[BlackElk]

When Jackie Robinson's #42 was retired, each active Major League player who was wearing #42 was allowed to keep that number but no future players would be allowed to wear it. Mariano Rivera was the last of those allowed to wear #42.

As actor Robert Duvall described the Babe Ruth character (the Whammer) in the film, the Natural, so with Mariano Rivera: "He is the best that is, the best that ever was and the best that ever will be." (In Mo's case, as a closer or even as a reliever).

There were numerous crucial innings in which Mariano would come in, pitch to baseball's best and most powerful hitters, and literally saw off their favorite bats in their hands with his trademark pitch. no one EVER dominated like that, No one EVER will.

Add to that the fact that he is a humble, decent, generous, kind and quite religious man in this day and age.

[dfwgator]

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.

[Paisan]

no one EVER dominated like that

Right you are.

I used to think that ‘Goose’ Gossage was the Man,

until I saw Rivera...

[TBP]

There were numerous crucial innings in which Mariano would come in, pitch to baseball's best and most powerful hitters, and literally saw off their favorite bats in their hands with his trademark pitch.

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".