When word spread around the Washington Nationals pitcher Steven Strasburg was going to make his second big league appearance at Progressive Field verses the Cleveland Indians, the whole city buzzed with the chance to see the man labeled the next greatest thing.

The Indians as an organization did their best in promoting Strasburg’s appearance. Each day during the Boston Red Sox series, they flashed the scheduled pitching matchup between Strasburg and the Indians David Huff.

Ticket sales went through the roof. The only thing that could ruin the day was rain. But the sun shined down as the first pitch was thrown.

I went to the game as a fan. I was able to snatch tickets five rows from the Washington Nationals dugout to get some good pictures of Strasburg and actually see how fast this guy throws.

I wanted to check out Strasburg warming up in the bullpen before the game and knowing that fans can watch the opposing pitcher warmup, I thought this was the perfect chance to get up close and personal with the man they call the greatest pitcher since Walter Johnson.

As I started to get closer to the bullpen, I realized there were a lot fans wanting to catch a glimpse of the big righthander. This did not surprise me, but what I saw next did.

Usually the bullpen grants fans a great view of warm-ups. But it’s kind of hard to do that when three-quarters of the potential views are blocked off by pop and chips.

Pop and chips block off the view of Steven Strasburg warming up at Progressive Field. (Katie Brinager/DSS)

Yes, pop and chips. Now, I do not know if this huge stand of pop and chips have been there all year. But I know when I was a kid, I relished in the fact that I could see David Wells, Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez, Randy Johnson, and Brad Radke warm up. To hear the pop of the glove and also catch some chatter between the pitcher and coach is what I looked forward to as a kid.

But not on this day. The only people allowed to see Strasburg warm up were the ones that had seats along the bullpen and the five fans that were able to see Strasburg from the top of the section. I’m sure the grumbling from the fans who could not watch could be heard from Lake Erie.

The Indians could have moved the hundreds of pop bottles and chips for one game. Just one game. To be able to have fans get a close view of Strasburg. But no. The sale of pop and chips are more important. (FYI: I did not see one person get anything form that stand while I was there. Just four workers standing around.)

The 32,876 fans who showed up to the game did not come because the Indians were on a four game winning streak. They came for one man and one man only. Maybe next time, they can do their sales of a $4.25 pop somewhere else.