops back, Ray Lewis blitzes. You don't want to know the rest of the story.
Arbythree (3 years ago)
Well I for one hope Sam does not get hurt, but if he were to, he can come back to Oklahoma....buy the TW and well, Picker you know the rest of the story.
The Picker (3 years ago)
Here's a postscript to the previous blog that had to do with how the OU baseball coach made a lousy coaching decision vs. eventual winner SC.

Last night in the title series, South Carolina had a runner on third, one out, extra innings, bottom of the inning -- the meat of the order coming to the dish. And the UCLA coach didn't walk the bases full! Horrendous move. Not as bad as Cloudy's. But bad, very bad. Where do they get these coaches, anyway, the faculty?
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Yeah Pick, what do these coaches know, right? They only led their teams to the college world series.

Maybe instead of choosing from the faculty, the schools should interview a cartoon character from a local newspaper in Tulsa.
hootie (3 years ago)
Bradford has yet to play a NFL downa and you are already giving him so much hype?? Look at how many college QBs ended up being flops in the NFL. At least wait for him to play a down in a real NFL game before giving him such praise.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Sam, honestly, I'd make it random so that every team has a fair shot at the number 1 pick. Baseball is a bit different because there isn't a salaray cap but in football and basketball the top teams couldn't simply "load up" because they would obviously have a limit on what they could spend.

Even with that said, teams like the Royals and Pirates are victims of their own inept management. Even if the draft is a only a piece of the puzzle, it is one that can be changed and become a catalyst for other things changing as well.

Also, let's not act like if the Royals go out of business that the Yankess won't have anyone to play and/or baseball is doomed. Another city would pick up a franchise in 2 seconds flat. In fact, maybe that is what is needed to spark a change. Look at the OKC Thunder. The franchise was awful in Seattle so ownership changes, the team moves and all of a sudden they are a playoff team.
Glenn616 (3 years ago)
I agree with you on the free agency issue, Mr. Picker. You make a great point, Mike. I think a random draft order might actually work.
dcood (3 years ago)
So what's your solution? Let the Yankees, Lakers, Colts, and Saints draft first? Our pro leagues would really be entertaining then... even less good teams. Not one of your more astute pieces.
Glenn616 (3 years ago)
Here is what I think should happen in regards to the MLB Draft:

Put the 22 teams that don't make the MLB playoffs into a lottery. The worst team would have the best chance of getting the first pick, while the 22nd worst team worst would have the least chance of getting the first pick. The eight teams that made the playoffs would get the final 8 picks of each round. This would be similar to how the NBA does its draft.
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Out Pick The Picker

The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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