Mussina Apologizes; Stands by His Words

Mike Mussina apologized yesterday for the way his comments about Carl Pavano were handled in the press, but Mussina did not apologize for what he said. In an interview with Mike and the Mad Dog Mussina said he met with Pavano for 15 minutes yesterday morning and cleared the air about his remarks. Moose characterized it as a good meeting and hoped that Pavano came away from it with some understanding.

One of the topics that has been at the forefront of Spring Training has been Mariano Rivera's future. When asked about it, Mussina said that while he realizes that the Yankees don't negotiate during the spring or the season (including his own contract status last year), exceptions can be made and one should definitely be made in the case of Mariano. Moose cannot see a future Yankees team without the future hall of fame closer.

Moose also was asked about Alex Rodriguez and didn't back down from the stance he made last season. Mussina knows that A-Rod is one of the greatest talents off all time, but he needs to stop worrying about every little aspect of the game at every single moment. Basically in not so many words, Moose said A-Rod had to stop being so anal.

Finally, Mussina discusses his own future. He's approaching 250 wins, a mark he will have achieved without ever winning 20 games in a season. No other pitcher has ever reached that total without accomplishing the season feat. And while 300 wins would be a great accomplishment, Moose said he would not just "hang around" to reach that total.

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