A Summer Wildfire: How the Greatest Debut in Baseball History Peaked and Dwindled Over the Course of Three Months
The Report committee for Colin Thomas Reynolds Certifies that this is the approved version of the following report: A Summer Wildfire: How the greatest debut in baseball history peaked and dwindled over the course of three months APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Co-Supervisor: ______________________________________ Tracy Dahlby Co-Supervisor: ______________________________________ Bill Minutaglio ______________________________________ Dave Sheinin A Summer Wildfire: How the greatest debut in baseball history peaked and dwindled over the course of three months by Colin Thomas Reynolds, B.A. Report Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May, 2011 To my parents, Lyn & Terry, without whom, none of this would be possible. Thank you. A Summer Wildfire: How the greatest debut in baseball history peaked and dwindled over the course of three months by Colin Thomas Reynolds, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2011 SUPERVISORS: Tracy Dahlby & Bill Minutaglio The narrative itself is an ageless one, a fundamental Shakespearean tragedy in its progression. A young man is deemed invaluable and exalted by the public. The hero is cast into the spotlight and bestowed with insurmountable expectations. But the acclamations and pressures are burdensome and the invented savior fails to fulfill the prospects once imagined by the public. He is cast aside, disregarded as a symbol of failure or one deserving of pity. It’s the quintessential tragedy of a fallen hero. The protagonist of this report is Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who enjoyed a phenomenal rookie season before it ended abruptly due to a severe elbow injury.
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