Should the Orioles retire Mussina’s number?

[Pat Kelly]

Also the Yankees have retired 22 numbers almost all associated with iconic players and names who played their entire career and/or made their biggest mark with the Yankees.  Had Mussina come up with and started his career with the Yankees and signed with the Os or other team later he would have gone in with a Yankees cap. 

[OldNewGuy]

Did anybody ask Moose, the one about whom this discussion is centered, how he voted? I'm betting he voted for #4.  A degree in Economics in 3.5 years from Stanford, $144 million in earnings, HOF occupational career, living where he wants to live and not having to kowtow to anyone.  If he wanted a statue, he could have one put in his back yard and look at it every day. He is the envy of many folks. You don't respect or want me? Ok, take this job and shove it.  (might be a song in there somewhere if someone could take those words and put them to music.

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, OldNewGuy said:

Did anybody ask Moose, the one about whom this discussion is centered, how he voted? I'm betting he voted for #4.  A degree in Economics in 3.5 years from Stanford, $144 million in earnings, HOF occupational career, living where he wants to live and not having to kowtow to anyone.  If he wanted a statue, he could have one put in his back yard and look at it every day. He is the envy of many folks. You don't respect or want me? Ok, take this job and shove it.  (might be a song in there somewhere if someone could take those words and put them to music.

I'm sure if the Orioles wanted to retire his number and have a ceremony for him, he'd be cool with it.

[WillyM]

4.  They should have retired # 35 for Mike Cuellar.

Then they could have given some other number to Mussina and we could argue whether that number should have been retired.

[Number5]

Don't care about this.  I do find it interesting karma that we have a thread about Mussina today when we play Toronto tonight.  After all... Cito sucks!

[Gurgi]

Mussina is dead to me.   NO we should not retire his number.  

Edited July 31, 2023 by Gurgi

[interloper]

I know something we can retire. This topic of discussion lol.

[drjohnnyfever1]

No, he was a Yankee.

[Winning_Season]

I tell you I was mad as hell when Mussina signed with the Yankees... I was also 9 years old.

Now c'mon, I don't know how any O's fan could honestly still hold a grudge, for leaving... but we can be a little peeved that it was to the Yankees, just as the O's were being relegated from rival to punching bag for the Evil Empire.

That said, no his number shouldn't be retired. Retiring a number is mostly about the quality of the player, but it also has a lot to do with the connection to the city, Mussina doesn't have that. Part of it is that is that unfortunately he didn't play on any of the championship teams, but another part of it is that he left in his prime to play for the Yankees.

[Orange]

Cito sucks. 

[crawjo]

7 hours ago, tntoriole said:

Hilarious you are here on an OH site saying that my belief that Jim Palmer was the best Orioles pitcher is because of “nostalgia “ lol 

Some people always have to be right.  They are usually wrong. 

Mussina had a better career than Palmer. Palmer benefited enormously from playing in front of one of the greatest defenses in the history of baseball. Brooks Robinson is arguably the greatest defensive third baseman ever. Mark Belanger is arguably the greatest defensive shortstop ever. Paul Blair was an elite defensive center fielder, maybe top 10 or 15 all time defensively. When you have that defense behind you, it will have a significant impact on your ERA. 

[Jagwar]

1 hour ago, Gurgi said:

Mussina is dead to me.   NO we should not retire his number.  

Mussina was the best starter the O's had since Palmer. He anchored some of the best teams since 1983. The only reason his number is not retired is that Angelos was too freaking cheap to pay him market value. 

His number should be retired and in monument park. 

[Since1984]

Yes! He played 10 years; exceeded 50 bwar; pitched great against Cleveland in the 90’s playoffs etc

 

 

 

and never won a WS with the Yankees 

 

[accinfo]

3 minutes ago, crawjo said:

Mussina had a better career than Palmer. Palmer benefited enormously from playing in front of one of the greatest defenses in the history of baseball. Brooks Robinson is arguably the greatest defensive third baseman ever. Mark Belanger is arguably the greatest defensive shortstop ever. Paul Blair was an elite defensive center fielder, maybe top 10 or 15 all time defensively. When you have that defense behind you, it will have a significant impact on your ERA. 

There is no bigger fan of Mike Mussina than me but he didn’t have a better career then Jim Palmer.  Palmer won 3 Cy Young awards and it should have been 4, but Yankee Goose Gosage stole one.  If he won his last game in 1982 he would have won another.  He is the winningest pitcher of the 1970’s.  Mussina was a great well deserving Hall Of Fame pitcher but not better than Palmer.  

[Since1984]

Let me restate. HOF Orioles yes, which they have already done. retire the #? No