THE "SANDMAN" ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT THE END OF THE 2013 SEASON
Unidos Video Tribute To #42
If you know baseball and understand the closers responsibility, you will have to go back to the 70's when the relief pitcher and closer became the norm and many took on there job with the game on the line. The fireman as they were referred to were the key point to coming in and saving the game for that starting pitcher after a hard and grueling battle through seven plus innings work. Many relievers back then worked two or even three innings to get that save that game and became household names in the baseball world. The very first well known and popular closer who started his career with the New York Giants was Hoyt Wilhelm who took on the role throughout the 50's and 60's. By the 70's a hand full of relievers would catapult the role to what we see and have today closers that frightened there opposition to a standstill like Rollie Fingers, Sparky Lyle, Kent Tekulve, Gene Garber, Rich "Goose" Gossage, and who can forget "The Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky as well as Bruce Sutter. The 80's was just as dangerous as relieve pitchers were masters at what there role represented like Tug Mcgraw, Dan Quisenberry, Lee Smith, Willie Hernandez, Dennis Eckersley and the many that came after .........even today Jeff Reardon, Armando Benitez, John Franco, Billy Wagner, Trevor Hoffman, Jose Mesa, Tom Henke, Eric Gagne, Francisco Rodriguez, Arthur Rhodes, Troy Percival, Rafael Soriano, Jonathan Papelbon, and look at the beard of San Francisco(Brian Wilson) who has been masterful at his craft but when he went down last year to injury another reliever stole the World Series show the unexpected Sergio Romo. Now That I mentioned the rest, we will continue with the best.......why you ask. Mariano Rivera started his career as a middle reliever who today we call a setup man, normally coming in around the seventh or eighth innings and the closer for the New York Yankees at the time was John Wetteland and Mariano took on his middle relief role superbly as he baffled batters and left them thinking. In 1997 the Yankees let go of Wetteland and gave the closer role to Mariano as his performance in 1996 proved to them that this was his true calling. As the Yankees won it all (World Series) in 96', in 97' they battled a tough Cleveland Indians team and there slugger Sandy Alomar Jr. beat Mariano and sent the New York Yankees home short of there goal. As Mariano Rivera went home to Panama defeated he would come back with a vengeance and never looked back as the Yankees dynasty would bring them three straight championships in 98',99' and 2000 as well as a memorable seventh game loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 as New York and Mariano Rivera suffered a bottom of the ninth loss in World Series play. They would appear in the World Series again in 2003 but would fall short to the Florida Marlins and would capture the World Series again in 2009 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Along the way the Yankees would appear in the playoffs every year except 2008 and it would take Mariano to new heights as he would dominate the the closer position throughout his career and as announced he would be retiring after the 2013 season.
Mariano Rivera was born in November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama and as a kid always dreamed of playing professional baseball. Mariano's dream would come true the day he signed with the New York Yankees in 1990, and would finally be called up in 1995 (as a starter) but the Yankees as well as Mariano would soon realize that although he had the velocity and skills he would not have the stamina in later innings (his pitches would always stay in the mid-nineties) and would get pounded by the big bats of the major leagues at the time. Once the decision was made to have him come out of the bullpen ......everything changed. He would have a surprising 1996 season and would become known to his teammates simply as "Mo". The homerun he would give up to Sandy Alomar Jr. in the 1997 playoffs would play an intrikit part in the determination and goal of Mariano. Five World Series rings later with a fall classic and postseason record of 8-1 0.71 E.R.A. with 42 saves, three Delivery Man of the year awards as well as five American League Rolaids Relief Man awards, twelve All-Star game appearances, all time career 610 saves and 894 games finished, the 1999 World Series MVP award, the 2003 American League Championship Series MVP, led in saves in 1999, 2001 and 2004 respectively. He holds an amazing career ERA of 2.22 and has done all this (19 seasons) with one pitch, a sharp breaking cut fastball known as "the cutter". A very spiritual man from humbled Panamanian beginnings, he would blame the 2001 World Series loss on him and only him saying that he should have shut down Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks and that series should have come home to New York where it really needed to be at a time of tragedy (referring to the terrorist attacks on September 11th that brought down the World Trade Center's Twin Towers) and brought so much pain and sorrow to the city of New York as well as The United States. A true Christian with a belief of helping others and setting a sample to many in sports to reach out and help there fellow man. He is a great Samaritan and loves his native Panama. The latino representation of an athlete but more importantly a human being is evident.
As we bid farewell to the greatest at what he does, we shall also look at the 2013 season as a tribute to the last man to ever wear the uniform #42 as he is the only active player that wears this prestigious number worn by the late great Jackie Robinson (Brookyn Dodgers) and as a tribute to Jackie's brave and fantastic attributes to the many players of color (Jackie being the first negro to play in the major leagues), the #42 was retired throughout baseball in 1997 and Mariano Rivera (who had the number prior to major league baseball retiring it) is the only active player that wears it. A sure Hall Of Famer, he will be truly missed out on the diamond. The "Sandman" will hang up his glove but will go down in history as one of latino's very best ballplayers ........."Mariano"!!!!!..........enjoy retirement as it has been well deserved.*article written by John Rosario
SANDMAN TAKES NEW YORK
