Sunday, August 29, 2010

 

In Chicago, August 29

2nd photo with Marcus Thames,
8/29/10 v White Sox, final 2-1, ap, reuters, getty, getty

 

In Chicago, August 28

final score 12-9, reuters, ap

Saturday, August 21, 2010

 

At the Stadium, August 21st

Rivera enters in the 8th with 2 on, 2 out
score 7-4. Final 9-5 over Mariners. all getty

Thursday, August 19, 2010

 

At the Stadium, August 18th


Sunday, August 15, 2010

 

In Kansas City, August 15

Rivera signs for fans before Sunday's game. getty

 

Mariano Rivera greatest Yankee since Mickey Mantle-Moulton

"Thursday afternoon and evening a pair of Jonathan’s imploded: Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox and Jonathan Broxton of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Papelbon gave up three runs in the ninth inning to lose a game against Toronto. Broxton did one better, giving up four runs in the ninth to lose to the Phillies.

it made me wonder if maybe there is a certain Yankee

Tough to pull off since he makes $15 million per season and is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but

Yes, I know what I just said. Better than Thurman, Reggie, Mattingly, Winfield, Bernie, Posada, Pettitte, A-Rod and dare I say ...

If your team was three outs from winning the World Series and protecting a one-run lead today,

The answer is so easy, the question seems laughable, despite the fact that Rivera turns 41 in November.

Papelbon and Broxton combined gave up more earned runs Thursday than Rivera has all year (7 to 5). Papelbon, 29, and Broxton, 26, are both 6-foot-4 and over 225 pounds.

Rivera looks like a middle-aged executive. He’s 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and has lost a yard off his fastball. The man they simply call “Mo”

Yet his ERA is 1.06. That’s because he gave up a run on Wednesday.

Only once in the last eight years has his final ERA been above 1.94. Once!

And he throws one pitch, two ways. A fastball. Straight and cut.

His size, demeanor and stuff should make him the most unassuming closer in baseball.

I mean Tyson at his peak, Tiger in 2000, the Patriots offense in 2007 and the SEC in the national championship game, feared.

How does he do it? He credits God. By now,

Largely because his 550 regular season saves and career 2.21 ERA pale in comparison

He’s statistically three times better in the fall

Rivera has pitched in 88 playoff games and given up 11 earned runs.

He has blown just four saves against the best teams in baseball

inherited the tying run on third with no outs.

of his throwing error (Game 7 of the 2001 World Series).

That despite there being no more important player in baseball,

Remarkably after elbow surgery in the minors, he was left unprotected in the 1993 expansion draft.

Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s number in 1997. Everyone wearing No. 42 then was allowed to keep it until their career was over. Rivera will be the last man to wear No. 42 in the history of Major League Baseball. Fitting, for as former Twins manager Tom Kelly once said of Rivera, “He needs to pitch in a higher league.”

So take the time over the next eight to 10 weeks to stop and marvel at the unassuming middle-aged Panamanian,

Even if it is football season."

"David Moulton is a freelance writer. He co-hosts “Miller and Moulton in the Afternoon,” which airs weekdays 2 to 7 p.m. on WWCN/AM 770 ESPN. His column runs Sunday, Wednesday and Friday."

*"Gary Bolte Says:


Thursday, August 12, 2010

 

In Arlington, August 11

Final score 7-6 Yankees. 8 pitches from Rivera. "A night after losing in Texas for the
Rivera gave up a leadoff triple to Elvis Andrus in the ninth before retiring the Nos. 2-4 hitters, including Josh Hamilton on a comebacker after the majors' leading hitter already had three hits."...photos reuters, ap
The writer doesn't say if by the word 'career' he includes the work players do in post season along with regular season stats. Including post season stats, in this case Rivera's in Arlington, makes a 16-year historical stat more interesting not to mention accurate. (In my experience, I've never seen an MLB writer declare a "career" stat that includes both regular and post season, so if this writer did it would be unusual). I've observed that MLB personnel downplay or do not mention post season stats viewing them as 'unfair' to players who weren't 'lucky' enough to get to the post season. Or that it's unfair to players who played before the modern era 3 levels of post season play. They somehow don't view it as 'unfair' that players who are 'lucky' enough to do the extra work should have it ignored. By simply not mentioning the existence of post season stats it becomes the accepted way for millions of people to view players. It assumes everyone was resting on the couch in October and November when in reality some were pouring their guts out in freezing cold and rain. It is no different than being told you're about to see the complete works of Picasso, and finding out accidentally a few years later that wasn't the case, that many of his paintings had been kept out of the show for some reason. In the case of baseball, with much emphasis put on stamina and durability, both physical and mental, it's particularly peculiar to make a point of excluding a player's actual work. Assuming that's what happened by mentioning '32 career appearances over 16 seasons' without mentioning 3 ALDS appearances. If he included post season, I take everything back. I've mentioned this topic before. ed.

Monday, August 09, 2010

 

At the Stadium, August 8th

Top at first base with Mike Kelleher after one pitch out, 9th v Red Sox.
Final score 7-2 Yankees. ap, reuters

Saturday, August 07, 2010

 

At the Stadium, August 7


Friday, August 06, 2010

 

At the Stadium for Arod's 600th, August 4th


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