Cat Stabs Stephen Strasburg Hours Before Slated MLB Debut
By Dave Sheinin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
WASHINGTON -- This afternoon's stabbing of first-round draft pick Stephen Strasburg will preempt the 2009 first-round draft pick's Major League Baseball debut indefinitely, the Washington Nationals front office announced in a statement.
Strasburg is in "good condition" following the five stab wounds to his ankles received early this afternoon, team manager Jim Riggleman told reporters at an impromptu press conference assembled to brief reporters on the situation.
District police say a small cat wandering inside the Washington Nationals clubhouse stabbed the would-be Nationals pitcher in his ankles five times at around 3:30 p.m. Police identified Strasburg's assailant as Betzy Macaroni of Arlington, Va.
Believed to be 10 years old, Macaroni resides in Arlington, Va., with her owner, Jim Macaroni.
The black-and-white cat works as an assistant coach for the men's basketball team at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, public records show.
A photograph believed to have been taken minutes before the attack show Macaroni sitting on a Washington Nationals blanket next to a plastic knife. Police said they are investigating whether the knife shown in the picture is the same plastic knife that punctured Strasburg's ankles five times this afternoon. The right-handed pitcher's 100+ mph fastball has been the talk of national sports media over the past several weeks and months, leading up to what would have been his first start tonight. The 21-year-old prospect's long-anticipated debut was slated for this evening's Nationals home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Strasburg could not be immediately reached for comment. The 21-year-old was treated for his injuries at the clubhouse by a team physician and will not be admitted into a hospital, said Riggleman.
He said Strasburg's injuries were not major. "Thank goodness it was just a cat and she couldn't reach anything higher than his ankles," the manager told reporters.
A police report says that one eyewitness to the stabbing said he heard a cat exclaim, "Hi! Go Penguins! Sure!"
"I think the cat meant to say 'Pirates' instead of 'Penguins,' but I'm not sure," said Riggleman. "I'm told she was hanging out with a penguin, like, as in an actual penguin. You know, the aquatic bird. I'm not sure what he was doing up here in the Northern Hemisphere."
This cat, which unlike most domesticated animals, is known for speaking English. She appears frequently as a guest caller on cable news programs such as "Larry King Live" and "Rick's List" with Rick Sanchez, and even on some programs that as a rule do not take calls from viewers.
See related coverage:
- Thomas Boswell: A Cat Stabbed Stephen Strasburg? On Today of All Days
- Eugene Robinson: Black, White? Who Cares What Colors This Cat Is?
- Tom Shales: Only a Female Would Be Stupid Enough to Stab Stephen Strasburg
- Courtland Milloy: Go Ahead, Pick on the Cat Because She's Black, 'Sure!'
- Gene Weingarten: Seriously? A Cat? You Can't Make This Stuff Up
- Fareed Zakaria: Um, Hi, North Korea Just Dropped a Bomb; Is Anybody Else Following This?
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