Former Little League teammate says Strasburg was 'overweight, pouty and used to cry'

Great piece today by Paul Daugherty on the Sports Illustrated web site on Reds pitcher Mike Leake, the rookie pitcher who’s 5-0 after 11 starts. Turns out Leake was teammates with Stephen Strasberg when they were kids, which led to this quote, which may be old, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it:

When Leake became the first college pitcher in 21 years to go straight to the major leagues, he had a postgame media contingent of maybe five writers and a couple TV guys. Strasburg gets that kind of attention ordering a pizza.

Leake has thrived thus far in Cincinnati, fully under the radar. He knows Strasburg. He told USA Today that Strasburg was “overweight, pouty and used to cry” when he was taken out of games, when both were 11 and on the same traveling team. But Leake has little feel for the publicity tornado that has surrounded Strasburg in the last two months. “I’m not really in tune with it,” he says. “[Cincinnati] isn’t New York.” Or Washington.

First, that must have been a hell of an 11-year-old pitching staff. Second, it’s good to know that your pouty youngster, who cries when he doesn’t get his way and could stand a little more fruit in his diet, may still achieve greatness.
***
While hype surrounds Strasburg, Reds’ Leake toils in obscurity [Sports Illustrated]