You have been hearing about Stephen Strasburg since he burst onto the scene throwing fireballs at San Diego State.
The hype has been building ever since he was taken first overall in the MLB draft last season by the Washington Nationals.
Well, guess what?
The wait ends tomorrow, when Strasburg is expected to finally make his major-league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 21-year-old certainly will feel the pressure in front of a sold-out crowd and a full media lineup (over 200 press releases requested).
You will have to tune in tomorrow night to see if he actually lives up to the hype in his first performance, but rare is the athlete who lives up to the enormous expectations that tower over him.
With the ESPN machine running in overdrive these days, there is no shortage of hype for phenom athletes making their debut on the big stage in the past decade.
So where does Strasburg’s debut rank on this list?
Note: These are professional debuts in America, not debuts for a new team (Brett Favre the past two seasons, A-Rod in New York, etc.) or after a long layoff (I’m looking at you, Tiger).
And unfortunately, a lot of deserving hyped players were left of this list. Feel free to let me know who you think belongs here.
Now, let the hype begin.