Reactions to story from http://cnn.com

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  Random Thoughts (November 20, 2008)

  http://thebostoninsider.blogspot.com/2008/11/random-thoughts...
  46 days ago in TheBostonInsider Daily · Authority: 2

  The Yankees have one more reason to drop millions upon millions of dollars on CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, and/or A.J. Burnett now that Mike Mussina has retired (an announcement is expected today). "Moose" has called it quits just a month before he turns 40. He hangs it up after 18 seasons split up between the Orioles and Yankees. He won 270 career games, had a lifetime ERA of 3.68, and was selected to five All-Star Games (all with the Orioles). Mussina will be a probable Hall of Fame candidate. He was one of the top pitchers of his era although in my opinion, he is behind Curt Schilling and John Smoltz on the waiting list for enshrinement in Cooperstown. Mussina was a 20-game winner just one time, an accomplishment he reached on what was the final start of his career for a third place Yankee team. He never won a Cy Young. He never won a World Series. Pitching in a time period that saw the likes of Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Schilling, Smoltz, and Andy Petitte among others, Mussina does not stand out. Yes, he was a very good pitcher for a long period of time but he was never dominant and he never carried his team to a World Series. To me, a pitcher must win at least one Cy Young or be an integral part of at least one championship team to be considered worthy of the Hall of Fame. I also disagree with Sports Illustrated's John Donovan on Mussina. There is no way Mussina lived up to the money he earned in the Bronx. He had a 5-7 record in the postseason and the Yankees, despite their lack of a soul, have to be given credit for measuring success by World Series championships. Mussina didn't get the job done in October. His team never won a ring. It's that simple. Mussina was a very good pitcher on some very good teams for a long period of time but his lack of a Cy Young and a World Series ring should keep him out of Cooperstown for a very long time... Pittsburgh (-9.5) over CINCINNATI Quentin Richardson doesn't like the Celtics. The Knicks forward wants to face the Celtics with no referees to show the C's how tough he and his teammates really are. What a joke! Richardson couldn't even keep Brandy in check and I'm supposed to believe he could handle Kevin Garnett or Tony Allen? Puh-leeze. He, like the entire Knicks organizations (save Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh), is a clown, a phony, a true idiot. His 6-9, 270-pound teammate Zach Randolph had a chance to open up on Leon Powe during their game on Tuesday but all he did was bump chests with Powe before waiting to be separated by an official. D'Antoni and Walsh need to find a way to rid the Knicks of the likes of Richardson, Randolph, and Stephon Marbury before they can even think about being taken serious by the defending champs or anyone else in the NBA... I hope the Red Sox rumored interest in A.J. Burnett is strictly to drive up the price on the Yankees. We already have one J.D. Drew, we don't need another. Of course, if the Sox do give the free agent pitcher the cash, expect me to sing the praises of a Josh Beckett-Jon Lester-Burnett-Daisuke Matsuzaka-Tim Wakefield starting rotation and a Jonathan Papelbon-Justin Masterson-Hideki Okajima-Ramon Ramirez-Manny Delcarmen-Javier Lopez bullpen. I like the sound of that already... Congrats to the BC hoop team for advancing to the semifinals of the Preseason NIT tournament. They will have their hands full with a Purdue team that plays outstanding defense... Enjoy KG tonight...
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  Great Moose Article

  http://boogiedownbaseball.blogspot.com/2008/11/great-moose-a...
  47 days ago in Baseball & The Boogie Down · Authority: 23

  Woke up a little early this morning and came across this article on SI.com by John Donovan. It's a great article about Mike Mussina and his tenure in pinstripes. If you're a Moose fan, or are a baseball fan that doubts just how good Moose really is/was (hey it's still not official), I suggest you check it out. It's a good read.Peace, love and Pinstripes,J-Boogie
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  Baseball Notes

  http://thecoffincorner.blogspot.com/2008/11/baseball-notes.h...
  47 days ago in The Coffin Corner · Authority: 9

