Mike Mussina Set to Retire

It appears that one of the game's best talents over the past 18 years is ready to hang up his cleats.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com, Mike Mussina is planning on announcing his retirement by the end of the week; citing that he wanted to wait until award season was over before he stole the spotlight.

This was expected by some, but comes as a surprise to others. Personally, I was in the latter category. Mussina is coming off arguably the best year of his career; his 20 wins the highlight of the season. 

After going 11-10 during 2007, most fans seemed to be calling for the head of Mike Mussina. After a decent start to the year, Mussina seemed to implode about midway through the summer. This led to his temporary losing of a spot in the rotation, as former Yankee skipper Joe Torre couldn't bare to watch Moose struggle any longer.

In 2008, Mussina stepped back into the Yankee rotation with something to prove. Followers of the game were quick to point out that he seemingly "reinvented" himself. Realizing that he could no longer blow batters away, Moose found success by hitting his spots and outsmarting the opposition.

After Yankee ace Chien-Ming Wang went down with an injury in mid-June, Mussina, voluntarily or not, found himself taking the spot of the team's number one starter.

Mussina answered the bell during what, apparently, was his last season in a baseball uniform.

He went on to have a great rest of the summer, posting a 20-9 record with a 3.37 ERA and 150 strikeouts to 31 walks.

A season for the ages.

In some ways, it is very appropriate that 2008 be Mussina's last season. Even though the Yankees failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the players strike in 1994, I see it as a fitting tribute to a wonderful career.

Which leads to the question: How will Moose's career be viewed?

Some have dubbed Mussina's time in the majors as a "career of almosts." He has almost won a World Series. He has almost won a Cy Young award. And he almost got to 300 career wins.

Does this mean he will almost be elected to the Hall Of Fame?

In my opinion, Mussina was never the best pitcher in the majors at any point during his career. But, he was always one of the best. He had several dominant seasons, both in terms of wins and strikeouts, and always held a somewhat intimidating presence on the mound.

When Moose came to the Yankees in 2001, he was just one of the boys. Lost in a rotation of names the likes of Clemens, Pettitte, and Hernandez, Mussina went on to earn 17 wins for the Yanks and strikeout 214.

Since that year, Moose has been a fixture in the Yankee rotation season after season. Through his occasional whining or controversial statement, one thing that no one could ever deny is that nine times out of 10, Mussina was a guy you could count on (Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS anyone?).

In reality, I don’t believe he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but I do believe the man will eventually get in. Though he may not have achieved what other, more talented pitchers of his time did, he certainly does boast quite a resume; including 270 career wins and nearly 3,000 strikeouts.

He was also a seven time Gold Glove winner and a five time All-Star.

Would he have eventually gotten to 300 wins if he had continued to play? I don’t know – probably.

But one thing is for sure: when the count is 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning at the new Yankee Stadium, and the crowd is on its feet, it will kill me to think that that ever famous call was left across the street with the ghosts of the old stadium.

So one more time for old time's sake:

“Mooooooosssssseeeee.”