Thinking About Mike Mussina

by jscape2000 on Feb 16, 2008 8:30 PM EST in News Comment 21 comments

This little tidbit caught my attention over at LoHud:

Meanwhile, Hughes has his locker moved. It was Mike Mussina's idea. He wanted Hughes on one side and Ian Kennedy on the other so he talk to the kids all spring.

Mussina gets a lot of bad press around here (most of it deserved). He's a prima dona; the "Mussina Meltdown" (when he can't pick up for a teammate's error), the whining about being bumped from the rotation, and his unwillingness to alter his routine all makes him an easy and visible target.

And I'm not saying it doesn't deserve that. But I've always liked him.

He came to New York to win, and he's pitched in his share of big game. I'll never forget the shutout performance that got overshadowed by Jeter's flip. His near perfect game in Fenway was a ton of fun, and his relief effort in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS was as clutch as any performance I've seen.

I like that he's inserting himself into the lives of the young guns. Roger got a lot of attention for the attention he paid to them, hopefully Moose will get a little goodwill too.

But this moves me on to my larger point:
I think Mike Mussina is going to have a good year. He went on the DL with a strained hammy last April, and just like Hughes, I don't think he really had his legs under him when he came back.

We saw vintage Mussina in '06. Nearly 200 innings of 1.11 baserunner per inning (WHIP). I'm not saying that guy will be back, but if he's halfway between those numbers and his merely average '05 he's going to be a huge asset. In '07 Mussina posted a WHIP of 1.47 and a 5.15 ERA, both career highs- his previous worst was 1.37 and 4.81 (which was actually better than average that year- '96). He's got the brains to pitch with reduced stuff, and with Joba and Hughes bringing heat to the rotation Mussina's bag of tricks will be more effective than when he was the 4th pitcher in the rotation throwing in the high 80s.

Here's my bold prediction for '08:
180IP, 150K, 1.25 WHIP.

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I notice Joba

isn't next to moose. Perhaps he is a little too unconventional for the old timer?

Eleven wins in October...

by Edwantsacracker on Feb 16, 2008 11:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well

There are only two sides for him to be on. I don't know where Joba's locker is.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Feb 17, 2008 10:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm just thnking

of my perception of moose. I can't see him mixing it up with the Joba the young kid with the pierced nipples.

I get the feeling that Hughes and IPK hang out alot but don't spend as much time with Joba

Eleven wins in October...

by Edwantsacracker on Feb 17, 2008 10:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if Moose will

grab those types of numbers, but he's always been a winner in my book. This shows what sort of character he truly has.

I also found his interview with the press on Thursday interesting. He made a somewhat oblique reference to how he'd played the game during this 'era' (read steroids), and how he hoped that would count for something. I've got to give him credit for that. He's never put up the outrageous numbers, but he's been a steady winner, and he's never cheated.

I always feel pressure. What I don't have is fear. -- El Duque

by LateInningRelief on Feb 16, 2008 11:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

He's never gotten caught at the very least

Eleven wins in October...

by Edwantsacracker on Feb 17, 2008 1:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If Moose has juiced,

he's done it badly. He's still the same spindly guy he's always been and he hasn't yet done much to prolong his career.

I always feel pressure. What I don't have is fear. -- El Duque

by LateInningRelief on Feb 17, 2008 10:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey anyone can be on steroids

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Landis

Eleven wins in October...

by Edwantsacracker on Feb 17, 2008 10:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Iron Mike

Iron Mike...
That's a good name for him. After all, he has pitched 17 years without being shut down for major problems.
His reaction to things are sometimes misunderstood by many of us. A pitcher (more so then position) gets so involved in his game that sometimes one forgets that their reaction to something has an adverse reaction with those watching.

by Old Ranger on Feb 17, 2008 10:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hope you're right here.

I had a similar thought, prompted by Peter A.'s remark on his LoHud blog.

Ig Moose is pretty good to fair it will help keep the pressure of the kids. 3 seasoned pro starters on a team counting on youg arms, I like it.

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

by Cbeck3 on Feb 17, 2008 1:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hope you're right

He gained a lot of my mistake by pitching out of the bullpen in the playoffs, doing it well, and saying he would do to help the team win. I'm sure he might have been pouty and whiny behind the scenes but he handled it with dignity.

I do root for Moose although when he glares at umps it makes me crazy.

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided." -Casey Stengel

by bxgrl1 on Feb 17, 2008 3:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I meant respect

not mistake.

I wonder what sort of Freudian slip THAT is. :)

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided." -Casey Stengel

by bxgrl1 on Feb 17, 2008 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Mussina is washed up

and often is throwing 85-86. Maybe he could be effective out of the bullpen for one inning but as a starter he'll get rocked.

by andyroth on Feb 17, 2008 3:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

By the way Mussina had 91K in 151 IP last year

and you expect him to jump to 180 and 150. Someone is going to look very foolish.

by andyroth on Feb 17, 2008 3:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Where the hell is pfisty?

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided." -Casey Stengel

by bxgrl1 on Feb 17, 2008 5:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Just ignore the douchebag and

he'll go away.

(Oh, forget it; nobody can do pfisty like pfisty...)

I always feel pressure. What I don't have is fear. -- El Duque

by LateInningRelief on Feb 17, 2008 7:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You channel him well.

That's what I was looking for. :)

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided." -Casey Stengel

by bxgrl1 on Feb 17, 2008 10:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pfisty would say ...

What I'm going to say about Mussina ... He's done. He was done last season. Moose had a good run in NY, but he's finished.

Jscape is great, but on this issue he's WAY WAY off. Moose won't strikeout more than 75 or 80, and I'd be surprised if he's not in the pen in the first part of the season.

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Feb 18, 2008 9:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you think we

need to send out a search party?

I always feel pressure. What I don't have is fear. -- El Duque

by LateInningRelief on Feb 18, 2008 9:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sad but true...

Even if the Yanks get jscape's lofty comeback predictions from Mussina, it's about 30 IP away from what they really need from him.

This staff is ill-conceived.

"You play the game to win the game, and not to worry about what's on the back of the baseball card at the end of the year." - Paul O'Neill

by yankee come lately on Feb 18, 2008 2:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I thought personal attacks

were supposed to be off limits here but I still see the word doucebag still being throw around when all I did was disagree with someone's predictions on Mussina's numbers.

by andyroth on Feb 18, 2008 7:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs