Mike Mussina’s numbers are worthy of him being inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame, but his departure from Baltimore to New York still makes the team’s decision a controversial one.
Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reported on Wednesday morning that the Orioles would induct Mussina and former second baseman Rich Dauer to their Hall of Fame in August.
The Moose was drafted by the Orioles and played ten years in Baltimore with a number of career highlights in their uniform. As Ghiroli points out, he won at least 15 games six times, including back-to-back 19-win seasons, he led the Orioles in wins in 1995 and started the final game at Memorial Stadium and Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,131st consecutive game.
But it’s the eight years that followed that Orioles fans hate.
In 2001 Mussina hit the free agent market and chose a $14 million per-season deal with the Yankees over a $9 million per-season offer from the Orioles.
Which ever side you take, Mussina’s or the franchise’s, inducting him as an Oriole great sends the wrong message to fans. It says that even though you didn’t win here in Baltimore and pitched the latter half of your career on a rival team, you are still deserving to go down as one of the great Orioles of all-time.
Despite the numbers and career highlights being supportive of this theory, I think eight years in New York is too much time for the Moose to be honored by Baltimore.
The problem is every pitcher since him has sucked. They are trying to manufacture fan excitement for a horrible team.
Who the hell else would we induct?
I do agree that we should not add him though.
Mike Mussina was a great pitcher, and he pitched for the Orioles longer than he pitched for the Yankees. I’d argue that, despite the publicity he got for pitching for a great team in the media center of the world, he was actually a better pitcher when he was younger, playing for the Orioles. So I don’t get what the big deal is. He is clearly honored to be included, and the fans should remember how good he was as an Oriole.
Mussina was a traitor. How can any true Oriole even consider playing for the Yankees?
His numbers as an Oriole were great, but I would not induct him into the Orioles’ HOF because (1) he left for the money, and (2) he went to the Yankees!
By the way, the Yankees suffered their own curse, which I call the “Curse of Mike Mussina,” as they did not win a World Series while he played for them.
“Mussina was a traitor. How can any true Oriole even consider playing for the Yankees?”
–>It’s a business. If you want to elect nice guys into it, maybe Corey Patterson should be in.
I get it the Yankees are hated in Baltimore and he played for them but looking back at it do you fault him for going too NY i do not. The O`s are a small market team stuck in the abyss.
You are nuts. Looked what he did here for the Birds. You have to put him in. As much as I hate the Yankmees and hate that Mussina left, he is our best pitcher in the last 20 years.
2nd best pitcher in team history, enough said!
The question you should be asking is why in the hell is Dauer being inducted? who’s next, Kiko Garcia, Tom Shopay, Tony Muser. If Dauer is in, there is no criteria. Next, Mark, Spy and Mystery man will be inducted in the BSR Hall of Fame. As WWE’s Ron Simmons would say…DAMN!
I graciously accept my nomination into the O’s baseball hall of fame,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I knew all my hard work would come back and pay dividends one day,,,,,,,,,,,I would like to thank Zach and the Intimidator and Chow and 9inchnail , there are too many to name here so I will just say thank you very much and it is great to be appreciated by my fans…………
Spy,
I’d nominate you to the BSR HOF. We may not always agree, but you always offer up an opinion and seem to be a loyal follower of the BSR.
I 2nd the nomination of SPY to the “BSR Hall of Fame”…
Spy has come a long way and has heeded the advice of MGW and The Intimidator through the months thus making him a 1st ballot Hall of Fame nominee.
Spy worked his way through the ranks starting at “Rookie Level BSR Commentor” up to “XXX Level”. Spy had to overcome numerous “Tummy Sticks” with Chow to achieve this supreme status.
Congratulations Spy
Thank you , thank you ,thank you…………
My distaste for Mussina started long before he went to New York. He was one of the most loathsome guys to ever wear the Orioles uniform. He had the personality of a wet sock, treated fans like dirt, and was just an all around cocky jerk. Ravens2488 can attest as we both had run ins with him.
