Posted on 09/27/2013 12:35:49 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
NEW YORK – His was the Voice of the Yankees, Bob Sheppard’s grand baritone, whose perfect diction and harmonic intonation were the narrative embodiment of old Yankee Stadium, elevating every moment to the highest of theater.
A recording of the late Sheppard’s introduction of “No. 42, Mariano Rivera, No. 42” greeted the opening of the bullpen door in the top of the eighth inning of a September afterthought, first home game of Rivera’s 19-year career in which the Yankees had already been eliminated. Rivera’s sendoff didn’t need a boost of gravitas, but it didn’t hurt in a game New York trailed 4-0, so Sheppard’s surprise salutation only furthered the frenzy.
From there, Metallica took its cue, and “Enter Sandman” blared in the Bronx for the final time, and Rivera, gripping his glove with his right hand, jogged on in from the bullpen to thunderous cheers and rapid-fire flashbulbs that gave the stands a strobe-like feel, the fans’ final chance to document the greatest relief pitcher of all-time in action.
Echoing the similar moment across town at Citi Field for the All-Star Game, even the opposing Rays took a moment away from their wild-card pursuit to exit the dugout and applaud, a tribute to which Rivera dutifully replied with a tip of the cap.
“It was amazing,” he said later. “It was a great night.”
There were, however, glimpses of baseball as usual. Manager Joe Girardi’s parting words to Rivera on the mound were, “first and second, one out,” a reminder of the mess his reliever was inheriting. Later, after completing his warmup tosses, Rivera paused for a moment behind the rubber and stared at the baseball before returning to the present and gesturing toward Robinson Cano, signaling whom he’d be throwing to at second base in case of a comebacker.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlb.si.com ...
The screen got blurry when Jeter and Petitte went out to the mound to go get him.
It’s rarer and rarer these days to see players spend their entire careers with one club.
however there was a game 6 and a game 7
In game 6 the Arizona Diamondbacks had 22 hits
a new World Series record
In Game 6 , the winning pitcher was Randy Johnson
In game 7 Curt Schilling was relieved by the game 7 winner, Randy Johnson
remember the most popular themed t shirt during the start of the run ?
No but I'll bet it was in those Taco Bell colors they wore back then.
no one EVER dominated like that
Right you are.
I used to think that ‘Goose’ Gossage was the Man,
until I saw Rivera...
a ghost image of Randy Johnson from the side in full windup and the t shirt said
It takes more than nine Yanks to whip this Johnson
I have been a lifelong Yankees fan. I am a Diamondbacks fan. The night that Luis Gonzalez hit Mario Rivera’s fast ball to win the 2001 World Series, I jumped up and down and and screamed and cheered and, and went nuts. But I felt bad for my Brother in Christ, Mr. Rivera. Mr. Rivera will be a difficult act to follow. A class act at that.
I still do....
THAT is an astounding number.
It was good to hear Bob Sheppard again. It was great to see #42 run to the mound. He got his outs, then Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte came to get him, and he hugged his longtime teammates. They walked off together, symbolically ending an era.
Mo was the last man in the dugout. He came out to the mound and scooped up a piece of dirt, holding it in his hands as he did his interview with Meredith Marakovits of YES.
As he has done throughout his career, he did it all with grace, class, and dignity. For that, he’ll be missed, as well as for the brilliant performances he gave over his 19-year career. If you’re a Yankee fan and the Yankees were up a run or two after 8, you knew the Sandman was coming and the ballgame was over. To maintain that degree of humility while displaying that level of excellence so consistently is remarkable, especially in this day and age.
Thank you, Mariano.
The Yankees’ YES Network ran comments form players on other teams. Great line from Alex Gordon, the young slugger from the Royals: “I wish he’d stick around so I could get a hit off him.”
When Bud Selig unilaterally retired #42 for Jackie in 1997, all the players, coaches, and managers then wearing 42 were allowed to keep it, but no team could issue #42. Mo is the last of them.
Which is why one of his favorite gifts that he has received is a rocking chair from the Twins, made entirely of broken bats. The Twins named it "The Chair of Broken Dreams".
Thank you, Mariano
Well said sir.
Well said...
I want Mariano Rivera to be the first baseball player to be voted unanimously into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). And there’s a good chance it will happen: the mass media in general has really liked Rivera over the years.
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