The “Mo”st Valuable Yankee Ever: Rivera
June 30, 2009 · Jack Doran · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Mariano Rivera. How fortunate are Yankee fans to know this name?
As a player, few argue against naming Rivera the greatest closer ever. In fact, the only person I’ve heard name better closers than Rivera is Rivera himself. In a recent ESPN interview, Rivera rattled off many current closers he declared better than him. Many beg to differ.
As a person, Rivera calls for such superlative words that writing them causes injustice. But, I need to fill the page so how about: class, character, competitor, humble, thankful, gracious, teacher, mentor…and now omissions could fill the rest of the page.
The statistics on the back of the card have become stuff of legend. The statistics in the postseason are unseen before and likely unseen again.
Inevitably, you hear analysts marvel that Rivera has made such a career with one pitch. His immortal cut fastball. If you look, it’s more than one pitch. It’s one pitch that can locate on any one of the four quadrants of home plate. With the command of a maestro, that one cutter becomes four. And don’t forget the put-away four-seam fastball up in the batter’s eyes.
Now, as for the article’s title, is Rivera the most valuable Yankee ever? Was the hitter Ruth more valuable? The pride of Gehrig? The Clipper or Mick in center? The Chairman of the Board Whitey on the hill? The 10-ringed Berra? I beg to differ. I’ll take “The Great Rivera”.
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