Friday, July 20, 2007

Why?

It is long overdue to ask ourselves objectively - why?

Why did the Yankees re-sign Mike Mussina?

As I have said it time and time again since last October - no way should he be brought back.

Once upon a time he was a good pitcher - that time has passed.

After tonight's gem, he is now 4 - 7 on the season with ERA at 5. Further, he put the Yanks in a position for another prolonged losing streak.

Regardless of who is catching, Mussina is done and his numbers prove it. Anyone who was willing to assess the situation at the conclusion of last season in an objective fashion knew it.

Mike Mussina is the Yankee momentum killer.

I can only hope that when Karstens and Hughes comes up, that they make room for two starters and look to make Mussina a long middle reliever. - wishful thinking that will never happen, but those in the know can only hope.

Moose has to go.

9 comments:

The Sports Protege said...

Mid-

You ask why the Yanks re-signed (this is how it's spelled, the other way means he quit—just a little English lesson for you New Yorkers) Mussina.

Well, now is a very convenient time to pose such a question—past the half-way point in the regular season and with The Moose struggling mightily at 4-6 with a ballooning 4.97 ERA. It's quite apparent at the ripe old age of 38, Mussina is washed up and his abilities are diminishing with each start.

But, place yourself in Brian Cashman's shoes before the season began and Mussina started to show signs of deterioration. In hindsight, it's fairly simple to determine re-signing Mussina was a colossal mistake, but based on his career numbers, the Yanks are justified in their decision to bring The Moose back to the Bronx.

Firstly, Mussina posted a 15-7 record last season, which, by all intents and purposes, is a respectable mark. Mussina’s 15-victory season was his 15th consecutive season with 10-plus wins. And the Yankees other starters under contract weren’t exactly masterful.

Andy Pettitte was fresh of a mediocre 14-13 season, Kei Igawa, a Japanese import, was an uncertain commodity, and the Yankees—the team with deepest pockets in MLB history—were forced to insert Carl Pavano into its starting rotation to begin the season.

Don’t you remember? The Rocket was still relaxing at the base, yet to make his epic launch, and Wang was New York’s only respectable starter. The Yanks were limited in their options. It wasn’t a deep free-agent market. Zito and Schmidt headlined the available pitchers, and they’ve both flopped in their new Bay Area homes. Plus, Mussina was already accustomed to the New-York lifestyle. In many ways, the Yankees’ hands were tied.

Also, if you’d done some basic research on the matter, you would know it behooved NY to re-sign Mussina. This is against the principles of modern finances, but the Yanks actually saved money. Huh, I thought they only squandered it on over-priced, underachieving players? Oh, and that guy A-Rod, or as he prefers it: Stray-Rod. That headline was sheer brilliance.

Anyway, by restructuring Mussina’s contract, the Yankees saved a pretty penny. He was slated to garner $17 million this season, as an option year in the $88 million deal he signed in 2000. The Yanks bought him out for a cool $1.5 million and re-signed him to a two-year $23 million contract, where he will make approximately $11 million this season. Not a terrible deal, right?

Instead of concerning yourself with Mussina and his misfortunes, you should shift your attention to a guy like Pettitte. Roger’s best buddy is pitching horribly, with only one win in July, a 5-6 record and 4.10 ERA. Similar to Mussina’s line, but the difference is he’s earning $16 million this year. Let me do the math. That’s $5 million more than Mussina for one more win and a slightly lower ERA. The verdict: not worthy.

I thought you were a Yanks fan. The best you could do is choose the right player to gripe about in your precious blog.

Anonymous said...

Wow...looks like Mid just got "owned".

I never thought i'd see the day.

Anonymous said...

Math on Pettitte Vs. Moose

4 rings to zero rings.

The premium is justified due to late season and post season effectiveness.

Getting it done in the real season is more valuable than an All-Star from Pre-Season to August.

Middle Relief said...

Sports Protege -

Or John Come Lately - same people.

resigned vs. re-signed - I believe Moose has quit - that is the real lesson.

It is not a matter of convenience that I bring up - yet again - the Mike Mussina factor. Realizing your newness to high level debate, I know that it would be too much to expect from most people that are the product from the state supported educational system in the Oregon territory, that you would actually put in the time or effort to review prior posts and gather context prior to stating your Community College level position.

