SU must admit that I was very surprised that Mike Mussina made the Hall of Fame this week. What is up with that? He was a solid pitcher over a long career. Very smart guy from Stanford who was always prickly with the media – especially with Michael Kay. He won 20 games one time and for much of his career, pitched in Baltimore’s Camden Yards which yields a ton of home runs. Same with Yankee Stadium so you have to give him credit there.
SU would compare him to Don Sutton who had a long, consistent career and was always among the top 10-15 pitchers. I think now that Harold Baines has been admitted, we are going to see many others with very good but not top cut stats get in. Edgar Martinez was a great DH – killed the Yankees for many years. I don’t see him as being in this category either. Mariano, of course, is a no-brainer and it was good to see him on every ballot.
SU has received a few comments from subscribers via email and wanted to share this excerpt here. From long-time subscriber and major baseball fan, P. Bok:
- “You know my stance on Mussina and I think that he deserves it. Lots of wins and he won 20 in his last season. He was the quiet leader on those very successful Orioles teams and gave everything to the O’s and Yankees year in and year out. He could have hung around for 300 and he decided to not stick around (which I thought he should have continued to pitch as he was effective… and 300 is 300 (ask Glavine)). I guess he had enough money and was happy to move on. It is not his fault Jeffrey Meier brought his glove to the game nor was it his fault those Yankees teams did not win a World Series. I think he could have won a championship with the ball bouncing his way, but it didn’t… Martinez – my vote is a “no”. Great hitter, but in my opinion not great enough. I guess there was one clutch moment, but that is all I remember in a very long career. I think Ortiz deserves it when eligible – and I feel his situation is different, but call me hypocritical regarding a DH in Cooperstown. Martinez does not have a “This is our f***ing city moment”, and after Ortiz appeared done, he bounced back for two more solid years and led that team.”
I don’t know how many of you are following the tennis at the Australian Open – it’s hard to watch matches that start at 3:30 am. But in this tournament, some of the “Generation Next” players have broken through to make it to the later rounds only to be squashed by Nadal and Djokovic. It’s great for tennis that the 20-year olds are making some in-roads. It’s also interesting to see how Nadal and the Djoker have sustained their dominance and will be meeting in the finals on Sunday (at 3:30 am of course). Djokovic leads that match-up 27-25. When you consider that most of their match-ups come in semis and finals, it’s a terrific rivalry. I don’t think Nadal has a losing career mark against anyone else.
Thoughts on the Hall of Fame entries?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I bailed on Hall of Fame interest when Harold Baines made it. I remember Bob Costas once said about the Hall of Fame, “If you have to think a lot about whether a guy is a Hall of Fame player, then he shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame.” That may be a little extreme but I think there’s a lot to that.
This is a good standard…and it’s violated seemingly every year.
Harold Baines in the HOF is ridiculous! I think even Harold Baines deep down inside agrees and is probably a bit embarrassed. There should be much more scrutiny and oversight to the veterans committee and I do hope the process is reevaluated.
I was never a huge supporter of Mussina being elected. In my opinion, he was always a very good pitcher, an Ace on a mediocre team or a strong #2 on a contender. Not many would consider him an elite superstar. His typical year of 17-10 with a 3.66 ERA is very good but not extraordinary.
On the other hand, he was one of the most consistent pitchers of his era compounded over 17 full time seasons. Staying healthy and very effective for that long is impressive. Throw in that this was the steroid age and he pitched in two very hitter friendly parks adds to his resume. A 640 winning percentage does not hurt either.
All in all, I have come to the conclusion that while not a slam dunk, he does deserve a place in Cooperstown.
As for Edgar Martinez. I am totally flummoxed as to his support. 2247 Hits and 309 HRs isn’t even close to HOF credentials. Add to that defense that was so bad they had to make him a DH. No championships like Big Papi. What’s going on?
A good player but nowhere close to HOF caliber!
Moose hwon 18 or more games 6 times. He averaged just under 200 innings per year over 18 years. He had 53 complete games….. a rarity now a days. He had only 1 losing season when playing for the mediocre Orioles. I guess if he had won 300 he would have been a lock.
He may not be a no brainer shoe in but he borders getting in to the Hall.