Mussina the Old Timer

From Bryan Hoch:

In the span of less than a year, Mike Mussina has gone from a 20-game winner to an Old-Timer.

The recently retired right-hander was announced by the Yankees on Friday as part of an additional selection of pinstriped icons who will be on hand on Sunday for the 63rd annual Old-Timers' Day -- the first held at the new Yankee Stadium.

In addition to Mussina -- who announced his retirement shortly after recording his 20th victory on last season's final day at Fenway Park -- Dwight Gooden, Mel Stottlemyre and Don Zimmer will attend.

Mussina, 40, paid a visit to the Yankees during Spring Training and said then that he was completely satisfied with his decision to retire after 18 Major League seasons -- the first 10 with the Orioles, the final eight with the Yankees -- and 270 victories.

"I'm doing nothing," Mussina said on March 10, grinning. "And when I walked through the weight room, I knew why I'm doing nothing. I feel good being retired. ... If I get invited to the Old-Timers' Game, maybe I'll pitch in that. Maybe I'll wait a year."

It would seem Mussina opted not to wait.

It will be good to see Moose at the new stadium... I wish he was still on the team, though. They could sure use a strike-throwing veteran leader like him.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!

Mussina Explains His Comments About Rivera

As a reminder, here's the full quote from page 312 of the book

"As great as (Rivera) is, and it's amazing what he does, if you start the evaluation since I've been here (in 2001), he has accomplished nothing in comparison to what he accomplished the four years before.

"He blew the World Series in '01. He lost the Boston series. He didn't lose it himself, but we had a chance to win in the ninth and sweep them and he doesn't do it there. I know you look at everything he's done and it's been awesome, I'll admit that. But it hadn't been the same in those couple of years. That's what I remember about the '04 series."

And here's Mussina's explanation from Peter Botte:

"As far as I know that's pretty much the way I said it. But the idea of it was not to take any stabs at Mo," Mussina said Wednesday on WFAN. "I can't put into words how important Mo has been to me as an individual player and to us as a team since I went to New York. My accomplishments would not be anywhere near what they are, and our team accomplishments certainly would not be what they are without him pitching the ninth inning.

"I didn't mean to take any stabs at him. I was just making a factual comment, and it came out sounding like I was trying to cut him down. I'm certainly not trying to cut him down, because he certainly is legendary, and he's earned that."

I heard the interview with Francesa and Mussina seemed to genuinely respect Mo, so I'm going to take him at his word and believe that he wasn't trying to "cut him down."

Moose also had this to say about the supposed friction between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez:

"I never saw any friction between those two players whatsoever," Mussina said. "For two superstars at the level that they're supposed to perform at, the kind of people they're supposed to be, the way they're supposed to carry themselves as professional athletes and human beings, I never saw any problem at all.

"I sat in the same clubhouse, rode the same bus, the same planes...and I never, ever saw an issue with those two guys. I don't know if people were hoping it was there or people were looking for something to talk about, no idea, but I never experienced any of that."

Overall it was a very good interview. You can listen to the whole thing here.

More From Moose and Damon about 'The Yankee Years'

A few days ago when news first broke about the book, Mike Mussina said that the A-Fruad stuff wouldn't hurt A-Rod or the Yankees clubhouse. He said they've been through this and worse before with Alex, and this won't let it effect them.

Yesterday, he spoke with The Record's Bob Klapisch to discuss the book some more.

“Joe has started something that a lot of people are going to have to answer to,” Mike Mussina said by telephone on Thursday. “Joe’s going to have to answer to it too, but it won’t be as bad for him because he’s with the Dodgers now. But it’s going to be bad for the guys he left behind.”

Klapisch wonders how this will effect his current team:

It’s not just that Torre crushes easy targets like Johnson and Pavano, it’s that he violated the sanctity of the clubhouse to plunge the knife deeper. By doing so, Torre is telling his present-day Dodgers that no anecdote or conversation will be off the record once he leaves the organization. None of his players could be blamed for keeping their distance; how could any of them trust Torre ever again?

Mussina said, “it’s not just what goes on in the clubhouse, it’s sitting on the bus, or if you’re out having lunch. As a ballplayer you need to know who you have to watch out for and who you can trust. First and foremost, you should be able to trust your manager.

