Throughout his career with the Yankees he was consistant and reliable. He rarely missed games and was a competitor. It wasn't his fault the Yankees didn't win a World Championship while he was there.
Mussina was one of the good guys in baseball. He didn't get involved in the drug scandals like Clemens, Pettitte, and others. As a Stanford graduate he was one of the smarter guys in baseball. Maybe that is why he retired instead of sticking around a couple of more years.
He didn't care about his stats, otherwise he would be playing a few more years to reach 300 wins. The 300 win mark is becoming virtually impossible to reach these days as a result of the 5 man rotation and pitch counts causing starters to be pulled early. Mussina gave up a lot of money by not coming back. Today it seems like it is all about the money for most players.
Mussina will be missed.
Mussina is brilliant. First of all, his remarks to Suzyn Waldman and Kim Jones are outright hilarious. They are so blunt and to the point. Secondly, as hard as it was for me to see him retire because he was one of my favorite players, it really was a smart thing to do. He went out of the game on top, and finished his career with, arguably, the best year of his career. So many number 1 pitchers (Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, etc.) are reluctant to retire and will never be able to match the numbers they have posted in the past. Mussina, as always, was smart enough to realize that he should journey off to the sunset on the top of his game.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories moose!
I agree with nyystateofmind...he went out with a bang instead of a whisper. How many players can say the (arguably) best year of their career was their last? That is something that can be respected by everyone. He'll definitely be missed. I look forward to reading more of your blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Moose was a class act and he will be deeply missed!
ReplyDelete