NY Times is reporting that "Rivera Tears Ligament in Knee During Batting Practice". Full article HERE.
NY Times is reporting that "Rivera Tears Ligament in Knee During Batting Practice". Full article HERE.
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"I think we’re starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball,” Votto said. “I think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. I’m going to do my part to help make that change.”
Maybe it's just me, but I kinda expected Mariano Rivera to pitch until he was 50.
Sad way for a career to end, if it is the end of the line for him, but man what a career...
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
I really hope this isn't the end of the line. Even if Mariano and the Powers That Be feel like he'd return as a shell of himself in 2013, I'd be 100% behind a "gimmick contract" where he'd be activated for a home series at Yankee Stadium, and would retire after making one final appearance (preferably, a perfect 9th for the save) and getting a proper send-off.
I tend to be against any such silliness that puts one player's interests ahead of the game's, but this is an exception. If he can't be the Old Mo for all of 2013 (or most of it, depending on how long rehab takes), my money's on him being able to be a Serviceable Mo for one weekend in 2013. Either way, it'll be sad beyond words if The Last 42 doesn't ride again...
So far, the articles I've read have kept to a pretty limited expression of Mo's statistical dominance: 608 saves, a microscopic ERA that's dropped with age, etc... but few seem to go out of their way to remember Rivera's post-season awesomeness. So if I may, Mariano's career playoff numbers:
96 appearances (all in relief)
141 innings pitched
8 wins, 1 loss
42 saves (26 were 4 outs or more, including 14 2+ inning saves)
0.70 ERA
0.759 WHIP
21 walks (and 4 of those were intentional)
110 strikeouts (for a "measly" 7.0 K/9 ratio, the only stat where he was significantly worse than in the regular season; still I'll take a 5.2 K/BB rate)
2 home runs (both apparently inconsequential, as I can't remember either; but whoever those two guys are, I'm sure they're proud of being members of the "Answers to Impossibly Hard Trivia Questions" club)
And of course:
5 World Championships (recording the final out in all 4 of them in which he was the Yankees' closer)
Not too shabby...
Rick
Last edited by FlightRick; 05-04-2012 at 02:08 AM.
He was great in the regular season also but the guy has 11 saves and a .99 ERA in the World Series. Also he was the 99 World Series MVP. The guy was amazing in the postseason. Also the guy played in 32 different series throughout the playoffs. Thats some crazy postseason stats. He will be the last guy to wear the #42 if he retires..Hope he can come back. The guy just went about his business and never said much. Class act
Last edited by DGullett35; 05-04-2012 at 06:48 AM.
This might have been part of his contract. The one he signed with the devil that allowed him to pitch like an All-Star until he was 41.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
I'm far from a Yankee admirer, but I don't want to see what appears to be a truly classy player go out like this.
Championships for MY teams in my lifetime:
Cincinnati Reds - 75, 76, 90
Chicago Blackhawks - 10, 13, 15
University of Kentucky - 78, 96, 98, 12
Chicago Bulls - 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
“Everything that happens before Death is what counts.”
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
A lot of people seem to feel the same way, and in fact those sentiments have given rise to a poll about who the most respected athlete in sports is or was, over at fangrpahs. Roberto Clemente is winning for now, but there are certainly lots of great candidates out there.Originally Posted by Joseph
As for Rivera, my personal feeling as someone else who is "far from a Yankee admirer" is that he was one of the more tolerable Yankees of the past decade or two. Players like Clemens or A-Rod, or the media love that accompanied Jeter, could always get my bile to rise, but Rivera seemed like a humble and consummate professional.
I realize that it would be impossile to have a workable poll listing all of the potential choices but the fangraphs poll is terrible IMO.
Yes, Jackie Robinson should head the list, but my goodness there are a lot of other baseball players who were hugely respected in their playing days who should have been mentioned.
Go back nearly a century or so and include Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. I have never read any criticism of either man, either as an athlete or person.
Where was Lou Gehrig? They do not make films about every athlete, and the Iron Horse even now is both an icon and a man greatly respected.
Where is Joe DiMaggio? From what I have read he was not admirable as a person, but during his playing career, if that is the standard, his own peers held him in awe.
Where is Stan the Man Musial? Where is Hank Aaron? Where is Sandy Koufax?
Football was also played before 1980. Where are Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas and Roger Staubach?
There have been some recent revelations about Walter Payton's personal life but he was tremendously respected during his career.
Magic Johnson? Okay, but where is Bill Russell?
If we are just going by the respect they had while active as athletes, then why doesn't Joe Louis join Ali among the boxers who are listed? Ali had his critics, while Louis was almost universally respected during his hey day.
"Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."
This makes me happy:
Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/mariano-rivera...8799--mlb.html"I'm coming back. Write it down in big letters. I'm not going out like this."
I really hope he's able to come back. Without a doubt the most dominant closer I have ever seen. That cutter is down right disgusting.
If he retires, he's an automatic first ballot HOF inductee.
He may be the one aside from Maddux to give Seaver a run for his money. Total class. Total dominance.
Creepy. I just searched for a Rivera thread to ask if he will beat Seaver's HOF %. What do you guys think?
The only thing that makes me hesitate and say it's doubtful is that I think there's still a large segment of the voting population that not only believe he shouldn't get in on the first ballot, but also believe relief pitcher's shouldn't be in the hall, period. It's certainly not a majority of voters that feel this way, but I think it's a sizable enough portion to hold his vote % to a level that some might find really surprising.
To me, he's as no doubt a Hall of Famer as anyone, ever.
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