That aside, his numbers are deserving of recognition, regardless of how much of a jerk he was.
Also, I find it interesting how some fans vilify him for heading off to NY yet constantly dog the owner for failing to open his wallet. Mussina’s leaving was among the many missteps this franchise has taken. He gave the club a discount the first time around, he should have been paid the second go around. He was the club’s last true Ace.
Agree with MGW… Mussina was an assclown… It was all about him and he didn’t care about the fans at all. Trust me on this, I know first hand one of the most ignorant things this clown ever did to teh Oriole fans.
I’m goina stir some shit up… Now I’m being serious on this… You know who is becoming a real assclown now? Flacco…
Tell us more…Besides screwin over the folks who expected to see him st the Polsr Bear Plunge…
It would send a worse message if he wasn’t in the Orioles HOF. It sucked that he went to the Yankees, but this is a HOF and should not be a popularity contest. If you are going to have Gregg Olson, Mike Bordick, and Chris Hoiles, you sure as hell have to have Moose in.
Sure it stung when he moved on, but the O’s wanted to move on. What really hurts is they haven’t won since he was on the team. If we had been a respectable team in the last decade or so, I don’t think this would be controversial at all.
“It says that even though you didn’t win here in Baltimore ..”
Huh? As paragraph three reveals, he won a ton of games for the O’s. If by “winning” you mean a championship, you can hardly lay that at his feet alone. Stop being so petty.
Sends the wrong message?
The reason Mike Mussina went to NY is because of the botched negotiations by King Peter.
The guy, while a surly jerk, pitched his ass off here for years. He was nails in the playoffs.
The Orioles lowballed him and it was just one of the myriad of things that have led to what this franchise has become.
The induction is in August. Nobody will be there anyway.
I love how some people forget that Mussina took heat from the players union for taking the three year deal in 1997. He was told by management they didn’t give five year deals to pitchers. So of course in ’98 they Scott Erickson a five year deal.
I have a question: Would some this way about Mussina if he had signed with the Red Sox or Indians, who were also interested in signing him? I hate the Yankees with a passion, but Mussina only went where he was wanted, so any blame for his departure falls at the feet of our owner. Hate him for the rest of your life, but for one night, respect what he did for this franchise because he did plenty in his time as an Oriole.
Mussina deserves to get in based on his accomplishments on the field. He’s the third winningiest pitcher in orange and black behind Palmer/McNally.
There are tons of stories about his dickish behavior to go around but the guy could pitch.
I still blame his departure on Angelos.
It’s the same old story, personality notwithstanding, fans glorified the guy when he was an Oriole and he was the guy that you hated the most when he turned his back on the home team. Moose was the last ace that the Orioles staff has seen. One thing, Orioles HoF worthy or not, I cannot blame Mussina for snubbing stalkers like MGW and Ravens2488. Hell, I am nothing more then a Friday night beer team ball player and I still find these guys camping out at my place looking to get next to me. Get a life and leave the athleticism to the pros. Have you seen these guys?
Yes, I have stalked Willo, aka “The Hammer”… Well known softball player in the MD/DC area. Unlike his counterpart “Hit-em-Deep” Forsyth who only played for Angle Inn Doghouse, “The Hammer” played for Crackerjacks, Bad Company, Cooks Tank Lines, High Street Bucs and Lil D’s Dipshits…
Wonder if he’ll wear a plain white Hanes Beefy T to the ceremonly a la BJ Surhoff? Surhoff, there’s another piece of work as it relates to “fan friendliness”…
While I love guys who stick it out through thick and thin, he left to win a championship before his career ended. And he happened to be paid way more for doing so. I can’t blame him. The O’s were a treading water team near the end of his tenure in Baltimore. The state of the league is such that a player staying in one location an entire career is nearly impossible. His best years were in Baltimore and we all looked forward to seeing him in the rotation so I’m glad he’s inducted.