10/10/06 - First time I mentioned not RE-SIGNING Moose (and accurately predicted the signing of AP BTW!). Mentioned again on 10/22/06. And mentioned about 2 dozen more times between then and now.

The facts back up the assertion that it was unwise to bring him back. Yes he posted 15-7. Which is about what he has always brought to a team, usually between 14 to 18 wins is typical. Most state schoolers can figure that out by looking at a stats pack on MLB or a baseball card.

However, where those that are pressed to use their brain vs. those that don't (like PSU) differ on the stats is WHEN those numbers are compiled. No less than 70% of his wins and quality starts happen prior to the end of July. Yankees are a September to October franchise, and if you can't get it done then, we don't want you on the team.

He blew the lead in '06 playoffs, nothing new for him, and that, combined with ineffective starts post August year in and year out is why I"m now going on my 10th month of griping about Moose.

Sports Protege - you and all are welcome to comment and opine on blogs - try brevity if at all possible. Try facts as well. And try not to lower yourself to unnecesary slams or sarcasm in an effort to show that you are cool, or are plugged in, or, given that its PSU, maybe getting plugged in - whatever it is, just stick to the topic and where it is right, wrong, or a different angle.

Further, anyone who reviews the posts on the TGSD, can recognize that most of the students that posted are lazy and are putting in superficial efforts merely to fulfill an assignment or lack the capacity of multi-level debate - with the exception of the post on the Dog Murdering piece of crap Mike Vick, there was no heart or substance to any of the columns.

Either way, it is a poor reflection on the Oregon territory, and a living example of wasted tax payer dollars. - SHOW UP TO PLAY!!! You owe it to those that work for a living as they are the ones that fund the sad institution you belong to.

Anonymous said...

...and Mid bites back. Nicely Done!!!

The Sports Protege said...

Mid-

First of all, which prestigious institution do you call your alma mater?

You like to question the intelligence level and admissions requirements at Portland State, a university you’ve probably never visited, and the educational system of Oregon territory. By the way, what is Oregon territory?

Welcome to the 20th Century, buddy. It’s called Oregon. You know one of fifty states we have in this country. Maybe if you extended your boundaries past the glitz and glamour of New York City for a moment and explored the rest of the United States you would know that. Sounds you’ve obtained a well-rounded education whichever school you attended for your schooling.

You are a firm believer that you are educated enough to evaluate others writing aptitude, but your posts are saturated with erroneous phrases and grammatical mistakes. Here’s a simple writing rule I learned in sixth grade: never end a sentence in a preposition. I’ve witnessed your complete disregard for that rule several times on the two occasions I have visited this elementary blog of yours.

I really wanted to resist the urge to make disparaging remarks about your cyber-personality or narcissistic undertones, because in the debating world that’s considered a logical fallacy—an ad hominem to be exact—but you’ve left me no choice.

Seriously, why are you so compelled to invade a class blog and criticize students you don’t have your breadth or expertise in sports? I’m not one of those students, but there are several in our class who are not on your level of sports knowledge.

Thus far, you’ve critiqued a non-native student’s post, completely dissecting each of his statements and posting negative comments about his misspelled words.

Does that make you feel better? Do you have any scruples or decorum? I realize in the world of blogging one’s primary objective is to bash the others into submission. But, as a fellow sports fan, maybe you should think twice about employing that mentality in our blog. Sure, I can handle it, but others cannot. I think the idea is great fun, writing back and forth about sports, and critiquing our fellow sports aficionados. Heretofore we haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy this luxury.

So, why don’t we consider this a truce? That is, under the conditions that you cease your constant berating of my classmates and university, and we debate only about sports. Sounds like a noble notion to me, but if you would rather continue the nonsense and sophomoric behavior, I’m game, too.

Anonymous said...

Clearly he missed the whole point about brevity.

As it relates to the non-native - Academic standards are just that. No * allowed.

Sporty Pro - do you not agree that your mates have just been phoning it in on their posts (not a sports thing, its an effort thing).

Anonymous said...

I happen to like his "narcissistic undertones".

old professor said...

Mid,
The possibility is the sports protege is the professor that runs the course at Portland State that will of course allow some of his students to land a job with a Single A team. Job description split time between being dressed as the team mascot and cleaning the locker room.

It does seem like you have hit a raw nerve out in Oregon.

Bottom line - Yanks saved money, thought they were getting more for their investment Mussina tanked. Don't be surprised to see him retire at the end of the year.

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