  It's official; Mike Mussina is retiring. You'll all remember back in 2000 when he turned the Sox down and left Baltimore for the Yankees and earned our scorn. But you can't deny the guy earned his paycheck. Moose leaves the game with a career record of 270-153, a 3.68 ERA and 2,813 strikeouts. He was a five-time All-Star (all with Baltimore) and although he never won the Cy Young Award, he finished in the Top 10 nine times. The question that is always asked when someone like Mussina retires is "Is he Hall of Fame worthy?" I think he is, actually. He is 33rd all-time in wins, 38th all-time in win-loss percentage and 19th all-time in strikeouts. After his first season in the majors (1991), he never won fewer than 11 games a season over the rest of his career and only had one losing record over that period (11-15 in 2000). Mussina was one of the steadiest, most reliable pitchers in the game over his career. So hats off to you, sir. I wish you'd been plying your trade in Fenway all these years. Over at the Globe, Mazz is predicting the Sox will break the bank for Teixeira. I don't know if they'll go insane, but Mazz is right that the Sox will spend what it takes when they think the player is worth pursuing. And Teixeira is worth it, bottom line. I think the only team that could match them is the Yanks. But between bids on Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe, how much more can they throw at a player? And you can't tell me that the issues surrounding their bond for building the new stadium and the current economic environment isn't impacting the Yankees' bottom line. There is a dark horse here; Anaheim. Arte Moreno wants to win now and finally beat Boston in the process. Teixeira is a key part of that plan. He may go all in re-signing him to the Angels. If we can't sign him, that is the next-best result. As long as he isn't wearing pinstripes. Finally, Nick Cafardo ponders the possibility of Jake Peavy coming to Boston. Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod, said that while Boston was not among the top five teams (all in the National League) for which Peavy would waive his no-trade deal, never did he indicate that he was dead set against the Sox. In fact, Axelrod said that early in the process, "the Padres came to us and said there'd be one American League team who would make a good trading partner and asked us whether Jake would go there. We said no. That team was not the Red Sox." Also, the Sox have a history with the Padres and have traded together in the past. So it isn't out of the realm of possibility that someone like Peavy could come to Boston. The price would be steep for a talent like Peavy, as in something like saying goodbye to Lars Anderson, Josh Reddick and either Buchholz or Bowden. But of all the pitchers out there, Peavy is one of the few worth that kind of deal. Look at it this way, if you combined this with a Teixeira deal, that would be a swap-out for Anderson and Buchholz/Bowden. And the Sox are deep at outfield, so surrendering Reddick wouldn't kill the farm system. If I could make that deal, I'd have to think about it but would ultimately pull the trigger.
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  Goodbye Mike Mussina

  http://www.collegegradrealworld.net/2008/11/goodbye-mike-mus...
  47 days ago in College Grad "Real" World · Authority: 3

  The reports are that Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina will announce his retirement from Major League Baseball sometime this week. Already writers are preparing brilliant career epitaphs for one of the more beloved baseball players of his era. John Donovan in this article on CNNSI says, "It's a funny thing with Mussina. When he announces his retirement, as he is expected to do later this week, he will be widely hailed as a Hall of Fame-type pitcher. His 270 wins and lifetime 3.68 ERA alone scream that. Yet many, especially in New York, will continue to see his time with the Yankees only in the black and white of Series won and lost." I wrote way back in 2006 that Mussina is not in my opinion a Hall of Fame pitcher. Nothing has changed my opinion. 270 wins are impressive, but in my mind "The Moose" will always be more of a compiler than a great player. Mussina never won the Cy Young Award, which is supposedly given to the best pitcher each year. He led the league in wins once (1999 with 19). He is a five-time All-Star and a seven-time Gold Glove winner. Mussina also never won a World Series title. (Not that a team accomplishment should be personally held against him.) The lack of personal accolades stands out when looking at his Black Ink test on Baseball Reference. Of course, he placed near enough to the top a few times in the Cy Young voting and compiled some great statistics, so his other metrics are much better. Back in 2006 I wrote, "Give Mussina his Yankeeography. Give Mussina praise for coming out to the ballpark year-in and year-out. Even shout 'MOOOOOOOSE' every time he gets a strikeout. Just please, never tell me that Mike Mussina is a Hall of Famer." I still strongly believe that. Mussina was a great free agent value. ($14 million per year for eight years is outstanding. Combine his first Yankee contract and his extension and that's what you get, eight years, $111.5 million.) He was an above-average pitcher. He was not a Hall of Fame pitcher.
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  John Donovan: No ring, but Moose was a bargain in pinstripes

  http://slackerology.com/john-donovan-no-ring-but-moose-was-a...
  47 days ago in Slackerology - · Authority: 17

  John Donovan: No ring, but Moose was a bargain in pinstripes Posted by SlackeR on Thursday, November 20th 2008 Digg it Bookmark it Stumble it Email to friend 20 Nov Mike Mussina signed an $88.5 million deal in 2000, and then he earned it. The retiring righty gave the Yankees everything they paid for, says John Donovan. Go to Source If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds Filed under: Sports No Comment Yet
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  John Donovan: No ring, but Moose was a bargain in pinstripes

  http://scottfat.glosunmedia.net/wordpress/?p=8986
  47 days ago in BestDamnBusiness.com » Featured Employer · Authority: 1

  Mike Mussina signed an $88.5 million deal in 2000, and then he earned it. The retiring righty gave the Yankees everything they paid for, says John Donovan. Original post by SI.com

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