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Chitwood & Hobbs

Made in the U.S.A.

Tue Jul 12 2011 ∞

Cito Sucks

by nickhall

In 1993 Camden Yards was the crown jewel of major league stadiums. It ushered in the retro era of ballparks and still serves as the blueprint for most new MLB stadiums. This brand spanking new ballpark earned Baltimore the ‘93 All-Star Game. Cito Gaston was named the American League manager after his fighting Blue Jays captured the ‘92 Wold Series title. Cito gave an AL roster spot to hometown hero, Mike Mussina. This was only Moose’s third year in the bigs and before the game Cito told his pitchers the veterans would pitch most of the game. He planned on saving the young arms for possible extra innings. Cito knew the young guys would probably have more chances to pitch in similar high profile spots later in their careers and let them know ahead of time.

All night the Baltimore crowd looked forward to the point when their strikingly handsome pitcher would enter the game. They weren’t privy to Cito’s earlier decree and held out hope until the bitter end. Regardless of Cito’s remarks Mussina took it upon himself to stand up and start throwing in the bullpen before the ninth inning started. The crowd thought this meant that he’d be used for the final inning of the game. Well, the crowd was wrong. They went bananas when Cito opted for Toronto’s own Duane Ward instead of Mussina. The crowd booed and chanted — the two most audible verses being “We want Mike” and “Cito sucks”. Boom, the birth of a t-shirt that you will still find in Baltimore today, Cito Sucks.

Mussina played it off by saying he was scheduled to throw that day and just needed to get his work in. Makes sense, right? The ninth inning of the All-Star game seems like a perfect opportunity to throw a side session. Cocky Mike Mussina got the exact reaction he was looking for.

“It was the biggest ovation I ever got for never being in a game. I knew I wasn’t going to get into the game. There was nothing said. They all wanted to see me pitch. They’re die-hard Baltimore fans.”
— Mike Mussina

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