Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Mo + Moose

I was quite happy with the results of yesterday's HOF ballot reveal.

It was obvious Rivera was going to get in. I think it's great he got 100% of the vote, and I agree with many others that it's sad it was even a thing. Many HOFers before him deserved to be voted in unanimously. I think social media and the fear of being attacked on Twitter helped sway some voters who might have been the fence to "not be that guy." Regardless, we can put to bed the "will he get 100% of the vote" storyline each year. I won't miss it.

One guy who had a long climb and finally made it was Mike Mussina. I hoped that his quiet excellence would one day land him a spot, and I'm glad that day finally arrived. While he may not have had many of the individual accolades that most HOFers do, he was a terrific pitcher for a very long time. I saw him in person many times, and always enjoyed going to a game when he was on the mound.

And it's cool that Mo and Moose are heading in together, as Mo saved 49 of Mussina's wins. Very fitting.

Both guys were extremely generous TTM signers. I have been lucky enough to get Rivera on a few occasions. He was a great signer early in his career, and then again toward the tail end. My favorite is easy this UD Masterpieces, as it came out great.
Mussina was always a great signer in the off-season. For many years, he signed for free. Now I think there is a $5 or $10 fee.
While I rarely have anything but cards signed, I did send him this ticket stub from 2008. That was the season he won 20 games for the first time (in his final season!), and this ticket was from a game I attended. He won his first game of the season that day, and he was kind enough to sign my ticket #1 of 20 to signify the win number.
Two great Yankees. Two Hall of Famers. Congrats, Mo and Moose.

4 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Great day for Yankees fans! Very happy for Mo! Greatest closer of all-time.

    P.S. That autographed ticket stub is super cool!

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  2. The voters could not have picked a more gracious and respected player to earn their unanimous vote. I hated Mo's nasty cutter but he's a true legend of the game. Moose was very deserving as well. These autographs are fantastic, especially the "#1 of 20" on the ticket stub.

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  3. Yes, that "#1 of 20" is really cool! I might have to start trying this TTM thing.

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