congrats, MOOSE!

it was pure pleasure watching you pitch this year.

One stupid argument eliminated. There are other reasons why he isn't a lock for the HOF, but that wasn't one of them.

This didn't happen. Mike Mussina is too soft to win 20 games.

Just 30 to go to the supposedly impossible milestone.

I think it's too late for a 50-win season...

Congratulations to Mr. Mussina; hope you keep going. After all, if Jamie Moyer can do it...

I was thinking about this the other day, and I have without question watched Mike Mussina pitch more than any other pitcher. I grew up in Virginia, born in 1980, always a huge fan, but probably my peak was between 1991-1997, where I had little to do at night besides watch baseball with my dad. We got the O's every day, the Cubs and Braves sometimes. Fall of 99 I went to college in Chicago, moved to New York summer of 04, where I've been for most of the time since, with tours to Chicago, New Hampshire, Dc.
I'd say i've seen Moose pitch probably one hundred times, probably watched greg maddux pitch 40, tim hudson 20-30. Sadly, probably seen Sidney Ponson and Scott Erickson enough times to make my top ten.
But the point it, congrats Moose, it's been a long time coming, and whenever I throw a few in some beach whiffleball game, I always throw in a couple of your "dip" checks to first base.

Mussina is remarkably similar to quite a few pitchers already in the Hall.
Not just the several "wtf" guys, who don't even count, I mean the guys who could belong and actually do.

Congrats Moose. Now there's one less excuse to not vote in a guy who deserves to be in the HOF based on merit rather than hype. Hopefully both he and Bert Blyleven will make it in.

(I am biased as an Orioles fan and Econ degree holder)

I'm giddy about this, as I've been a Moose fan from his Orioles days (and I'm a Yankee fan).

I truly hope that he decides to keep on pitching, and I say this not as a Yankee fan, but as a baseball fan - I think Moose's annus horribilis 2007 and early 2008 turned him into a completely different pitcher than what he used to be (plus, his skills have diminished). The irony is that in some ways, Moose is a better pitcher today than in his early salad days (or even his "prime"), and I would love to see a healthy Moose pitch a full season using his present pitching style (plus, there's not many players out there older than me - I'm 37 - and I have to hold on to those few out there whom I really like).

I'll wait to see the final Baseball Reference numbers, but unless I'm mistaken, Moose added 3 black ink points this season, and almost certainly will be in the top 10 in ERA+ (he was in the top 10 prior to his last start, and he pitched 6 scoreless innings).

I had this argument after the 2006 season, but I still think that Moose is an ace (really, 2 out of his last 3 seasons have been of ace/No. 1 quality).

Will Moose get into the HoF? I'm biased as to whether I think he should (I do), but I'd say that after 2008, he will eventually go in if he retired today (that would probably not have been the case after 2007). Another season like 2008, however, would push him easily into the HoF.

This Orioles fan, still bitter -- at Angelos, not Moose -- that he's not in an Os uniform, is definitely pulling for him to make the HOF.

Sadly, this probably pushes him from 'close, but no ciger' to 'wait about 11 or 12 years'...

I agree that this should have no bearing whatsoever on his Hall chances. I didn't think he was in yesterday, and I still don't today, but I understand the arguments if you're a big Hall person.

Now we just have to watch Mussina make it in after a 12 year wait, while Kevin Brown maybe stays on the ballot for 2 years.

Not to mention he could have easily won 20 in 1994 or 1995 without the stoppages.

As someone who knows a bit about the historical Hall of Fame standards, Mussina should be an easy Hall of Fame choice. He's quite comparable to Whitey Ford and Jim Palmer. Those two both benefited from crazy good defenses behind them (especially Palmer) which makes them look a little better to the naked eye - ERA+ overrates them a bit.

Unless historical standards are being chucked out the window (and I don't mean bottom tier mistake standards) Mussina should be an easy Hall of Famer.

I agree strongly with #10. Almost every pitcher has a period when he gets older where he has to figure out how to pitch with lesser 'stuff'. Most fade out of the league at this point (see Cone, David). But some have a bad year or two while figuring it out, and then go on to have several more productive years. It appears Mussina has turned that corner.

He's a smart guy, he's aware of the history of the game, etc.. I hope the lure of getting to 300 is enough to motivate him to keep going. And I hope the Yankees are willing to resign him for 2-3 years.

Juan Marichal is another good Mussina comp - 243-142, 123 ERA+ 3507 IP. Moose 270-153, 3563 IP, 122 ERA+.

And for those who talk about big years, Marichal received Cy Young votes in one season (1971) and finished 8th. Mussina has .91 Award Shares, including a 2nd, two 4ths, three 5ths and two 6ths.

Most of Marichal's career, they only voted for #1 and until 1967 it was one award for the league. But still, Mussina definitely has a significant peak.

Moose has what, 17 less wins and 97 fewer losses than Blyleven?

He is an easy HOFer.

I think Mussina *should* make it if he retired tomorrow, but I think that he'll probably need to get to 285 wins to actually make it.

-- MWE