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I JUST READ THAT Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals' terrific rookie pitcher, likely will have surgery on his elbow. It's called Tommy John surgery after the long-ago pitcher who first had it.

It's funny, but I probably hear the name Tommy John more than any player in the history of baseball. Another name that comes up is Lou Gehrig (for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease). A woman I knew for more than 40 years died this year of ALS.

There are probably other names that pop up often, but they don't come to mind right now.

The great hyped hope

Stephen Strasburg retires after 13 seasons | Career Highlights of 3-time All-Star & World Series MVP

IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER someone as hyped as Washington Nationals rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg. And it's harder to remember someone who was that good in his debut.

Strasburg, who was held down to the minors until this week, struck out 14 batters in his D.C. debut, including the last seven batters he faced in his seven-inning stint. He twice hit 100 mph on his fastball and toyed with the Pirates.

Amazing.

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EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing