#mike mussina

[andywayswhatever]

hai

[marcstwocents]

Fenway Park

So in trying to come up with other things to write about here, I decided that since I’m such a sports fan and enjoy going to various venues to see events, that it should only be fitting to share my experiences at those venues I’ve been to. So to start things off, I’ll open this series with one the came up in my Facebook memories today from 10 years ago… Fenway Park I know, I know…I’m a Yankees…

[gummyartstradingcards]

[baseballsisco]

Happy Tuesday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 554 from Monday October 7.

When you think of strikeout pitchers, Jamie Moyer doesn't necessarily come to mind. But having pitched for eight teams in his 25-year career, Moyer rang up 2,441 batters. His best strikeout season came in his second season with the Cubs in 1987 when he struck out 147 battters. Keep in mind, Moyer retired in 2012. His time in the game saw a lot of changes.

I thought I was getting a slick pick by choosing B.J. Surhoff with my Brewers/Orioles box. I definitely didn't think he would get 15% for the highest box in my grid. Shoot, even Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Mussina and Rollie Fingers got less in their boxes.

Its been a long day at work so I'm keeping this short and sweet. On to grid 555. Have a great night.

[collectingall]

∀ Mike Mussina PSA DNA Coa Autograph 1992 Score Rookie Hand Signed http://blog.collectingall.com/TDjlsS 👉 shrsl.com/4fuj5 👈

[cheshire-cats-smile]

04/01/23: Opening Week at Blue Heaven on Earth.

In his first start of the season, Clayton Kershaw goes 6 IP with 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, & 9 K as the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 10-1.

It was Kershaw’s 198th career win & he also passed Mike Mussina in the game for 23rd on the Major League all-time strikeout list, as he now has 2,816.

[neonblacktiger]

1991 Bowman Neon Terror Mike Mussina

[theravencroft]

The Pitching Staff Model for Human Relationships

I was thinking about friendship and human relationships and finally solved them, so I wanted to share with the world so the world may benefit from my research.

Inspiration was the Ron Swanson perspective on knowing other people and the Seinfeld "I already have like 3 friends" scene. The Dunbar number (you can only know like 150 people) is frequently tossed around, but it may be bullshit. Or not.

The point is I only have the energy to care about a handful of people. (Likewise, parasocial relationships are weird to me, why do I care what a guy who fake screams at video games does?).

Anyway, I was thinking about this in the shower, where all great ideas happen, and it came to me in a flash of enlightenment the Buddhists call satori. The answer was baseball. It always is.

Specifically, managing your social relationships is exactly like managing a pitching staff.

To wit:

The Starters

The five best guys usually start your games. Think of these as "The Boys". (See above illustration). ((I know there are 4, but the 5th one is you, because we're friends now)).

These are the people you would call if you were in jail first because they would probably help bail you out and not ask things like "Did you do it?"

The roles are:

#1: Your ace pitcher, the best guy on the team. In human relationships this is your best friend, maybe your partner. Barring a big blowup, they're signed for life and replacing them is a pain in the ass. If you don't have one, you're probably in a world of shit. Comps: Shohei Ohtani, Gerritt Cole.

#2: Your second-best guy. Your best friend if you have a partner. Not quite as good, but still up there. Also a pain in the ass to replace. Comps: Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker.

#3: Probably the most undervalued starting pitcher, the #3 starter is steady, reliable, and always there for you. You're not quite as close as the first two and they maybe aren't as good, but they're damn good and they're reliable and less of a pain in the ass. I think of Mike Mussina, maybe late-period Andy Pettitte here.

#4: They're really good but also easier to replace, you can probably pick them up on the free agent market if you need to. You need one but it's not a high priority. They can still surprise you and bring the heat. This could be an older pitcher on his way out like Kershaw, or on a stacked roster like Scherzer (#4 starting pitcher in usage on the 2022 Mets, look it up).

#5: You need a fifth starter if you want to win it all, but you can also pull from the bullpen, minors, maybe let someone pick up a spot start here and there. May be on their way up or down.

