Shutout ball, or This one's for Cito
Despite my totally forgetting to hang my Mussina T-shirt until the next win or retirement, Mike won last night. He shut out the Blue Jays in almost six full innings of work, and the reviews from the scene have been strong.
The New York Times: "Standing comfortably before his locker, smiling and joking after winning the 248th game of his career, Mike Mussina savored the smaller victory he had achieved. Simply put, he said, it felt good to contribute again."
MLB.com: "The Yankees have not committed to churning out a six-man rotation down the stretch of their playoff push. Yet Mike Mussina may have given them an option to think about."
New York Post (under the headline "BUSTIN' MOOSE IN TORONTO"): "To state Mike Mussina is back from Pitcher's Hell after going less than six innings last night against the southbound Blue Jays would be premature evaluation. Yet, considering where Mussina was before the Yankees' seventh straight win, it's safe to say the veteran hurler is a few steps north of Satan's clubhouse."
See the box score. Among early blogosphere takes, It Is High, It Is Far, It Is … Caught writes about "The Man from Mensa" and predicts a spot in the much-debated Yankees playoff rotation. A Game 3 start?
September 13th, 2007 at 8:48 AM
had no idea you were a yankees fan! god, i love baseball this time of year. so happy mussina is over his mental stuff. i still remember how much i hated cito when the jays were so dominant…
September 13th, 2007 at 9:28 AM
Welcome Jess S! I have trouble saying I'm a Yankees fan because I grew up an Orioles fan, and now I'd take the Nats over them in the a head-to-head. (I got to see the Zimmerman walkoff in person and it was wonderful.) But it's my belief that you can only truly hate one team across all of sports, and that team for me in the Cowboys.
So, I respect the Yankees — as a team and many as individuals — and root for them over the Red Sox. But if we're going to say fan, I'm not ready to go there. I'm a Mussina fan, for sure. And have never forgiven Cito or the Blue Jays for the All-Star fiasco.
Hopefully Mike can keep his head on straight for a couple more starts before the playoffs. Meanwhile, I'm finding myself developing Mussina-like feelings for Jodie Foster….
September 13th, 2007 at 1:52 PM
thank you for respecting the yankees. coming from, you know, a yankees fan. also. did you eat pie???? is this why mike won???? because i totally haven't eaten pie. perhaps my theory has been debunked.
September 13th, 2007 at 5:31 PM
I don't remember eating pie. Desserts I ate between Mike's two starts: strawberry shortcake kabob, cheesecake, big Pepperidge Farm cookies, blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, macaroons dipped in dark-chocolate, wedding cake, chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, dark chocolate almond butter something, peppermint patties, fudge, and probably something I'm forgetting. But no pie that I can remember.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:36 AM
holy moly dessert consumption! can you still fit into your cubicle after all that food? i bet the strawberry shortcake kabob is what did it. i mean, if anything was going to bring mussina back from his doldrums, it's strawberry shortcake kabobs
September 15th, 2007 at 4:17 PM
A dessert to enjoy the crossword puzzles by.