Yesterday, when it became official that Mike Mussina was putting away his knuckle-curve for good,  I mentioned to Kerel that I think he doesn’t make it into the Hall of Fame.  On WFAN today (listen to .mp3), Mussina said that if he had a vote, he would put himself into the Hall.

I heard Peter Gammons and Tim Kurkjian on ESPN say today that they would definitely vote for him.  This got me thinking and I started looking closely at his numbers and how it stacks up to Mussina’s contemporaries and the all-time greats.

Buster Olney did a great job of providing some statistical highlights but, for me, the one that stood out in his .638 winning percentage after 18 years in the big leagues.  Think about that:  18 years, in the steroids era, in the American League East (the toughest division in the DH league), 10 of those years at the Camden Yards bandbox, and ending with the sixth best winning percentage in baseball history.

His career ERA of 3.68, in this hitter’s era, is a startling statistic.

I am starting to think that when you package everything together, the voters will overlook the fact that he never won a ring, only won 20 games once, never won the Cy Young and (arguably) struggled in the playoffs.

Beyond the Cooperstown discussion, I think baseball fans should stop and pay tribute to a real gentleman. As a Yankee fan, I am admittedly biased but I have some of the fondest memories of Moose going to the mound in a big game.  Most people will remember the 2001 game in Oakland (the Jeter flip game) when Mussina pitched a gem.    Others will look at the almost-perfect game up in Boston on that magical night.  Or, the Aaron Boone game when Mussina came out of the pen with the Yanks down 0-4, first and third with no outs, and holding the game in check for three innings.

Me?  I’ll remember and celebrate Mussina as an off-the-field role model.  Quiet, honest almost to the point of appearing whiny, he was an athlete you could tell your kids to emulate.  Smart, always with a thoughtful answer to a question, he was very much liked by the media.

And that, my friends, is why Mussina gets into the Hall of Fame.  Baseball writers reward “good guys” when it’s voting time.

Mike Mussina is a good guy who was an asset to the game of baseball.  Godspeed Moose.

* Photo credit: New York Times.

According to published reports, Mike Mussina has decided not to come back to the New York Yankees and is set to retire. In 18 seasons Mussina has a total of 270 wins, 3.68 ERA and 2,813 Ks.

So the question I ask, is Mike Mussina a Hall of Famer?

My Answer: No and here is why:

• The magic number for any pitcher to get into the Hall of Fame is 300 wins. Mussina is 30 short of that mark.
• In 18 seasons Mussina has only one 20 win season. While I feel he is a steady, solid starter, if you really are a dominate pitcher and one of the best of your era I would think you would have more then one 20 win season.
• His Career Post Season stats are not that good. 23 Starts, 7-8, 3.42 ERA and has given up 18 HRs and 33 BB.

Forget Santa, this year I am writing my Christmas wish list to the General Manager of the New York Mets Omar Minaya. Omar if your listening, all I want for Christmas is Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe and Brian Fuentes. For the past four years as the Mets GM Omar, you have always seem to come through and put a present under my tree.

Whether its been Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner or Johan Santana you have always given me reason for hope in the new year. But this year I am not only asking for a present under the tree, I need a ribbon on top of the present and a little stocking stuffer as well.

For the last two years, Mets fans have watched the offense disappear in September. Solution - Manny Ramirez. I know there is the baggage that comes along with Manny but after being put through complete agony the last two years, I don’t care. Go to Manny with a 4 year, $18 million per year deal, put him in left field and let Manny be Manny.

With Pedro gone and Oliver Perez up in the air, the Mets are in desperate need of a starting pitcher that eats up innings. Forget about CC Sabathia (let the Yankees overpay) and AJ Burnett. Go get me Derek Lowe. Lowe is a good steady winning pitcher who will eat up 200+ IP.

The Mets are also in need of a closer. The obvious choice would be Francisco Rodriguez. With all due respect for to the 62 saves he had last year, I don’t want him. I can’t shake the image of him blowing playoff games to the RedSox’s the last two seasons. We need a stop gap, steady type of closer until we figure out what to do long term. I’d spend my money on Brian Fuentes. A professional closer who can come in without a lot of media stir and do the job.

What say you Mets fans? Am I asking for too much?

There are a number of interesting and notable free agents on the market this winter and GM’s across the league have some pretty tough decisions to make. My Thoughts on who I would and wouldn’t sign if I was a GM.

Aaron Boone, 1B - Pass

Boone hasn’t done anything since hitting the homerun to get the Yankees into the World Series.

