Mike Mussina Addresses Yankees-Orioles Hat Controversy Ahead of Hall of Fame Induction
By Ryan Flores
With this year's Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony less than a month away, newly-elected member Mike Mussina discussed his controversial decision to go into the Hall with no logo on his hat rather than choosing to enter as a member of the Baltimore Orioles or New York Yankees. He strongly expressed that he owes his path to Cooperstown to both teams, which made it too difficult for him to decide on just one.
Mike Mussina on hat debate going into the HOF-"I only thought about it for about 15 minutes. I can't decide between the two organizations. One got my career started, one put me on a huge stage for a lot of years and I wouldn't be going to Cooperstown without either one of them."
— Craig Heist (@cheistsports) June 30, 2019
New York sports radio titan Mike Francesa addressed this issue back in January, saying that he thought it was a terrible idea for Mussina to go in with no logo. He believed that he should've simply let the fans vote for which team he should go into the Hall with.
Mike Francesa strongly disagrees with Mike Francesa over whether or not it's okay for Mike Mussina to have a blank hat on his Hall of Fame plaque. pic.twitter.com/SXPfh8sEyM
— Ƒunhouse (@BackAftaThis) January 26, 2019
Moose had an incredible career with both teams, posting a 3.53 ERA with 1,535 strikeouts for the Orioles and a 3.88 ERA with 1,278 punch-outs for the Yankees. Most of Mussina's accolades came with Baltimore, however, as he was a five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner for the O's during his 10-year stint there. He also finished in the top five vote in AL Cy Young voting six times while wearing a Baltimore hat.
Mike Mussina on coming back today: “The Orioles will always be the first team that gave me a chance. And I stayed out there for 10 years, did the job the best I could....I hope the organization appreciates everything I was able to do as much as I appreciate them.”
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) June 30, 2019
It's certainly understandable as to why Mussina struggled with this decision, as both clubs have done so much for him in his career. Even Gregg Maddux and Tony La Russa decided to do the same thing when they were inducted into the Hall.
One thing is for sure: after hearing all of this, it's clear that Mussina is truly a class act.