Well Done, Mariano, Well Done

TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE NOTICED THAT WE QUIETLY CELEBRATED A YEAR HERE POSTING BLOGS ON THE WORLD OF SPORTS, THANK YOU FOR READING AND WRITING. IT HAS BEEN A FUN 13 MONTHS OR SO AND YOUR COMPLIMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

NEWS ITEM-MARIANO RIVERA ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT

It's not often that we can say we saw the greatest anything in life, but if you have been following major league baseball for the past 18 years you have seen the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history whenever you watched the great Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees. Mariano announced this weekend that this will be his last season as an active player, and he goes into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame 5 years after this season.

Simply put, nobody has ever done better than Mariano. Not listing all of his accomplishments here, all you need to know that in post season play he has pitched to an era of 0.70. Simply incredible.

To me, early on as Mo began setting up saves for John Wettland in 1996, I began calling him Mr. Automatic as he came in struck people out and went into the dugout. The Yankees noticed it too, making him the closer officially in 1997.  Mariano manages to make it almost look easy as his slender build, modest delivery, and flaming slider just render hitters hopeless.

What I will remember most about Mariano is his consistency and class in his profession. He never celebrated a performance, that's what he was getting paid to do. Never showed anybody up, and always gave credit to his teammates, his manager, anybody but himself. 

In these days where role models are a vanishing breed, it is refreshing to me to see Mo reflect the image of the late Jackie Robinson; quiet yet powerful, understated yet unbeatable. Certainly Mariano retires as baseball's last number 42. Well done, Marian, well done. See you in Cooperstown!