Mariano Rivera Highlights

"Jackie Robinson would have been 88 years old today.

Wonder what he would have thought.

• No doubt he'd be honored that Major League Baseball permanently retired his No. 42 (Yankee Hall of Famer closer Mariano Rivera will be the last one to wear it).

He'd probably be happy and surprised to see the Red Sox hosting their fifth annual celebration of his life today at Fenway Park. And I bet he'd be proud to see Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as head coaches in Sunday's Super Bowl." From article by Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe, 1/31/07

• Dan Shaughnessy weighs in on Mariano's Hall of Fame status.

"For arguments sake, Mariano Rivera is to the Yankees what Adam Vinatieri was to the Patriots - the closer."

• From the article by Danny Crandall, The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, Mass., 1/25/07

"Rivera's the guy you want on the mound to get the last three outs of a big game. Vinatieri was the guy you wanted on the field to get the last three points of a big game.

• No one has more postseason saves than Rivera and no one has more game-winning field goals in the playoffs than Vinatieri. The two are money in the bank... but unfortunately for Patriots' fans, Vinatieri is going for ring No. 4 next weekend instead of planning a golf outing."

"South still was threatening with four minutes left, down by just 6. Like Mariano Rivera out of the bullpen, Coblentz slammed the door."

• Written by Josh Weir, CantonRep.com, Canton Repository, 1/24/07

P.S. Sheldon Ocker, apparently you lost big-time.

"Vinatieri, the Mariano Rivera of football, will be wearing a helmet with a horseshoe on Sunday."

• Written by Jeff Jacobs, The Hartford Courant, 1/20/07

"He is the Mariano Rivera of pro football and gives Manning and his coach the same peace of mind the New York Yankees phenomenal reliever provides to manager Joe Torre. Vinatieri has 19 career game-winning kicks and owns a postseason-record 34 field goals, breaking the record of 32 held by Gary Anderson."

• Vinatieri eases the pressure quarterback Peyton Manning has felt the last few years, trying to carry the Colts to a Super Bowl on his back.

Now that dynamic is altered. Vinatieri was not only the biggest difference-maker for these Colts, scoring all their points against the Ravens,

• but he could make all the difference in their bid to cross the Super Bowl threshold."

From USA Today article by Jim Corbett, "Money Well Spent, VINATIERI GIVES COLTS NEW DYNAMIC AS POST SEASON THREAT," 1/18/07

"Like a hot goalie in the NHL playoffs, or having to bat against Mariano Rivera in the World Series… none of the pros wanted to battle with Fricke, especially with the best hand…

• because they knew the result would be deadly."
  

Article from Poker News by Dr. Pauly McGuire, Jan. 17, 2007

• (I guess they were only going by experience. And the major difference--not having been influenced by any BBWAA, ESPN, etc.) sm

"Vinatieri is the Mariano Rivera of football; when he lines up a kick you know he'll get the job done,

• maybe that's why Brady has been so cool under fire by knowing he had someone who could close the game for him."
  

Statement by Mike Maniscalco, 1/17/07, Richmond.com and Sportsradio 910,WRNL, from the paragraph:

"Adam Vinatieri might be the most important player in NFL history. *

• If the clutch kicker had been in Indianapolis all these years would we be talking about Peyton Manning as a three-time champion and Tom Brady as a good but not great QB? Vinatieri has already proved his worth by kicking five field goals against Baltimore last week. Vinatieri is the Mariano Rivera of football; when he lines up a kick you know he'll get the job done, maybe that's why Brady has been so cool under fire by knowing he had someone who could close the game for him."

(*This recalls Mike Lupica's statement in 2006, "Mariano Rivera is the greatest money athlete of all time." from the NY Daily News, posted on one of my other sites, XM MLB Chat)

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA - "Think the Yankees' Mariano Rivera is a great closer?
He's got nothing on Cole Konrad.For the second consecutive year, Konrad posted a walk-off pin, giving the Gophers the championship of the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen National Duals. Konrad, the defending NCAA heavyweight champion, pinned Missouri's Tyler Perry in 2 minutes, 13 seconds, rallying the No. 2-ranked Gophers from a two-point deficit to a 20-16 victory over the No. 1 Tigers on Sunday."

• Granted the 'Minneapolis Star Tribune News Services' writer ends up saying the wrestler is even better than Mo, but we're talking about a writer from Minneapolis, actually acknowledging the supreme standard Mariano provides. (They'll never do this around BBWAA awards time, of course). But, they've been caught, as it were.

A fundraiser for World Police & Fire Olympic Games will honor Mariano Rivera and Willie Randolph. From the NY Daily News, 1/11/07

"It's called the World Police & Fire Games, with 18,000 athletes from law enforcement and fire services from 70 countries descending on New York City from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5, 2011, for a 10-day battle of the badges involving thousands of events in 65 categories, including 40 Olympic sports like boxing, wrestling, volleyball, swimming, golf and baseball, in venues across all five boroughs.

There will be a fund-raiser Thursday, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, and although the games won't be held until 2011, the clock already is ticking loudly on an event this massive.

• The Jan. 11 WPFG 2011 fund-raiser at the Javits Center will honor Willie Randolph and Mariano Rivera. Tickets are $500.

"We're getting some corporate sponsorship," says Carney. "And lots of in-kind help from state and city government and from various sports organizations. But we're clearly looking for a generous philanthropist, or a few angels, to sponsor these games."

