From hill to Hall?

LAST JUNE, THE NATIONALS made hard-throwing righthander Stephen Strasburg the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Tonight, he'll make his major league debut against the Pirates.

Years from now, if he lives up to all the hype, he may become the first No. 1 pick to enter the Hall of Fame. Since the advent of the baseball draft in June of 1965, no top pick has made it to the Hall, although there are some familiar names that should get there before Strasburg.

The list:

1965: Rick Monday, c, K.C. Athletics 1988: Andy Benes, p, Padres

1966: Steve Chilcott, c, Mets 1989: Ben McDonald, p, Orioles

1967: Ron Blomberg, 1b, Yankees 1990: Chipper Jones, ss, Braves

1968: Tim Foli, if, Mets 1991: Brien Taylor, p, Yankees

1969: Jeff Burroughs, of, Senators 1992: Phil Nevin, 3b, Astros

1970: Mike Ivie, c, Pades 1993: Alex Rodriguez, ss, Mariners

1971: *Dan Goodwin, c, White Sox 1994: Paul Wilson, p, Mets

1972: Dave Robert, if, Padres 1995: Darrin Erstad, of-p, Angels

1973: David Clyde, p, Rangers 1996: Kris Benson, p, Pirates

1974: Bill Almon, if, Padres 1997: Matt Anderson, p, Tigers

1975: *Dan Goodwin, c, Angels 1998: Pat Burrell, if, Phillies

1976: Floyd Bannister, p, Astros 1999: Josh Hamilton, of, Rays

1977: Harold Baines, of, White Sox 2000: Adrian Gonzalez, 1b, Marlins

1978: Bob Horner, 3b, Braves 2001: Joe Mauer, c, Twins

1979: Al Chambers, of, Mariners 2002: Bryan Bullington, p, Pirates

1980: Darryl Strawberry, of, Mets 2003: Delmon Young, of, Rays

1981: Mike Moore, p, Mariners 2004: Matthew Bush, ss, Padres

1982: Shawon Dunston, ss, Cubs 2005: Justin Upton, ss, D-backs

1983: Tim Belcher, p, Twins 2006: Luke Hochevar, p, Royals

1984: Shawn Abner, of, Mets 2007: David Price, p, Rays

1985: B.J. Surhoff, c, Brewers 2008: Tim Beckham, ss, Rays

1986: Jeff King, if, Pirates 2009: S. Strasburg, p, Nationals

1987: Ken Griffey Jr., of, Mariners 2010: Bryce Harper, c-of, Nationals

*Was drafted, attended college, and then re-entered draft.

A bunch of known hooligans - soccer-speak for law-breaking morons - are getting a sweet deal in Pretoria, South Africa.

The group, about 60 strong, are devout fans of the Argentine team that opens World Cup play against Nigeria on Sunday. They are being housed and fed at Christian Progressive College for about $11 a day. In return, they have promised not to misbehave. Nice of them, huh?

Apparently, however, there are other Argentine hooligans who aren't as friendly.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that 10 of them were deported from South Africa to Angola after it was discovered that they were planning violence during the World Cup.

- Tom Mahon

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