“I mean, people knew that Brown was out there, and that Randy was ornery all the time. And Pavano is whoever he is. But if you’re their manager, you can’t go out and write about them like that.”

What I would really like to know is what Mussina had to say about the comments he made in the book. Specifically, this quote about Mariano Rivera that Bill Madden had in his article today:

"As great as he is, and it's amazing what he does, if you start the evaluation again since I've been here, he has accomplished nothing in comparison to what he accomplished the four years before. He blew the World Series in '01. He lost the Boston series. He didn't lose it himself, but we had a chance to win in the ninth and sweep them and he doesn't do it there. ... That's what I remember about the '04 series."

Damon spoke with Peter Kerasotis of the Cincinnati Enquirer and had this to say:

"What happens in the clubhouse should always stay in the clubhouse, unless it's funny or goofy. You know, harmless stuff," he said.

Damon also discussed the excerpt from the book where about a conversation the he and Torre had at the beginning of the 2007 season:

"Yeah, yeah, I was very honest with him," he said, speaking of that meeting with Torre. "I told him I was thinking of retiring. Baseball is not the most important thing to me. I enjoy my life off the field. I love spending time with my family, and we'd just had a baby born about a month and a half earlier. I needed time to figure out if I still wanted to play."

At the time, Damon was only 33.

"I had some friends who were fishing in Key West, stuff like that, stuff I never have a chance to do in the summer," he said. "Baseball's such a grind. I didn't know if I wanted to do it anymore. Mainly, it was wanting to be with my family more."

After contemplating retirement, though, Damon decided "the team needed me" and that retirement during or before a season leaves a team "out to dry." So he kept playing.

"I had a couple of days off, and I found that spark again," he said.

But as far as any spark of anger against Torre for writing about the episode, it wasn't there.

"No, no, that's OK. I'm OK," Damon said. "I'm a person who loves his family. So nobody can beat me up over that."

Regarding the whole A-Fraud thing Damon said,

"I do not ever recall Alex being called that. Alex is a great guy. He would do anything for his teammates, and I hope he's my teammate for a number of years. It's just a shame that with spring training ready to start, he has to deal with this."

A lot of players are taking the same "what happens in the clubhouse should stay in the clubhouse" approach. This doesn't bode well for Torre, who now may have to convince his Dodger team that they can trust him and won't end up in the future book titled, "The Dodger Years."

Moose: Book Won't Hurt Clubhouse

A day after Michael Kay let it be known that Mussina blasts his former closer in Torre's new book, Mussina claims the book won't hurt the Yankees clubhouse.

From Mark Hale:

As the season nears closer, Mike Mussina sounds very confident that A-Fraud-gate won't hurt Alex Rodriguez too badly.

In a phone interview yesterday, Mussina - the Yankees' retired 20-game winner - said he didn't believe the revelation in Joe Torre's book that Rodriguez was referred to as "A-Fraud" in the clubhouse would be a lingering clubhouse problem.

"He's the best player that I've had a chance to play with," Mussina told The Post. "And he works hard at it and if he sat around and worried about everything that happened, he wouldn't be able to be the player that he is.

"I was in that clubhouse for eight years. I've seen a lot of stuff go on. A lot of stories go out. I've seen Alex deal with a lot of things, this past year and in other years. I don't foresee this as being a major issue."

"What goes on in the clubhouse and teammates razzing or giving each other a hard time doesn't necessarily mean we're cutting into people," Mussina said. "Did I ever hear anybody call him that? It's possible. But that doesn't mean it's meant in a harsh way. We're stuck together for six months and we're trying to have fun with each other and get people motivated. I don't look at that as something that's nasty. Yeah, maybe it was wrong, but it's what guys do."

Mussina said any such comments by Bowa were not meant to be hurtful.

"If Borzy would have said something like that, it was a way of making sure that Alex was ready to go," Mussina said. "I'm completely honest in the fact that Alex's best friend on the club was Borzy."

Within every close group of friends there are jokes and insults that fly around. They usually are harmless, that's what Mussina is talking about. With that said, I would have liked to know what he has to say about the Rivera quote.