Adam Dunn, RF - Pass

Something about Dunn that just tells me he’s not a “winning” player. He can hit but I don’t know if he’s good for team chemistry.

AJ Burnett, P - Sign

I would not depend on Burnett to be my ace, but he is definately a serviceable #2 or #3 starter. 

Andy Pettitte, P - Sign

If he plays next year, it will be for the New York Yankees and they need him.

Bobby Abreu, OF - Pass

Abreu is not a “winning” player. The Phillies didn’t start winning until they traded him and the Yankees haven’t done anything since he’s been there.

Brian Fuentes, P - Sign

Serviceable Closer.

Carl Pavano, P - Pass

The Yankees got burned on this one. If any GM signs this guy to big money they should loose their job.

Casey Blake, 3B - Sign

Versitile player, can play a couple different positions.

CC Sabathia, P - Sign

Single handedly took the Brewers to the playoffs. #1 free agent pitcher on the market.

Chad Cordero, P - Sign

I’m sure he still wants to be a closer but I would sign him as my set up man.

David Eckstein, SS - Sign

Doesn’t have the best physical tools but he hustles and is a “winning” player.

Edgar Renteria, SS - Pass

Overrated and always injured.

Francisco Rodriguez, P - Sign

I would sign him because the pressure would be too great to pass on someone coming off a record year but K-Rod scares me. For all the saves he had this year I can’t get out of my head that the one time the Angels had a “must win” game last year, K-Rod blew the playoff game against the RedSox’s which turned that series upside down.

Garret Anderson, OF - Sign

I like Anderson. He can do a lot of different things.

Ivan Rodriguez, C - Pass

Best days are behind him.

Jamie Moyer, P - Sign

He probably won’t duplicate his 16 wins from last year but it doesn’t hurt to have a veteran who understands how to pitch on your staff. If you can plug him in as you 4th starter, why not?

Jason Giambi, 1B/DH - Pass

Best days are behind him. Average DH at best.

Jason Varitek, C - Sign

I’d sign Varitek as a back up catcher. He can’t hit anymore but he can still call a good game.

Jim Edmonds, OF - Pass

20 Homeruns last year but he won’t do that again.

Joe Crede, 3B - Pass

Stop gap player if healthy. Prefer to bring in someone long term.

John Garland, P - Sign

Steady pitcher. Solid #3 or #4.

John Smoltz, P - Sign

Smoltz probably won’t be back from injury until sometime around the all-star break. If you can sign him for cheap he might be that pitcher at the break that everyone wants to trade for. Could proove to give a team in the race a boost.

Kenny Roger, P - Pass

Not a big game pitcher.

Kerry Wood, P - Pass

I know he had some success as a closer but too many injuries.

Manny Ramirez, OF - Sign

Yes he comes with some baggage but Manny is Mr. Clutch

Mark Prior, P - Pass

Too many injuries.

Mark Teixeira, 1B - Sign

Best 1b Baseman on the market.

Mike Hampton, P - Pass

Thanks but no thanks. Has not done anything since his career year with the Mets 8 years ago.

Mike Mussina, P - Sign

I think he will stay with the Yankees. He has something left in the tank and will be effective over the next couple of years.

Milton Bradley, OF/DH - Sign

If he keeps his head screwed on straight, Milton Bradley is a very good player. I would not count on him to lead my team but if you can put him in a situation where the spotlight is not shining bright on him, he can be effective.

Moises Alou, OF - Pass

All Moises Alou does is hit..If he’s healthy and that’s a big big if. Too big of an if to take a chance on.

Oliver Perez, P - Pass

As a Mets fan, I’ve seen enough. I’m tired of waiting on Oliver Perez to show up. He has all the tools to be a very good pitcher but mentally I don’t know if he’s ever going to get there.

Orlando Cabrera, SS - Sign

Cabrera does a lot of little things. He’s in the category of a “winning” player.

Orlando Hudson, 2B - Sign

Excellet, Excellent player. You can plug Hudson in at 2B for the next 7 years.

Pat Burrell, OF - Pass

I don’t care what he did for the Phillies this year. I’ve seen enough of Pat Burrell to know he can be a pain in the you know what.

Pedro Martinez, P - Pass

What more can I say but it’s over.

Raul Ibanez, OF - Sign

Ibanez is not going to break any single season records but he is solid and steady.

Sean Casey, 1B - Pass

Just not enough there anymore. Could be a bench player but you could probably go elsewhere to fill that need.

What are your thoughts? Whether you agree with me or not, one thing is for sure, this off season will be fun!

