Washington Nationals: Was Monday Night the End of 'Strasmas'?

In his rookie season of 2010, a Stephen Strasburg start for the Washington Nationals was an event.

"Strasburg's pitching tonight" became a buzz line around the D.C. area. If the Nats' young pitching phenom was on the mound, more fans would be in the seats. "Strasmas" was practically a city holiday.

Think of his electrifying major league debut, when he struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates. Strasburg was an instant sensation, not just in the nation's capital, but throughout baseball. 

Fast-forward to 2012, and the buzz seems to have faded.

Monday night, the Nationals drew a crowd of 16,245 for their game against the Houston Astros. As CSN Washington's Mark Zuckerman tweeted, it was the smallest home crowd ever for a Strasburg start.

The lowest attendance Strasburg previously pitched in front of was 21,695 in Aug. 2010 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. The average attendance for a Strasburg home start has been 29,127. That's 6,000 more fans than the Nats typically draw for a game at Nationals Park. 

Monday's sparse crowd was enough for Zuckerman to declare that "Strasmas is dead."

Wow, that sounds so...final. And depressing. Bah, humbug. 

Strasburg was good on Monday night, allowing two runs over six innings. (If you weren't watching, you also missed this throw by Rick Ankiel.) In eight starts since returning from Tommy John surgery, he has a 1.47 ERA with 43 strikeouts and seven walks in 43 innings. 

Hey, the Nationals are in first place! They were a chic pick for a wild-card playoff spot this season. What's the deal, D.C.?

According to Zuckerman, three factors are largely to blame for Monday night's attendance.

The Capitals Are in the Playoffs

The Washington Capitals hosted Game 3 of their NHL first-round series (tied at 1-1) versus the Boston Bruins at the Verizon Center on Monday.

The Caps are extremely popular in town, having been a championship favorite over the past few seasons, and playoff hockey trumps regular-season baseball.

Unfortunately, the Caps lost to the Bruins, 4-3, putting them behind in the series, 2-1. 

Mondays in April

The first day of the work week tends to draw lower crowds. Combine that with the usually colder April weather, and a night at the ballpark doesn't hold as much appeal as it would in July or August. 

The Houston Astros Stink

No offense to the Astros, but they did lose 106 games last season and don't have any notable stars on their roster.

They're not exactly an opponent that draws fans to the ballpark these days and are typically a bad draw on the road. Sadly, nobody's walking up to the ticket booth to see Carlos Lee. 

But the novelty of a Strasburg start has worn off, as well.

Maybe fans are cautiously optimistic in his first full season since coming back from Tommy John surgery. It must have been such a letdown to be so excited about Strasburg in 2010, with anticipation building between his scheduled starts, only to have see that shooting star fizzle when he blew out his elbow.

Strasburg will probably have to demonstrate that he can get through a full season healthy, let alone mow down opposing hitters for six or seven innings, before Nats fans get truly excited again.

Ultimately, however, the Nationals have to show that they're for real.

Is this a winning team? Are they ready to take a step up to playoff contention, as so many expect?

Nothing draws like a winner, and D.C. is no different than any other baseball team when it comes to needing a good reason to head out to the ballpark. 

Strasmas can come back. Don't put the toe tag on just yet.