The Moose heads out to pasture

Mike Mussina announced his retirement from baseball today.

Naturally, the hall of fame debate for Mussina began minutes after he announced his retirement.

I thought I would begin by apologizing to Mussina. As a kid growing up in Maryland, Mussina was the best pitcher I got to see on TV on a regular basis. He was fantastic for the O's and unfortunately one night I learned an unspoken baseball rule: Never talk about a perfect game. Never. Never.
It was the 8th inning, Moose hasn't allowed a base runner against the Indians. I decide to inform all my friends at the bowling alley that Mussina was working on a perfect game. Naturally, as everyone gathered around the TV Sandy Alomar Jr singled off Mussina breaking up the perfect game.

Now does Moose deserve a plaque in Cooperstown? Absolutely. He won 270 games. In 15 years 250 is going to be the milestone for pitchers. His career record was 270-153. 117 games over 500. Between 1991 and today the best pitchers of the generation were Randy, Clemens, Glavine, Smoltz, Maddox, Schilling, Pedro and Mussina. That list represents the HOF pitchers from the 90s (with some possible steroid exemptions) and Mussina belongs on that list.

I don't vote, but Mussina would get mine. (for the record so would Lee Smith, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, among others).