The Bullpen

Just as critical in baseball as in human relationships are your bullpen staff. These guys probably aren't people you talk to every day but still serve useful roles in the organization. Pictured below.

Bullpen management is both art and science, but there are some set roles like:

Set-Up Guys: Reliable guys that maybe aren't as good as your closer, but together they are more than the sum of their parts, one contributes where the rest lack.

Closer: Who is going to come through for you when absolutely everything is on the line? Maybe not your best friend day to day, but in short periods, when you absolutely need them, they got you.

Long Relievers: You probably don't want them starting regularly for good reasons, but every now and then, they can step in and eat some innings. You definitely want them, but they are fungible commodities, and there's probably some kids in the minor leagues that can do it if you need to.

Specialists: The guys who do one single thing or serve a specific role and do it well but that's all they do. Your guy who fixes your car or knows how to score drugs or concert tickets or drugs and concert tickets. You probably don't hang out with them a lot for good reasons, but they're useful to know. The LOOGY of human relations (RIP The LOOGY).

The Minors

Your organization doesn't, strictly speaking, need a good minor league system to win one year, but your life will be a happier one with a rich and robust minor league organization. Ideally you have a AAA of friendship where you can call upon guys for spot starts or eventually come in and make the major league staff. Cultivation of one's friendship talent is important for longer term health of the organization, however, and no general manager worth his salt neglects the minor leagues.

Anyway, all human relationships are solved now. You're welcome.

[andywayswhatever]

ohhh yeah. yankees yaoi

bonus rizzo kevin hart livestream meme

[puzzlenation]

Happy (Inter)National Puzzle Day!

In today's #NationalPuzzleDay post, we spread the word about some upcoming puzzly events and even have a puzzle for you to solve! #InternationalPuzzleDay

It’s National Puzzle Day, also known as International Puzzle Day, depending on where you are and whether your puzzly activities extend across borders. Maybe your puzzly Zoom group spans several countries. Maybe you and a friend are using remote-controlled robots to play Jenga. Maybe you’ve gotten hooked on Polish crosswords you’re solving through Google Translate. These are some of most common…

[oldinterneticons]

[beersfromthebleachers]

The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 was celebrated this past weekend. The MLB players joining legends in Cooperstown, NY include Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, Lee Smith, Harold Baines, and Roy Halladay. Congratulations on your thrilling careers and welcome to Hall!

[furryalligator]

View this post on Instagram

Congrats to the Hall of Fame class of 2019! #halloffame #hof #cooperstown #mikemussina #edgarmartinez #royhalladay #marianorivera #haroldbaines #leesmith #mlb #baseball #baseballcards #hof2019

A post shared by Gummy Arts (@gummyarts) on Jul 21, 2019 at 5:49am PDT

[baseballsisco]

Happy Friday everyone. Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 536 for Thursday September 19.

The 200K line has some solid starters. While Jon Lester is better known for his time with the Red Sox, he put in some seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Mike Mussina had a highly successful 20 year career with the Orioles and Yankees. He put up double digit wins in 19 of his 20 seasons capping off year 20 with his only 20-win season. At 2,813Ks, one more season would have probably gotten him to 3,000. And he had 57 complete games with 23 shutouts.

The late great Roy Halladay was a 2x Cy Young winner, one in each league. He was in the top five of Cy Young voting seven times in 16 years, an 8x All Star and had 67 CG with 20 shutouts.

For the 200 wins, Tim Hudson was part of the heralded trio of Oakland A's starters with Mark Mulder and Barry Zito during the late 1990s and early 2000's. Out of the three, I believe Hudson to be the most successful. He had double digits win seasons 13 out of his 17 years in the league, was a 4x All Star and 4x top five voter in the Cy Young award race. Hudson has 26 CG with 13 shutouts.

That's all for now folks (I'm my Mel Allen voice) on to grid number 537.

[baseballthrowbacks]

mike mussina stretches before a game, 90s 

[nancylou444]

Mike Mussina