The first responders who always come to the rescue now need our help.

For tickets to the fund-raiser, call (646) 291-6657, ext. 123, or visit www.2011wpfg.org. Send contributions to WPFG, 45-56 171 Pl., Flushing, NY 11358."

Originally published on January 11, 2007

"Nonetheless, whatever the Yankees have lost to the Red Sox in the starting rotation, they may have gained in the bullpen. Papelbon leaves the Sox without anyone to match up

• against Mariano Rivera, who remains the closer against whom all others will be measured."
  

Words of Tony Massarotti, Boston Herald, 1/7/07

Former Washington Redskins QB Doug Williams advises back-up QB's coming in late in HIGH STAKES GAMES to emulate Mariano:

• '''I didn't sit on the sideline thinking 'backup,''' Williams said. ''I had a starter's mentality. When I went out there, I didn't think of myself as the relief pitcher; I thought of myself as the pitcher.''

• Don't try to do too much. Play within yourself. That's Morrall's advice. Always prepare as though you're going to play. As difficult as that might be, that is the lesson Hostetler learned.
  
• You know the look on New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera's face when he enters a game, that look of supreme confidence? That's the look a backup quarterback should have, Williams said.'

From Chicago Sun-Times article by Neil Hayes, 1/7/07

FOXBORO--'At some point in the future, a man who isn't Mariano Rivera will stand before 55,000 people in the top of the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium and try to get three outs that secure a playoff victory. Failure to do so will persuade many New Yorkers to hate his guts.

• Before he sets off in defense of those guts, that pitcher ought to have a chat with Stephen Gostkowski.

• The Patriots' rookie kicker is expected to live a similar moment soon, most likely in tomorrow's 1 p.m. playoff game against the Jets. Since August,
  
• Gostkowski has been the bearer of a weighty legacy, inheriting a job that once belonged to the most clutch kicker of his--and perhaps any--era.

Adam Vinatieri built that legacy on postseason kicks, making every one that counted, including three Super Bowl winners.

• The deed to Vinatieri's old house requires a balloon payment in January. So

• Gostkowski's future in Foxboro will probably hinge on his ability to make the big kicks that loom in the playoffs. Failure to do so will persuade many New Englanders to hate his guts.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he isn't going to steer those vital opportunities away from Gostkowski's foot.
"I have confidence in him," Belichick said. "So I think if I sent him out there to do the job, he's going to do it. ... Whatever the situation is that we would want to kick in, I have confidence that he would kick well, kickoff, kick field goals, whatever his assignment would be. I think he is a player that can do what we are going to ask him to do, or I wouldn't put him out there."' article by David Brown, Standard-Times, from southcoasttoday.com, 1/6/07

• The Universal Mo, once again. sm
  

"Grading the Mariners: The Bullpen and Final Comments (SABRMatt)

I'm going to make my final comments in this post, but I'll save the grand conclusions for the end. Let's turn our attention to the bulk of the bullpen. The overarcing problem as you'll quickly discover is that the Mariners don't presently have a replacement for Rafael Soriano or Mark Lowe, and so guys are being asked to do jobs they're not really capable of doing well."

—— THE CLOSER ——

SabrMatt writing about the Mariners' discusses their bullpen. He must be secure in his career, as he has the courage to speak the truth about Mo:

"J.J. PUTZ

The happy place. Ah, joy. The Mariners produced a bonafide stud closer for the first time in club history in 2006 (no, Sasaki wasn't a stud)

• and they found one that rivals later-day Mariano Rivera (not 1996 Rivera, he is unrivaled in the history of baseball), which bodes well for the end of ballgames if we can get the ball to him.

I will caution Mariner fans however that it is very difficult (and statistically unlikely) for a closer to maintain Putz '06 performance two years in a row. A partial return to earth is probably in store for the kid this year. Even so, he'll compete for Rolaids Relief honors."

Fire Joe Morgan has an entry 1/2/07 about the 7th game of the 2001 World Series, & how the
winning run scored. You've never heard this before because the major media blame Mo. It's so easy to do, because no one speaks up in Mo's defense, least of all the YES Network or any so-called Yankee blogs or even the supposed Mariano fan site. But Fire Joe Morgan happens to understand Mo (in spite of the fact that he's a Yankee), and they aren't too lazy to look at the facts, such as the following play by Scott Brosius (whom we all like, that's not the point):

• "You might remember the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 in 2001. Jay Bell laid down a shitty bunt, picked up by Mo Rivera, who quickly tossed to get the force out at third. Replays showed that Brosius had plenty of time to get Bell at first on a double play, but instead, he held the ball. Jay Bell would go on to score the winning World Series run. In other words, the last time Scott Brosius was involved in a professional baseball play, he basically choked on the biggest stage possible. He also didn't fare too well in game 2 of that World Series: see "GOAT.""

The standard of "closing the door" not bound by any border, language, culture--or date on the calendar! Today, a sportswriter channels Mariano Rivera in describing the Philadelphia Eagles' win:

PHILADELPHIA - "Just as the paying customers anticipated, the NFC East title was hanging in the balance Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

What excitement, what drama, what a way to spend New Year's Eve.

• Unlike two seasons ago, when the Eagles' reserves looked lost while playing the final two games after the team clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs,
  
• the backups put on a relief performance of Mariano Rivera proportions."

From Bob Brookover's article, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/31/06, "Eagles Slip by Falcons, 24-17."