Stephen Strasburg's Sports Illustrated cover

We're doomed now. Sure, certain doom.

Isn't it just the spring training edition cover that is the kiss of death?

Paging Dr. Andrews...

Jinx schminx.

I'm just enjoying the ongoing shock of reading articles by non-local writers where the word "Nationals" is not automatically modified with the adjective "lowly".

We could create a Facebook page, "Albert Chen must die"

NatsNut: Pretty funny,LOL!

Given that the Nationals who have now graced the cover of SI are Bryce and Stephen, it'd be a tough guess to figure out who the next one will be.

Best guess is that it'll be one of those two again.

Maybe 2012 Cy Young Champ Strasburg?
Perhaps 2013 ROY Bryce Harper?

How about 2014 World Series MVP, Jordan Zimmermann?
(Strasburg only got one start in this series since he closed out the NLCS, and JZimm won games 1 and 5, only giving up 1 ER in the process)

That'd be nice.

Who do you think will be next?

The Post is now listing Strasburg as the starting pitcher for the White Sox game on Saturday. Could this just be an error? If this is true, a lot of fans like me who purchased tickets for the Friday game based on the premise Strasburg will be pitching are going to be very irritated. Riggleman said he planned to start Strasburg every five days rather than every five games, and starting him on Friday would also permit him to appear again on Wednesday during the same home stand. The good seats for the Friday and Wednesday games are sold out, and we all know why. I checked the probable pitchers for Friday and Saturday on the Nationals site, and it just says "to be announced." If they are going to play games with this sort of stuff, it will quickly dissipate the good will created by Strasburg's arrival.

Criminy, bbigtim is right
http://stats.washingtonpost.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?yr=2009&tm=20&btnGo=Go&report=schedule

Whiskey Tango everybodydancenow

#37 is our SI jinx-buster. A start to balancing out the infamous 33 years we trundled up the Parkway to see them Ohhs, all the while retaining visions of Chuck Stobbs throwing wild pitches into the middle of the screen behind home plate; Frank Howard scorching liners into empty upper-deck seats. We're due. Kasten, Rizzo and Riggleman, et al are delivering. That ball yard down on the river is now very cool. And it's not even summer yet.

Mark Zuckerman posted the following "official announcement" yesterday on Nats Insider:

"The Washington Nationals today announced the following information about their upcoming series at Nationals Park against the Chicago White Sox.

* Reigning NL Player of the Week Stephen Strasburg and All-Star left-hander Mark Buehrle are slated to start the series opener on Friday. Below are the probable pitchers for the entire series (subject to change).

Fri., June 18 vs. CWS (7:05 pm) -- LHP Mark Buehrle vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg

Sat., June 19 vs. CWS (4:10 pm) -- RHP Gavin Floyd vs. RHP J.D. Martin

Sun., June 20 vs. CWS (1:35 pm) -- RHP Freddy Garcia vs. LHP John Lannan

* Saturday’s game vs. Chicago-AL has been changed to a 4:10 pm start and will be broadcast on Fox."

So it looks like the Post is wrong.

OTOH, the Nats site still has Friday:

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100614&content_id=11180056&vkey=pr_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was

I hope WaPo is just extrapolating the 5 player rotation. Every other site lists Stras as the probable starter for Friday (MLB, ESPN).

Oh, no ... curves just missing the plate, sliders now dribbling, fastballs landing in the bleachers ... Sports Illustrated, how could you do this to us?!?!

bbigtim: I am SHOCKED!!!.....SHOCKED!!! that StanK would try to manipulate Strasburg's turn in the rotation for monetary gains on behalf of this franchise.LMAO!

If they do move him to Saturday it'd likely be because of pressure from national TV (isn't it Fox?) who gave us their game of the week broadcast (and moved the start time to 4:10) in hopes of having SS. Weak excuse for the local fan base.

I saw a study once that showed a direct link between belief in superstitions (i.e jinxes) and lack of intelligence.

Some of us stat-heads have another term for the "SI Curse." We call it "regression to the mean."

Grubsarts Nehpets. There, jinx averted.

Anyone know if there's been a decision on whether he's pitching Friday or Saturday night?

Never mind, looked around and it seems like the general consensus is Friday. Of course, if anyone hears something new and more definite, I'm all ears.

Don't worry folks....everything is fine. There will be no jinkx. SS will have a huge winning record. Why? Because everything, all the publicity, was slammed at him right at the beginning. He was hit so hard and so fast, there is numbness all over and he won't be phased a bit. It just happened too fast! Like a baby being born with a birth defect. The baby won't know there is a problem because he had this all his life. Same here. It is like SS was born into the majors with this and he knows no other way. So, RELAX AND ENJOY!!! GO NATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, none of the swimsuit models ever get jinxed.

Thanks for posting a nice, big picture of the SI cover. It is now my computer desktop image.

As for the jinx; if pitching in 'The-mistake-by-the-lake' didn't get him (who's their head grounds-keeper, Carl Spackler? [that's Bill Murray's character in 'Caddyshack']), then I think he's safe from SI.

Folks, WashPo updated the page: http://stats.washingtonpost.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?yr=2009&tm=20&btnGo=Go&report=schedule

Stras is on for Friday.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

HEY BBIGTIM....Nats website has Strasburg going Friday night against Mark Buehrle.
I have tickets for Friday...2 more days to worry!!!

Everyone had worried about TV for Friday or Saturday, 6/18-19, but the reality of franchise money is that there is a 6 game homestand, and The Phenom will pitch the first and sixth games, selling an additional 20,000 tickets twice! Pitching Saturday would have cut his gate next week. They made a pretty good plan for the team. If they stick with it, I can see Stras in Atlanta 6/28 (I have tickets!)