March 4, 2008...4:27 pm
Why all the hate for the Moose?
When Mike Mussina does well, he gets the mooooooose call from the adoring fans. When Mike Mussina does bad, everybody wants him off this team.
Yes, he didn’t have the type of year we as fans expect from Moose during the 2007 season. Nobody can make excuses for what happened last year. But 2008 is a brand new year. He’s lost weight, he’s in good shape (for a 39 year old pitcher), and he knows his situation. He knows if he blows it like last year he’s not going to be in the rotation. I don’t expect to see big numbers from him. He’s an innings eater this year. If he has an ERA at most in the high 4’s, with a decent SO to BB ratio, with a WHIP below 1, and can give 5-7 innings per game, I’d call it a good year. (Win-loss records don’t mean anything.) You don’t have to agree with me, but that’s what I’d like to see out of Moose.
But from 1 spring training game, his first start IN spring training this year, fans are already saying he’s “done.” You can’t call him done just because he didn’t do so hot in a spring training game. Isn’t the point of spring training for a pitcher is to find location, to get their arm strong, and to finesse the different pitches? That’s what Moose is doing. He’s still finding himself. So to all Yankee fans saying he’s done, relax. Spring training games are meaningless. Now, if he still pitches like he did against the Astro’s near the end of spring training and into the regular season, then I’d be worried. But for now, just relax and enjoy this season. It’s going to be a special one.
1 Comment
March 15, 2008 at 11:51 am
The bigger issue is that Spring Training has become so much more competitive than in the past. It’s supposed to be PRACTICE, but it’s turned into another whole season.
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