Monday, November 06, 2006
"Nothing like this will ever happen again in baseball." Mike Lupica, 8/13/06
"The most valuable Yankee of all time." Mike Lupica, Sunday, 8/13/06
- but perhaps the most valuable Yankee of all time.
He does not make the most money on the Yankees, or even close.
He is not the most famous of them.
Just the best of them, after all these years.
He is the one player on his team better at what he does than any others are at what they do.
Of all the money players in the history of sports, and that means all sports, Mo Rivera has failed less in big spots than anybody else you can mention.
Think about that.
He has had his failures, you bet.
Some of them turned out to be monumental, like Game 7 of the 2001 World Series and Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the Red Sox.
But more than the manager, more than Jeter, he has done the most to make this time in Yankee history special.
He is the one who makes us believe the championship teams of the Torre era were better than they actually were.
The quietest one of all, then, one of the quietest Yankees of them all,
has been the most important.
Sometimes it takes a ninth inning belonging to the other guys to make you appreciate him all over again.
Mo Rivera can't go on forever.
This may be the last season we see him close to being his best.
Appreciate him for as long as this lasts, just because nothing like this will ever happen again in baseball.
- His streak of power relief pitching, excellence in power relief pitching, is as impressive as Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak."
- NY Daily News, "It's Time to Face the Truth," (article begins talking about Paul LoDuca, part about Rivera starts mid-page).
- photo 2006 All Star game from si.com
Labels: 8/06, Rivera most valuable Yankee of all time-Lupica