Mussina, Cone Provide Biting Commentary in Torre's Book

I'm wondering how you guys feel about this bit of info.

Besides Torre and bullpen catcher Mike Borzello other Yankees added their commentary to the upcoming book The Yankees Years, including Mike Mussina and David Cone. Here's some info from Ronald Blum:

Pitcher Mike Mussina and bullpen catcher Mike Borzello also provide many biting commentaries.

Torre, Borzello, Mussina and David Cone provide insights in the book as to what went wrong, on how the replacements for Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius were all flawed in some aspect.

I've very interested to see what the two pitchers had to say, aren't you?

UPDATE: Today on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio, Kay was talking to Ian O'Connor discussing the Torre book. This is a quote from Kay: "... there's a really, really, harsh, harsh quote that Mariano Rivera is not what he used to be, hasn't been the same since he blew the save in game seven against the Diamond Backs... and it's a quote from Mike Mussina."

If the guy Kay spoke to was telling the truth, that's a surprising quote.

I know many of you are very angry at Torre, so to those fans, and any one else who feels like answering, how do you feel about these comments?

It's Official Now: Moose Retires

Here is the official press release from the Yankees:

Five-time All-Star Mike Mussina today announced his retirement from baseball. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Mussina becomes the first pitcher to retire immediately following a 20-win season since Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax exited the game following his 27-9 campaign in 1966.

Mussina, 39, was a member of the Yankees pitching staff from 2001-08, compiling a record of 123-72 with a 3.88 ERA. Since signing with the Yankees as a free agent prior to the 2001 season, no other American League pitcher recorded more wins than Mussina. He struck out 1,278 batters in pinstripes, ranking sixth on the club's all-time list. His 72 wins at Yankee Stadium were the third-most since 1976 when the facility was remodeled, behind Ron Guidry (99) and Andy Pettitte (95).

With a 123-72 record, he finished 51 games over .500 with the Yankees while going 66 games over .500 with Baltimore (147-81). According to Elias, he joins Randy Johnson as the only pitchers since 1900 to own a career record of at least 50 games over .500 with two different teams (Johnson was 130-74 with Seattle, 56 games over, and 118-62 with Arizona, 56 games over).

Mussina reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in his career in 2008, going 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA in 34 starts for the Yankees. At age 39, he became the oldest pitcher in Baseball history to record 20 wins in a season for the first time in his career, passing Jamie Moyer (20 wins in 2001 at age 38). He also became the Yankees' first 20-game winner with an ERA lower than 3.40 since Ron Guidry went 22-6 with a 3.27 ERA in 1985.

In addition, Mussina earned his seventh career Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2008 (also 1996-99, 2001 and 2003).

Mussina pitched 18 years in the Majors from 1991-2008, making 536 combined starts (537 appearances) with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles and posting a 270-153 record with a 3.68 ERA and 2,813 strikeouts. Only three pitchers recorded more wins than Mussina during his time in the Major Leagues. He reached 15 wins in a season 11 times, including a career-high 20 victories in 2008, and placed in the top five in Cy Young Award voting six times in his career.

Pitching his entire career in the American League East Division, Mussina finished tied with Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes for 32nd place on Baseball's all-time wins list after surpassing Jack Morris (254), Jim McCormick (265), Gus Weyhing (265), as well as Hall of Famers Bob Gibson (251), Carl Hubbell (253), Red Faber (254), Ted Lyons (260), Bob Feller (266), Eppa Rixey (266) and Jim Palmer (268) in the 2008 season.

Mussina's .638 career winning percentage is sixth-best all-time among Major Leaguers with at least 500 career starts and ranked second among active pitchers (Randy Johnson-.648), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. His 2,813 strikeouts rank 19th on Baseball's all-time list.

A native of Montoursville, Pa., Mussina retired as one of just 18 pitchers in Major League history to own a career record of at least 115 games over .500 (270-153). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, twelve of those pitchers are currently in the Hall of Fame, five are not eligible yet (Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez and Mussina) and one only pitched in nine seasons (Bob Caruthers).

