BEFORE STEPHEN Strasburg starts planning his induction into Cooperstown, Mike Moore has a few words of advice.

"Be patient," Moore said. "Don't get in a rush. That's goes for him and the team that picked him."

Moore, the No. 1 pick in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft, understands the great expectations that go with being the overall first pick. When the self-proclaimed country boy from Eakly came out of Oral Roberts University, he was touted by the Seattle Mariners as the next great pitcher in baseball.

He turned out to be very good, winning 161 games over 13 big league seasons. That's the most victories by a pitcher picked first in the draft, according to ESPN.com.

Strasburg, the No. 1 pick by the Washington Nationals in the draft last week, already is being tagged as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Patience. Take your time. Relax. Take a deep breath.

"No question it could have been overwhelming, but it really wasn't for me," said Moore, who lives in Tempe, Ariz. "I had the advantage of being around Brew (ORU pitching coach Jim Brewer, a former big league pitcher and pitching coach). He was much more than a pitching coach for me. He was like a second dad to me. So, he had really helped prepare me for it.

"Still, it is something you have to experience yourself. You never know until you go out there and start doing it."

Strasburg, an All-America pitcher at San Diego State, is being hailed as the most exciting pitcher in decades to come into pro baseball. Perhaps he will be the greatest ever. He certainly has all of the tools, according to scouts and baseball execs.

"I've talked with Rob (Walton, ORU coach), and he said the kid has all of the arsenal he needs to be a big league pitcher," Moore said. "Still, you never know. When you get to the big leagues, all of the hitters have seen pitchers who have all of the arsenal. So, there's more to it.

"I guess if I had any advice, it would be to not get in a hurry. Going to the minor leagues and taking your time is the best way."

However, like most young phenoms, Moore didn't get a lot of time before he was in the bigs.

The Mariners were the worst team in baseball at the time. The choice for Seattle came down to Moore, an All-American at ORU, or Ron Darling, a star at Yale.

They chose Moore, and the rush to get him to the big leagues was on.

"You know, it was a lot different back then," Moore said. "They told me they were going to pick me, so they flew me up to Seattle for the announcement. They had a press conference and I talked for a little bit, and the next thing you know I was on an airplane on my way to Massachusetts and the Eastern League. I was in the minor leagues before I knew what had happened.

"The whole media thing is so much different now. I think ESPN was just in its infancy back then. There weren't all of these Internet sites, and I'm not sure how much sports radio there was. Now, there is an overabundance of media. You can't do anything anymore without someone writing a story about it. So, that makes it a lot different."

In fact, Strasburg has remained a hot topic on national television and radio sports talk shows. Many believe if he receives the giant contract some are talking about, that he could go straight to the big leagues with the Nationals.

"When I look back at my career, I really kind of wish I had another year in the minors," Moore said. "I played one season in AA ball, and then I went with the big club out of spring training the next season. To be honest, I think another year in the minors would have been good for me in the long run.

"I mean, I was so happy to be going to the big leagues. But, now I know it might have been better had they been able to send me back for another year in the minors."

But, when teams spend the No. 1 pick on a player, there is an urgency to get that player to the big league club.

And when a team has the No. 1 pick, it is because that team usually is not good.

"Being the No. 1 pick is a big honor and something I've always been very proud of," Moore said. "But the reality of the situation is that the No. 1 pick is always going to the worst team in baseball.

"So, you are going to struggle. When I got up to Seattle, and we were losing, it was so hard. I had never been on losing teams in my life. Suddenly, we were losing a lot. It was tough."

Eventually, Moore moved to Oakland, where he became an All-Star and played on a World Series championship team. He finished his career with the Detroit Tigers. He is the most successful pitcher among all of the No. 1 picks.

"I have to admit that does surprise me," Moore said. "I saw that on ESPN as I was working out at the gym the other day. I didn't know it.

"I guess there might be a lot of reasons. I think part of it might be that you go to the worst team. So, you have a certain amount of your career when it is going to be tough to win games."

Moore said he'll be watching how Strasburg does.

"Rob said the kid is the real deal," Moore said. "We'll just have to be patient and see how it goes."