There is also something wonderfully long-suffering about his game persona. I've said this before here and got killed for it, but he just seems like a guy destined to pitch 8 2/3 of a perfect game, get 19 wins again and again. He's excellent, but can't get that last break...

Also, I love the way he finished his wind-up, two feet down, ready to glove any bounce-backs. Ahsum.

And I agree with you Ben 2, Mussina never catches a break.

The mind races: Sure, Moose is too smart and to much of a pitcher's pitcher not to be able to readjust to his declining skill set; did Guidry or Kerrigan contribute here where Stottlemyre didn't the last two years?; Will throwing softer help ease the strain on his elbow, injuries to which have kept him below 200 innings the last two years?; Is this a last ghasp of brilliance before the league figures out his new approach or his fastball slows down to the point that he can't make the slow stuff slow enough or is this the beginning of a late-career resurgence that will make Moose the second coming of Jamie Moyer and push him toward 300 wins?

I've been a fan of Mussina's since he was with Baltimore, was delighted when the Yanks signed him, attended two of his near-perfect games (including the one in Boston), and remain upset that he was robbed for the 2001 Cy Young for sure and likely others as well, so I can't see why Ben would have gotten slammed for his very truthful statement.

With Moose anchoring my fantasy staff this year, I couldn't be more pleased by his resurgence. I just hope it lasts.

Then again, you'd never know based on Moose's post game interviews. To say he's dry is to be polite.

He's a fascinating guy. I wonder if he will have a career in coaching after he hangs up his mitt. Could he be an Orel Hershiser in the making?

BP

I hope Chacon was taking notes yeterday. That was a clinic in how to change speeds and move the ball around the zone. Chacon is capable of that. Get strike one ASAP, fellas.

http://tinyurl.com/fzmgr

Does anyone know what kind of impact this tragedy will have on scouting?

In contrast, when RJ is off, he's just off. I have yet to see him (in my admittedly poor and selective memory) adjust during a bad outing. When he comes out bad, he's just bad till he gets yanked. He definitely has much better pure stuff than Moose or Cone, especially at this point, but his gameplan seems to have little flexibility. Maybe his changes are more subtle and I'm missing them, but I don't really see them.

Anyone else agree? disagree?

Moose, on the other hand, has had these mysterious meltdowns mid-game where you just look around and say "where did that come from?". Fine for three innings, then BAM! Five runs and he's in sitting in the dugout. It's gotten to the point where even when he's pitching well, I feel a little bit of anxiety wondering when it's all going to fall apart. Not that I truly enjoy watching him make hitters look foolish, but it's never quite as comfortable as it should be.

When Unit is on - you can usually kick back and relax and just enjoy the show. Sort of like Mo. I wish we could get 9 innings of Mo sometimes. Man oh man, would that be fun to watch.

BP

6 Agree completely - Obi Wan Chacon could learn a ton from Moose.

Iirc, he'd often jump ahead on a hitter and then not be able to put the guy away once he got two strikes.

Even mediocre hitters were fouling off or laying off 2 strike pitches waiting for Moose to throw them something to hit. It not only drove up Moose's pitch count, but often enought they did eventually get something to hit.

This season, Moose is able to put guys away it seems.

Olney makes a very good point about the ump yesterday. Moose benefited from good calls. The generous zone helped him stay in his groove.

I gotta admit I was skeptical after a small two-game sample -- it looked to me like it was the same Moose, with the same degraded fastball, who was tough while perfect, but getting tatered on his mistakes. He's proving me wrong right now though...maybe Buster's analysis is the word. I would love for it to be true, since I've always liked the Stanford guy myself. :-)

9 tommyl — agreed. If memory serves correct over the past two seasons whenever Moose imploded (sometimes for 5 or 7 runs in one inning) Torre would leave him in if it was early enough, and more often than not he'd straighten himself out. That seems a lot rarer with RJ. When's he loses the plot, it's lost.

OT: Jeff Angus at "Management by Baseball" has a great piece using Alex's Curt Flood biography as a prime source. It's well worth reading. - http://tinyurl.com/3zrtg

Good to have him back.