He is the only American League pitcher to record 17 consecutive seasons of 10-or-more wins (1992-2008) and only Walter Johnson (18) has more total seasons of double-digits wins than Mussina all-time among AL hurlers. According to Elias, only five other Major League pitchers have compiled a stretch of 17 straight seasons with at least 10 wins - Greg Maddux (20 yrs., 1988-2007), Cy Young (19, 1891-1909), Steve Carlton (18, 1967-84), Don Sutton (17, 1966-82) and Warren Spahn (17, 1947-63). Also according to Elias, Mussina is the only pitcher in AL history to make at least 24 starts in 17 consecutive seasons (1992-2008).

A master of control, Mussina walked only 785 batters in 3,562.2 career innings, averaging 1.98 walks/9.0IP. According to Elias, he is one of just three pitchers in AL history to toss at least 3,000.0 innings while holding opponents to fewer than 2.0 walks/9.0IP, joining Jack Quinn (1.96) and Cy Young (1.11).

Though he never won a World Series title, Mussina pitched in 23 playoff games (21 starts), going 7-8 with a 3.42 ERA. He twice appeared in the Fall Classic-both with the Yankees-in 2001 vs. Arizona and 2003 vs. Florida.

Originally drafted by Baltimore in the first round (20th overall) of the 1990 First-Year Player Draft, Mussina ranks second all-time among Orioles' pitchers in strikeouts (1,535) and winning percentage (.645, 147-81), third in wins (147), fifth in games started (288) and sixth in innings pitched (2,009.2). His 218 strikeouts in 1997 established a new club record that was later broken by Erik Bedard in 2007 (221).

UPDATE 4:35 p.m.: Here's a statement from Derek Jeter (via Peter Abraham):

“It was a great pleasure playing against – and even more so with – Mike Mussina since I entered the league in 1995. He was a true professional both on and off the field. Moose’s accomplishments in the game over the last 18 years represent a Hall of Fame player.”

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!

Rosenthal: Mussina Will Retire

From Ken Rosenthal:

Yankees right-hander Mike Mussina is retiring.

Mussina will make his decision official later this week, major-league sources say.

The Yankees, who are aggressively pursuing free-agent starting pitchers, were not expecting Mussina to return.

Mussina, who turns 40 on Dec. 8, is coming off the first 20-win season of his 18-year career. He is selling his home in Bedford, N.Y., according to one source, and planning to spend more time with his family in Montoursville, Pa.

Mussina held off his announcement until the completion of baseball's award cycle. He recently won his seventh Gold Glove, tied for sixth in the American League Cy Young award voting and even received one eighth-place vote for Most Valuable Player.

Well that's that. Mussina was a great Yankee, it's just a shame he never won a World Series here. He finished his career with a record of 270-153 (.638 Winning %) and a 3.68 ERA.

So is Mike Mussina a Hall of Famer? I think he is a borderline HOF'er, especially when you consider he pitched during the steroid era and in the AL East.

Mussina to Decide Early Next Week

From Mark Feinsand:

Free agents can start receiving offers from teams at midnight Thursday. Mike Mussina is one of those free agents, but the veteran pitcher still hasn't made up his mind about retirement.

Mussina, who won 20 games this year for the first time in his career, told the Daily News Wednesday that he plans to make his decision early next week.

"I'm still kind of up in the air," Mussina said Wednesday from his home in Montoursville, Penn. "I'm enjoying my time off, but then again, I always enjoy my time off."

It was mentioned again in the article that if Mussina returned it would likely be for three seasons so that he can make a run at 300 wins.

So what do you think, does he stay or does he go? Final answer.

Girardi: Moose Wants To Retire

This bit of news comes out of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation Gala that was held in Manhattan tonight.

From Peter Abraham:

Joe Girardi revealed for the first time that Mike Mussina told him after the season that he planned to retire. He has not heard from Moose since.

Earlier in the week Buster Olney said,

Some of Mike Mussina's friends believe that the longer it takes him to make a decision on whether to come back, the more likely it is that he will pitch in 2009.

So I guess we'll just see what happens.

Abraham also mentioned that Andy Pettitte said that he would sign for just one year, and only wants to play for the Yankees. So those reports about him wanting a two-year deal and possibly signing with Texas were false.

