Oriole fans opinion of Mike Mussina

[Orioles4Life21]

Is there really a difference betwwen 78 and 88 million?

[weams]

Is there really a difference betwwen 78 and 88 million?

Ask Rick Dempsey if retirement has treated him well in Baltimore. Man don't have to pay for a thing. A thing.

[Dexter Morgan]

By the way guys.. thanks for the responses

[Barnaby Graves]

I dont know that I would have done the same thing - hard to say unless you are in the situation.

I can accept that, you're right, but the haggling Angelos did was a huge F.U. that Moose didn't deserve.

Im not giving anyone elses money away either - just stating the way it turned out.

You're doing what a lot of fans do, which is say stuff like "well if it was me I would've left the money on the table" or "he should've left the money on the table." He had very little incentive to do that and the incentive he did have evaporated once our tone-deaf leadership tried to put the screws to him.

Would you rather have a legacy and be adored by great fans + 78 million, or have 88 Million and have nobody really care about you as a baseball player one way or another?

It's the same either way. A bunch of our "great fans" are pissed at Brian Roberts for not showing up to FanFest and collecting $20 million despite the fact his career is done (probably) and his health, physically and mentally, is questionable at best.

Sadly, Angelos made it easy for him to choose the later. But, he could have chosen to stay here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Given the last 15 years I think we all know he made the right decision.

[WVOriolesFan]

You'd have done the exact same thing, "whore." And so would anyone else.

People on message boards are always willing to give away someone else's money.

Exactly. It is still his living. If someone in corporate America moves from Virginia to California to make more money, they are not called a traitor. When an athlete, however, switches cities to make more money, they have to listen to how they only care about the money. I moved from West Virginia to Philadelphia for a better job. No one calls me a traitor.

That being said, once he went to New York, I could care less about his career from that point on.

[Barnaby Graves]

You seriously think he would have ever been labeled a loser by Orioles fans?

[TonySoprano]

He wanted 5 years, $62.5 mm to stay with the Orioles. He never would have become a free agent, never would have even listened to offers from other teams, if Angelos had given him that. Pathetic judgment on Angelos' part.

O's Timing off on Mussina Deal

Tuesday, April 18, 2000

BALTIMORE ? The Baltimore Orioles' current contract offer to pitcher Mike Mussina of $60 million over five years apparently would have completed the deal had the team offered it to him last summer, Mussina said.

"Yeah, I would say [the Orioles' current offer] probably would have gotten it done" last summer, said Mussina, whose current contract expires at the end of this season.

In January, the Orioles opened with an offer of $42.5 million over five years, later increasing it to $50 million. Under the current offer of $60 million, $10 million would be deferred. However, Mussina's price tag has risen steadily the closer he gets to free agency. He now is believed to be seeking a contract worth about $15 million annually over five or six years. There has been no movement in negotiations in at least two weeks.

According to team and league sources, agent Arn Tellem and then-Orioles general manager Frank Wren last summer discussed the parameters of an extension for Mussina. The numbers used by Tellem then to outline Mussina's asking price were roughly the same as the Orioles' current offer, the sources said.

Wren made the proposal to Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos with the recommendation that the team get a deal done immediately, according to sources. But the Orioles made no firm offer until January, at which time Mussina was within a year of free agency and increasingly inclined to wait.

source - angelfire.com

[BarclaySouthway]

I was mad at first but not anymore. Given what's transpired over the last 10 years, he was right to get out. Signing with the Yankees was a slap in ol' Petey's face that he richly deserved.

Mussina's performance in the 97 ALCS against Cleveland might be the most impressive thing I've ever seen an Oriole do. He easily would have been series MVP. Too bad the offense let him down mightily. Kind of a microcosm of his career with the Orioles. He should have won 20 two or three times.

[crawjo]

Had he stayed in Baltimore he would have retired as the greatest Orioles pitcher ever, better than Palmer. He was my favorite player while he was in Baltimore and after he went to New York I never rooted against him, and in fact was very happy for him when he won 20 games in his final season. I think he deserves to go to the Hall of Fame but will probably have to wait awhile as the ballot is going to be awash in great players for the next several years.

[EddieMurrayfan]

I can accept that, you're right, but the haggling Angelos did was a huge F.U. that Moose didn't deserve.

You're doing what a lot of fans do, which is say stuff like "well if it was me I would've left the money on the table" or "he should've left the money on the table." He had very little incentive to do that and the incentive he did have evaporated once our tone-deaf leadership tried to put the screws to him.

It's the same either way. A bunch of our "great fans" are pissed at Brian Roberts for not showing up to FanFest and collecting $20 million despite the fact his career is done (probably) and his health, physically and mentally, is questionable at best.

Given the last 15 years I think we all know he made the right decision.

I dont know that I would have left 10 million on the table, its a lot of money. But so is 78 million.

There is no right or wrong statement to be made about Mussina leaving - its all opinion from fans - nothing more, nothing less.

Maybe the past 15 years would have been different if he had stayed here . . . . . . . . . . . who knows. But he didnt win anything in NY so was it really that much better for him? Apart from the extra $$? My point was he got more $$ but gave up the opportunity for a legacy here that no amount of money could ever buy. And maybe for him a legacy is of little value.

[crawjo]

I was mad at first but not anymore. Given what's transpired over the last 10 years, he was right to get out. Signing with the Yankees was a slap in ol' Petey's face that he richly deserved.

Mussina's performance in the 97 ALCS against Cleveland might be the most impressive thing I've ever seen an Oriole do. He easily would have been series MVP. Too bad the offense let him down mightily. Kind of a microcosm of his career with the Orioles. He should have won 20 two or three times.

Without the 94 strike he probably wins 20 in both 94 and 95. He had a shot at the 94 Cy Young award as well.

[Orioles fanatic]

I hope the guy never gets in as well. I was a die-hard Moose fan, but leaving to go to the Oriole's most hated rival still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. He better be glad most O's fans don't get a vote.

[MarylandAaron]

I dont know that I would have done the same thing - hard to say unless you are in the situation.

Im not giving anyone elses money away either - just stating the way it turned out.

Would you rather have a legacy and be adored by great fans + 78 million, or have 88 Million and have nobody really care about you as a baseball player one way or another?

Sadly, Angelos made it easy for him to choose the later. But, he could have chosen to stay here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

But what if he had gone to New York and won two or three WS? He probably would have been labeled as an all-time great Yankee. Or he could have stayed in Baltimore and lost his entire career. Hindsight is 20/20, and I can totally see his reasoning for wanting to go to NYY because they had/have a much better chance of winning a championship than the O's.

[Barnaby Graves]

I dont know that I would have left 10 million on the table, its a lot of money. But so is 78 million.

It's more about pride than anything material. Moose could have retired that year and never worked another day in his life.

There is no right or wrong statement to be made about Mussina leaving - its all opinion from fans - nothing more, nothing less.

Maybe the past 15 years would have been different if he had stayed here . . . . . . . . . . . who knows. But he didnt win anything in NY so was it really that much better for him? Apart from the extra $$? My point was he got more $$ but gave up the opportunity for a legacy here that no amount of money could ever buy. And maybe for him a legacy is of little value.

For the sake of conversation let's assume he gets into the Hall. Would he have gotten in playing those same years for the Orioles? Winning 4 less games a year and losing 3 more (or whatever)? If my choice of legacy was "Hall of Fame pitcher" or "Orioles great" I'd pick Hall of Fame, even if just to give the finger to the ownership of this franchise.

[jets4ever]

I don't understand the anger towards Mussina. It was Angelos' doing.

Neither do I.

He didn't leave because of the fans. Why do the fans hate him?