An Example For All

Mike Mussina was not pretentious. He was not spectacular. He was simply resolved. For seventeen seasons, Mussina succeeded via fortitude and tenacity.

On Thursday, Mussina retired. “I always said when I got to this point, I wanted to go out on my own terms,” he said. “I didn’t want to go out with somebody telling me it was time to go, that I’m trying to find a job and I can’t find a job. I never wanted to bounce around from one team to another, to keep playing at 41 or 42, trying to scratch out eight wins this year and 10 wins the next year. I don’t want to do it that way. I’ve never wanted to do it that way.”

During his career, Mussina amassed 270-153 record. He posted a 3.68 earned run average. “It’s the end of a real special career, a Hall of Fame-type career,” said New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. “This guy goes down as one of the all-time great pitchers, and we’re happy that we shared him for a period of his playing career.”

On November 30, 2000, Mussina signed a 6-year, $88.5 million contract. However, he was not another mercenary. Mussina was authentic, committed, and professional. Both Major League Baseball and the Yankees will miss him.