Hey Folks. Welcome back. I took a few days off as like everyone else I’ve been glued to the TV watching election coverage. Among other things, it got me thinking about policy which actually gave me the idea for this post. I’m not talking about US policies, but baseball policies. While I have great love for the game of baseball if I where to be elected commissioner, there are a few things that I would definitely set out to change immediately.

1. DH Rule rule has got to go.

• With all due respect to the David Ortiz’s of the world, baseball was meant to be played with 9 players. Not 9 1/2.
• DH rule creates an unfair advantage for American League teams in the World Series and in inner-league play. The DH on an AL team is normally a key guy that bats somewhere in the 3-5 range in their lineup. At best on an NL team, the DH will be the 4th or 5th outfielder and does not provide the offense that an AL DH provides. NL teams don’t build for that.
• Is there any other sport out there that has a difference in a fundamental rule between two conferences? Football? Basketball? So why Baseball?
• When the game is played without a DH there is a lot more strategy involved. There is a game within the game and the managers actually have to manage.

2. Playoffs are too long.

• This year the playoffs took 27 days to complete 3 rounds. Far too long. I like the format the way it is, but we have to stop having so many days off between games and series.
• Baseball is a summer sport, we should not be playing games at the end of October.
• My Recommendation: No days off in between games in the first round. Two days off in between games in the Championship Series and World Series (after game 2 and game 5). One day off in between series and throw in the flexibility of moving series up if both teams have completed their previous series. This would mean the max the playoffs will take is 25 days IF all series went the max.

3. Managers Wearing Uniforms. I don’t understand why managers or coaching staffs wear uniforms.

• Think about it, is there any reason why Joe Torre needs to put the uniform on every day?
• MLB is the only major sport where the coaches actually wear uniforms. Basketball? Football? Hockey? Can you imagine Phil Jackson at his age walking out onto the court in warm-ups? Or Bill Bellecheck tightening the chin strap on his helmet?
• Recommendation: I’m not saying suits, but let’s get these guys out of uniforms and into something a bit more authoritative and sporty.

During the late 1990’s/Early 2000’s New York Mets fans had the pleasure of watching Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves break our hearts time and time again. It got so bad that Chipper Jones named his son “Shea” (after Shea Stadium) because he loved playing against the Mets in New York so much.

Fast forward to 2007 and 2008. In spring training 2007 Jimmy Rollins made the prediction that dispite all the talent the Mets had, the Philadelphia Phillies were the team to beat and they would be the ones that would win the NL East. Well, he backed up his prediction. Not only did the Phillies win the NL East, Jimmy Rollins went on to have the best season of his career, winning the National League MVP while the Mets choked and had one of the biggest season ending collapses in MLB history.

This season was no different. The Mets struggled down the stretch again, the Phillies went on to win the NL East for the second straight year on the last day of the season, rolled through the playoffs and won the World Series. It didn’t stop there. As most baseball fans know, during the parade to celebrate the Phillies victory, Rollins took time out to take another jab at the Mets. Rollins mentioned Johan Santana and stated “”It takes more than one player to bring home a championship.”

Personally, I wonder why Rollins is concerned about the Mets when he should be more focused on celebrating the fact that his team are World Series champions. Nevertheless, Rollins comments will definately add fuel to the fire for one of the most heated rivalries in baseball and in 2009 you can be sure that the chants of “Larry…Larry” will not compare to the roaring boos that Rollins will hear at CitiField in 2009.

A few Random Thoughts from this season:

1. Joe Torre is a Great Manager.

• All I heard last year from the New York Yankees is it time for Joe Torre to go. For 13 straight seasons Torre was a key piece of the Yankees making the playoffs every year. A year after Torre left New York for the LA Dodgers, he continued his streak and made the playoffs for the 14th year in a row while the Yankees missed the playoffs in their first season post Joe Torre. Granted Torre greatly benefit from the economical resources the Yankees have but at the same time there could be something said for a manager who continues to make the playoffs year after year.

2. AROD is the real curse.

• I’m beginning to think that Alex Rodriguez is a baseball curse. He may well go down as arguably the most talented baseball player ever, but one thing is certain up to this point in his career. Any team he plays for doesn’t win. For example, let’s look at his Yankee career. AROD has been a New York Yankee since 2004 and to be frank, the team has got worse every single year. ARODs first year as a Yankee saw the Boston RedSox come back from a 3-0 lead in the playoffs and completely reverse the curse and they have not looked back since while on the other hand the Yankees have not got past the first round of the playoffs.