Mussina Wins Gold Glove

According to Kat O'Brien, Mike Mussina has won the Gold Glove award for AL pitchers. This is the seventh time that he's won the award. Congrats Moose!!!

Here are the rest of the AL Winners:

C, Joe Mauer, MIN
1B, Carlos Pena, TB
2B, Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B, Adrian Beltre, SEA
SS, Michael Young, TEX
OF, Torii Hunter, LAA
OF, Grady Sizemore, CLE
OF, Ichiro Suzuki, SEA

Moose to Meet With Agent at End of the Week

From George A. King III:

Arn Tellem will travel to Montoursville, Pa., shortly to find out what Mike Mussina's future holds.

"I am going to see him at the end of the week," Mussina's agent said yesterday.

A decision should come shortly after that. I can't wait till all this speculation can end and decisions/moves can finally begin to be made.

Hopefully the weather will allow the Phillies to end this World Series tonight so we can move onto the off-season and hot stove period. Its not like anyone is watching or cares anyway.

Davidoff: I'd Be Shocked If Moose Doesn't Retire

From Ken Davidoff:

At this point, it would be a shocker if Mike Mussina did not retire. For years, Mussina has been determined to end his career on his terms, rather than being told he's not wanted any longer. To walk away after his first career 20-win season, when he could actually get offers from all over the place...the only way it could've ended better for Mussina would've been a Yankees World Series victory to go along with his personal success.

You can expect a Yankee Stadium farewell news conference shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. I'll leave myself one percent room for error. But no one who knows Mussina well thinks he'll pitch again.

I guess Davidoff doesn't think Mike's brother Mark knows him very well, because he thinks Mussina could return.

I think he was mentally prepared to retire, but after doing so well, and knowing how close the Hall of Fame is (some people think he’s in already, but who knows) I think it’s going to be hard to walk away.

So does Buster Olney, George A. King III, and Jon Heyman.

But I guess all the speculation is meaningless. Nobody knows what Mussina is going to do except Mike Mussina.

Pettitte and Moose Likely To Return?

From Buster Olney (membership required):

A longtime friend of Andy Pettitte reiterated that the left-hander intends to pitch in 2009 -- and there is a growing sense Mike Mussina may return for another season, as well, although Mussina has not indicated a final decision, one way or another.

(hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors)

If this was the NY Post I wouldn't make much of it, but Olney tends to know his stuff.

I hope they both come back. The Yankees need as much starting pitching as they can get, and as they say, you can never have too much starting pitching.

I wouldn't mind going into the season with a rotation of CC, Wang, Moose, Joba, and Pettitte. Would you?

King: Moose May Not Quit

According to George A. King III a "Yankee official" told him they wouldn't be surprised "if (Mussina) filed for free agency following the World Series to keep his options open. That way if he doesn't attract interest from teams fitting his desire - accessible from his Montoursville, Pa., home and with a team that has a chance to win - Mussina can retire."

King also says earlier in the article that Yankee staff members have heard Mussina say he was going to retire. Take it for what it's worth folks.

I remember hearing that Mussina would only want to return to the Yankees or retire, but that could have changed I guess. There would surly be other teams interested in his services, especially after the year he just had. There are a bunch of teams close enough to Montoursville to fit Mussina's needs. And I'm sure a few of them would like to sign Moose but I still think if he comes back it will be in Yankee Pinstripes.

Moose Still Unsure About '09

From Mark Feinsand:

Most baseball insiders believe that Mike Mussina is ready to take his 270 wins and ride off into the sunset.

Of course, the only opinion that matters is Mussina's, and the pitcher hasn't spent much time thinking about his future since the Yankees' season ended nine days ago.

Reached Monday at his home in Montoursville, Pa., Mussina told the Daily News that he is still undecided when it comes to playing next season.

"Not yet," Mussina said when asked if he was close to a verdict. "I'm just enjoying being home right now."

"I haven't really put a timetable on it," Mussina said of his decision. "The playoffs are still going on and it still seems like the season just ended. I'm not rushing after it, but I know sooner or later I'm going to have to figure out what I want to do."

