A notable absence in the early days of Washington Nationals Spring Training camp is ace phenom Stephen Strasburg. Worry not, the young fireballer is on his way and will be in Viera, FL sometime this weekend, however before heading out Strasburg spent Friday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium with his alma mater, the San Diego Aztecs, as they retired Strasburg's number in a pre-game ceremony.
Strasburg also accepted a $15,000 check for his Strasburg 5K charity run and threw out the first pitch of the game. The Aztecs posted a photo gallery of the event which also had a duel meaning as many fans and players also wore No. 19 jerseys in honor of Hall of Famer Tony Gywnn who was absent from the festivities due to recuperating from a Tuesday surgery to remove a malignant tumor in his right cheek.
Congratulations, Strasburg. It is no doubt just one of many feathers in the cap to come.