First I annoyed my readers with excessive coverage of random people opining on the Strasburg Shutdown Strategy. Then I annoyed my co-workers. Now I’m even annoying myself.

It’s like, stop it already. There are so many more great stories on this rampaging Goliath of a team. Why keep writing about one single storyline, again and again and again?

Maybe because the Nats voluntarily shelving one of their best players just before a first-ever playoff voyage feels so unprecedented and remarkable that it makes Hall of Famers stammer aimlessly into cameras. Like, here’s Dennis Eckersley, trying to make sense of it all.

“They’ve done the math, they know what they’re doing,” he said, in what seemed to be an endorsement of Mike Rizzo. “If they mean it, I guess they mean it. To me, when it happens, I’ll believe it.

“Because how do you go into the playoffs and say Strasburg’s not pitching?” he continued. “I guess there’s a way around it. And I think they went back and forth on this. The general manager will ultimately probably have the decision, Rizzo, but I think he’s went back and forth too. I don’t know.

“To me, I know Strasburg wants the ball. There’s no doubt about it. But the day will come and everybody’s gonna be waiting for that day, because I don’t think it is. They’re gonna have to pitch him. I’m telling you. I can’t imagine not.”

So the Nats have done the math, and they know what they’re doing, and they mean what they say, but they’re still going to have to pitch Strasburg. The creative tension rattling around baseball’s collective brain is what prohibits me from moving on with my life. Sorry.

Related

Stephen A. Smith on shutting down Strasburg

Kevin Millar on shutting down Strasburg

Jake Peavy on shutting down Strasburg

Mike Rizzo on shutting down Strasburg

Davey Johnson on shutting down Strasburg

Gio Gonzalez on shutting down Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg on shutting down Strasburg