After beating the Red Sox on Sept. 28 for No. 20, Mussina said he was "completely satisfied" with his career if this were the end, though he left the door open for a return and a run at 300 wins.

"As of right now, it's my last game in my last year, so I don't know what the future holds," Mussina said at Fenway Park that night. "It could be my last year or it may not be my last year, but when you get to your 18th season, it could always be your last year."

I'm still going to remain optimistic about Mussina coming back. I think that once December and January roll around he's going to start to get that itch to play again - his brother feels the same way.

If not the Yankees are going to miss him. Even if they sign CC that would leave them with just three set starters; CC, Wang, and Joba. So then they'd have to hope Pettitte comes back - which he probably will, and then they'd still have to go out and sign another pitcher, probably someone like Derek Lowe or Oliver Perez. I'm not a fan of Lowe or Perez, I'd much rather bring back Moose. .

Moose and Abreu Looking for Three-Year Deals

We kind of knew this already since they both hinted at it over the last few weeks of the season, but anyway, here it goes...

First, from the Rocky Mountain News:

Right-hander Mike Mussina, 39, indicated that if he returns to the Yankees, he would like a three-year deal. Mussina, whose 18-year career has been spent with the Orioles and Yankees, also is hinting that if he doesn't return to the Yankees, he could retire because he doesn't want to become a vagabond.

And now for Bobby Abreu from the NY Daily News:

Abreu has said several times that he would like to remain with the Yankees, having enjoyed his 2-1/2-year stint in pinstripes. But the 34-year-old also is seeking at least a three year-contract, leading most baseball insiders to believe the outfielder will wind up in a new uniform this winter.

I don't think the Yankees should give Abreu three years, and with Nady, Damon, and Matsui on the team it probably doesn't make much sense to bring him back at all. I love what he brings to the table offensively, but he's becoming a liability on defense, and should only get worse over the next three years. If the Yanks decide to offer him arbitration and bring him back for a year, fine, but three? No thanks.

On the other hand, I would probably give Mussina if that's the only way they can get him back. I know it's risky, especially with a 40 year old pitcher, but he showed this year he can make the adjustments needed to still be a very effective pitcher. He didn't go 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA by accident. Also in the short-term it makes much more sense for the Yankees to sign Mussina than Abreu. They need starting pitching in '09, and Mussina was the best they had this year.

So there's what I would do; keep Moose (even for three years - hey, at least we'll probably get to see him win no. 300), and I'd let Abreu walk. What would you do?

Mark Mussina Doesn't Think Mike Will Retire

Mark Mussina is Mike Mussina's brother. He writes a blog for 1570 AM in Baltimore. Earlier this week he posted this (via Jim Baumbach's blog):

Before I get to playoff match-ups, I want to say thank you for all the kind words regarding Mike’s season, and that I really don’t know what he is going to do next year. I think he was mentally prepared to retire, but after doing so well, and knowing how close the Hall of Fame is (some people think he’s in already, but who knows) I think it’s going to be hard to walk away. At this point, that’s all I will say about Mike. I don’t want to rile up the haters. They’ve had a tough year as it is. So, on to the playoffs.

Mark probably knows his brother as well as anyone, so this might be very good news for the Yankees. Since CC is probably not coming to New York, it's very important that they get Mussina back. Especially if he can have a year close to what he did in '08.

Moose, Please Don't Retire

From Ed Price:

It has been 105 years since a pitcher won 19 or more games and voluntarily retired healthy.

Mike Mussina seems to be considering it.

Mussina on Sunday will attempt to become a 20-game winner for the first time in his career, starting for the Yankees in the first game of a season-ending, day-night doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox.

"It's a significant number," he said, "but after playing this long and winning all these games, if I don't win (today), then has it been bad, has it been lousy, has it been unsuccessful? No.

"It'd be a lot of fun to win it."

Mussina, who turns 40 on Dec. 8, must then decide if he wants to keep playing, and he sounds torn. Earlier this year, he told at least one confidante that this would be his final season.

He said yesterday the Yankees are his first choice, but his decision will rest on his family's concerns and whether he feels he can play three more seasons.

"If I'm in for one, I'm in for three," Mussina said.