3. The Tampa Bay Rays are here to stay.

• While their luck ran out in the World Series, I think it’s safe to say that the Tampa Bay Rays are not going away anytime soon. The Rays are one of the youngest teams in baseball and have one of the best pitching staffs in the game. Everyone in baseball kept expecting them to fade away at some point throughout the season and they never did. The Rays have served notice to the New York Yankees and the Boston Redsox that the NL East is not a two team race anymore.

4. Heart and Hustle > Talent

• As a New York Mets fan, this comment hurts but its the truth. Heart and Hustle Trump Talent any day of the week. I think if you stack the Philadephia Phillies vs the New York Mets roster, pound for pound the Mets have a much more talented roster but there are two reasons why the Phillies are baseball champions and the Mets choked for the second straight year: 1) Heart and 2) Hustle. Two qualities the Phillies are full of and the Mets have absolutely none. In 2009 the Mets need to focus more on being a team with a killer instinct and less about creating new handshakes and dances.

5. Fan Cost Index

• Dispite the country in an economic recession, the cost to go to a baseball game will continue to climb. According to Team Marketing Research, if some average guy out there wants to take his family of four to a game it would have cost him about $112 in 2008. And that is just for four tickets (upper deck) and parking. That’s not factoring in food, drinks and beer. Your looking at $200 easily to enjoy a saturday afternoon at the ball park with your family. While I go to my fair share of games every year I have to wonder if the prices will level off sooner or later. I mean things are going to get to a point where people are going to have to start decide, do I go to a few games this year or take my family on vacation, no?

Since the game got rained out tonight, here are some bloopers for your entertainment:
 

 VS

So here we are for the 2008 Baseball World Series, Phillies vs Rays. My post season predictions were totally wrong. I stink but I got a good feeling about this one. I am picking the Rays to win in 6 and here are five reasons why:

1. Home Field Advantage: Thanks to the All-Star Game, Tampa Bay has home field advantage and the Rays were an MLB best 57-24 at home during the regular season and 4-2 in the playoffs.
2. Rust Factor: The Phillies have been sitting at home for a week now with nothing to do. We saw what happened to the Colorado Rockies last year when they had a lot of time off. I think the Rays will jump out to an early 1 or 2 game lead and by the time the Phillies shake off the rust it will be too late.
3. Fearless: I think we have seen all season long that this young Tampa Bay team is not afraid of anything and time and time again they continue to fight back. They won the tough AL East, beat the battle tested Whitesox’s and Redsox’s in the playoffs. I don’t see why they can’t finish it off and beat the Phillies too.
4. Game Management: I think at some point in this series Charlie Manuel will either make a critical mistake or just flat out get out managed by Joe Maddon. This is always a concern of Phillies fans and at some point Manuel will cost them.
5. X-Factor: As he did in the ALCS, I think David Price will play an important role for the Rays. If there was one question mark going into the play-offs about this team it was late inning pitching. Price has shown he can come into a game and be that stopper the Rays so desperately need.

World Series MVP: B.J. Upton

There are plenty of great World Series moments. In no particular order, here are five that come to top of mind when I think about the World Series. Note: These are moments that I have actually seen (watched on TV) in my 32 years of existence.

Joe Carter:

“Touch em all Joe. You’ll Never hit a bigger homerun in your life!” — Tom Cheek 

Joe Carters game winning, series winning homerun in game 6 of the 1993 World Series. A moment that every kid dreams of growing up as a baseball fan. Joe Carter made his dream a reality in 1993.

Kirk Gibson:

“I don’t believe what I just saw” — Jack Buck
Kirk Gibson’s game winning homerun in game one of the 1988 World Series helped the LA Dodgers to one of the biggest upsets in World Series History. They went on the beat the mighty Oakland A’s four games to one.

Jesse Orosco: 

As a New York Mets fan, there aren’t too many more memorable moments that you can put ahead of the Mets winning the series in 1986 over the Boston Redsox’s. And for all Mets fans, the lasting memory is that final out when Jesse Orosco throws his glove high in the air!

Josh Beckett:

One of the best single game World Series pitching performances ever. 2003, game six and Josh Beckett goes out there and throws a complete game, five hit shutout in Yankee Stadium, helping the Florida Marlins win the championship.

Kirby Puckett:

“And we’ll see you tomorrow night!” — Jack Buck. 

Puckett’s 11th inning homerun helped the Minnesota Twins win the 1991 World Series over the Atlanta Braves in seven games.

What are some of your memorable moments?