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Remarks by President Trump at Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mariano Rivera Issued on: September 16, 2019 East Room 2:20 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, everybody.  “The Sandman.”  My wife asked me, “Why ‘The Sandman’?  Just tell me.”  (Laughter.)  Our First Lady.  I said, “Because he put the batter to sleep, right?”  (Laughter.)  “The Sandman.”  A lot of people don’t know that, but the Yankee fans know that.  We’ve watched it for a long time. Thank you all for coming.  The First Lady and I are delighted to welcome you to the White House.  Today,...

The Daily Beast published a hit piece on baseball Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, attacking the New York Yankees legend's "far-right politics." But the outspoken Christian told Fox News "that won't change my position, that won't change my belief." Rivera, the greatest closer of all time, said his faith is "No. 1" in his life and he doubled down on his support for President Trump and the state of Israel. "Mr. President Trump to me, he was a friend of mine before he became president," Rivera told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday. "So, because he's president I will turn my...

The Daily Beast published an article Sunday accusing Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Mariano Rivera of “secret far-right politics,” solely on the basis of the fact that he is a Christian who supports the State of Israel. The story, by Robert Silverman, is titled, “Inside Baseball Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera’s Secret Far-Right Politics.” But there is no evidence of “secret far-right politics” in the article. Instead, there is just an extensive recounting of Rivera’s support for Israel. Silverman says that despite the admiration the legendary New York Yankees closer has received from fans, he has “served at the pleasure...

There's now an unmistakable fad in woke, clickbait 'journalism' that seeks to ruin or diminish someone or something by calling it out as "problematic" on an otherwise celebratory occasion.  For example, the petty op/eds published around July 4th arguing that America is actually mediocre at best.  Or stories highlighting the dredged up, years-old tweets of athletes or entertainers enjoying a moment in the spotlight for their achievements.  Or the nasty attacks on HGTV's star couple, or a lovable Hollywood leading man, because they happen to be people of faith who don't grovel at the alter of liberal orthodoxy.  Or...

For the first time in history, the 425 voters of the Baseball Hall of Fame elected a Major League Baseball player, Mariano Rivera, by a unanimous vote. Rivera’s latest accomplishment is just as much a testament to the man as to his career. Mariano Rivera was born in Panama. Known for his athleticism, he was drafted by the New York Yankees as a starting pitcher in the early 1990s. It was around this time that Rivera became a born-again Christian. Moving his way up to the Major Leagues in 1995, Rivera did not achieve great success as a starter, but,...

Leave it to a Red Sox scribe to rain on Mariano Rivera’s historic quest. Bill Ballou, of the Worcester, Mass., Telegram, spent about 1,500 words Saturday arguing that the Yankees legend shouldn’t receive a bid into the Hall. We checked the calendar. April Fools’ is months away. “...The Save — the baseball kind — is the lowest-hanging fruit on the game’s statistical tree,” Ballou writes. “Closers are its naked emperors.” Ballou continuously bashes the role of the closer, and even brings up Craig Kimbrel for sake of argument.

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...

Following Tiger Woods' recent win at the Bay Hill Invitational golf tournament last month, Nike released a commercial featuring its star endorser that defiantly stated, “Winning settles everything.” Company representatives said the ad was intended only to answer questions about the golfer's competitive drive after several years of uneven play. What Nike didn't acknowledge, but almost everyone assumes, is that the ad also was intended to silence anyone still critical of Woods' personal transgressions off the course. As a sports fan in general, and a lover of the game of golf in particular, I thought the ad was contemptible. Woods...

New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, 43, announced Saturday that this will be his last season playing professional baseball. While he was with the Yankees the team won five World Series titles. Rivera hopes to end his career with one more. Saying he made the decision before arriving at spring training, Mariano Rivera announced Saturday that he will retire at the end of the season and hopes to cap his record-setting career by winning another World Series with the New York Yankees. Rivera was surrounded by family and teammates when he made the announcement during a news conference at the...