His reasoning: He could retire with 269 or 270 career wins. But if he gets significantly closer to the 300-win milestone, it would be difficult to stop without pursuing that.

But Mussina also likes his quiet life in Montoursville, Pa., with his wife and three children.

"They're probably leaning toward me going home," he said. "My wife would have liked me to retire about five years ago. But ultimately, it's still up to me.

Mike Mussina, I know earlier in the year I doubted you, I thought you had nothing left. Well, I was wrong - dead wrong. You've proven that not only do you have something left, but that you can still be one of the better pitchers in the sport.

I know it's not about one year for you, but the Yankees are really going to need you next season. Without you, the Yankees may be screwed. So please come back. Hey, it may mean a trip to Cooperstown for you, that's worth something isn't it? And what about pitching in that brand new stadium? That's has to mean something, doesn't it?

And to the Yankees, is Mussina really not worth a two or three year deal? Like I just said, he's proven that he can still be one of the better pitchers in the league. Just lock him up. How about a two year deal with a player option for the third year? That should work. Money isn't an issue, and as we all know you can never have too much pitching.

Also I know there are some who don't want to bring him back. But I must ask those fans, why? Do you feel that this year was a fluke for Mussina? If so, please tell me why. How is anything he did this year not going to carry over into next season, or the season after that?

Moose Named Pepsi Clutch Performer for July

From MLB.com:

Considering all the pitching injuries that have befallen the Yankees, finding someone to step up and carry the team has been critical. Yet the Yankees have not needed to look far.

There, sitting on their own staff all this time, has been the ace they've needed. And Mike Mussina's performances have been so significant to the Yankees that MLB.com readers just voted him the Pepsi Clutch Performer for July.

Mussina beat out a ballot that included Carlos Delgado of the Mets, Troy Glaus of the Cardinals, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, CC Sabathia of the Indians and Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays. His 2.61 ERA in July was a large reason for his victory, as were his three wins. But more than anything, Mussina's ability to carry this staff has been paramount -- especially considering that the Yankees did not expect him to provide nearly this much production.

In July Mussina was 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA and a WHIP of 1.23, and in 31 IP he allowed 36 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, and struck out 27.

Congrats Mike!

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!

Hank Discusses Mussina's Turnaround

From Anthony Rieber:

HOUSTON - On April 20, Hank Steinbrenner was quoted as saying Mike Mussina "just needs to learn how to pitch like Jamie Moyer."

At the time, Mussina had just been beaten up by the Red Sox and was 1-3 with a 5.75 ERA. Since then, he's gone 9-1 and has put himself in contention for the American League All-Star team for the July 15 game at Yankee Stadium.

So, Hank, what do you think of Mussina's turnaround? Do we score one for the Baby Boss' motivational skills?

"I'm not going to take credit for that," Steinbrenner said in a telephone interview Sunday morning. "He's smart enough to figure that stuff out himself. He's been playing baseball a long time."

Not only does Steinbrenner not want the credit - is he really George Steinbrenner's son? - he also admonished himself for talking about Mussina in the first place.

"I don't think it was necessary for me to say anything, truthfully, at that point," he said. "He was going to figure it out himself. He's the ultimate pro veteran and a very smart guy. He made the changes he thought he had to make. He's still him, though. It's still his pitches. He's throwing them differently, different speeds. He's approaching it different, but he figured out what he had to do and he did it. He's done it."

I wonder what Hank would be saying if Mussina's ERA was still over 5. Oh well that's not important now.

Hank is right, though, Moose has made changes since his early struggles and it's helped him greatly, I'm just happy Hank isn't taking credit for it. But I wouldn't be surprised if deep down he does believe he deserves some credit for this, after all he is a Steinbrenner.

In the same article Hank also had a few things to say about Joba, and his move into the rotation:

"This is just the start for Joba and already on the third start, he was pitching extremely well," Steinbrenner said. "And it's only going to get better for him. He's obviously contributing right now, big time. It's still a process and I'm just really, really happy and so is Brian about how great he's doing, even by the third start.

"I talked to Doc Gooden and he was thinking maybe by the fourth start, the fifth start, we'll really start seeing something. [Chamberlain] is the real thing, there's no question, and he'll continue to improve. He's 22."