A Moose Sighting In California

Mike Mussina was signing children's books at Border's Bookstore in Orange, California on July 23, 2005.  He was there to continue promoting childrens literacy.  It was sponsored by John Deer and proceeds went to the worthy cause.  Our Joanie Mac caught up with Mike as did local fan Sean Spaziani (who took the photos).  Joanie Mac shares her experience.

Moose Treks

by Joanie Mac

Recently I had the opportunity to meet New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina. The Yankee ace was appearing at Borders Bookstore in Orange, California. As spokesperson for the new John Deere Books for Kids children’s book series, Mike is promoting literacy, something he has always been a strong advocate of. As this book series targets kids ages 3 to 6, we were treated to a book reading and then an autograph signing session.

My meeting with Mussina introduced me to a very different side of the Yankee pitcher. All the fanfare of major league baseball aside, no pitch counts to tally up, no attention being paid to inside or outside the zone, fans were treated to the very personal and private Mike Mussina. Despite his impressive career since being selected as a first round draft pick in 1990 by the Baltimore Orioles, Mike has overall avoided the excessive glitz and glamour of the media’s spotlight. Even Jim Rome boasts his accomplishments to nail an occasional interview with Moose. But his low key off-diamond persona has not stopped him from establishing the Mike Mussina Foundation benefiting children and children’s charities.

The foundation established in 2000 was Mike’s way of giving back to the community in Lycoming , PA where Mike resides. Having lived there his entire life it was a way to support the community that had always supported him. The foundation awards scholarships to graduates from each of the 12 area high schools. The program continued to grow and a national scholarship program was also established with the help of a number of organizations and corporations.

Now as spokesperson for the John Deere Books, Mussina is scheduled to make appearances throughout the U.S. and Canada promoting such a worthy cause at the same time treating fans to a more intimate setting than the crowds of the baseball stadium.

Of course, announce your store will be hosting Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees, rest assure the fans will come. Decked out in Yankee garb, fans arrived with the kids in tow. As the kids gathered around for the book reading intrigued with the pop-out windows ready to expose the surprises waiting underneath, parents and even adults unaccompanied by children marveled more at the opportunity to meet one of the Bronx Bombers.

I was originally planning to spend my Saturday catching up on some neglected chores. After attending the Yankees/Angels game in Anaheim the previous night, I learned of this very special appearance scheduled for Borders. Seriously, how can any Yankee fan pass up meeting Moose for Saturday morning errands and chores?! So off I went to join my fellow transplanted Yankee fans in southern California .

I arrived and knew immediately I was in the right place. Surrounded by shoppers strolling through the store while waiting for Mussina’s arrival, I felt more like I was at Stan’s outside Yankee Stadium. Every shopper was wearing a Yankee shirt, a good number of them sporting #35 on their backs including one young fan in a Mussina Stanford University jersey. Although Bomber fans are numerous at away games, it is not a common sight to see so many sporting Yankee attire in one place outside of the ballpark. Must have been quite a sight for other shoppers at the store!

Fans were revved, mingling and exchanging their own experiences at games, other signing events, etc. When Mussina arrived all attention turned to the 6’2” pitcher. A Borders representative introduced Mike to the crowd with a brief synopsis of his accomplishments on and off the field. The notary credits of the on field achievements were foreign to no one present, but we all enjoyed hearing it regardless. The crowd responded enthusiastically when game 1 of the 2004 ALCS was mentioned. It’s not likely any fan will forget Mussina retiring the first 19 batters against the BoSox. When addressing him as a true Yankee classic, Mike’s expression exposed a small amount of shyness beneath his boyish good looks. While at the same time, one can sense his sincerity and appreciation for the fans for their support for him and the Yankees as well as their support in his quest to further education and literacy. It was evident that the six time gold glove winner is just a down to earth guy taking nothing for granted despite his achievements.

After his deserving introduction, Mussina treated us to the reading. While the kids mused in delight over Danny Dozer and Eddie Excavator, I, too enjoyed the moment. I felt privileged to be able to observe the mild mannered pitcher in a way we can not experience during a game.

After the reading we lined up for an unrushed autograph/photo session. Mike was nothing short of genuine throughout. There are the athletes that just thirst for the attention and reach for the spotlight but Mike Mussina somehow radiates of thanks and gratefulness.

Fans often watch their teams and tolerate nothing less than perfection and sometimes forget the athletes are human. This was an opportunity to see the other side of one of our heroes and put things in perspective. It was so refreshing to see Mussina interacting with the crowd in such a sincere manner.

As I stood and posed with Mike for a photo, I couldn’t help but feel like a kid again. Driving home I reminisced about the Yankees we’ve seen over the years at different events. Then I really was a kid. Now the athletes may have lost some of “the larger than life” persona we viewed them as from a child’s point of view. And now I am their peer…ok, maybe a bit older but I think that might just make the admiration a little bit greater since we can understand more what someone like Mike Mussina is giving back.

Mussina came painfully close to throwing a perfect game twice in his career. A feat accomplished so few times in major league history. But this afternoon, Mike Mussina reached perfection. One can not fault any campaign to further education and literacy among our children.

 Moose, I tip my Yankee cap to you.