Enter Sandman Final Curtain Call

Baseball returns tonight, but instead of focusing on the second half of this season I would rather go in a different direction and talk about a specific player. That player is Mariano Rivera. This will be very tough for me given my passion of always rooting against the New York Yankees; but given what Rivera stands for on, and off the field I have much respect for the last player to ever wear 42 in the Majors.

Rivera career started on May 23, 1995. At that time he was a starting pitcher, but in the 1996 season he was moved to the bullpen, and then it took the Yankees another year for them to hand the ninth inning over to Rivera, and once they did "Enter Sandman" was born. In 2012 Rivera career took an ugly turn when on May 3rd during Yankee batting practice Mariano tore his ACL which ended his whole 2012 season. MO did not want his career to end with him being carted off the field, and with that in mind Rivera stated 2013 will be his last season.

MO was responsible for the "rebirth" of the Yankees in the 90's, and topped it all off by winning four World Series in five years, and recording a save in the clinching games three straight years (1998-200). On the flip side we all will remember Luis Gonzalez bloop hit in game seven of the 2001 World Series which won the Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks (This is still the only loss of Rivieras postseason career), and David Roberts steal in game four of the 2004 American League Championship Series, which ignited the Boston Red Sox historic comeback.

Here is some stats that will help put into context how great Mariano is. MO has a 2.20 ERA in the regular season, and .70 ERA in the postseason! 42 saves in the postseason, and 638 saves and counting in the regular season. Trevor Hoffman who is second on the all time save list has 601, the closest active closer is Joe Nathan who has 328 saves. MO 2.20 ERA sits 13th lowest ERA of all-time (minimum of 1000 inning pitch to qualify).

Last Tuesday night baseball fans witnessed the best curtain call in baseball history. Rivera was called into the All-Star game to pitch the eighth inning. When MO ran onto the field he was caught off guard when no American League player took the field for the inning. Instead both the National League and American League All-Stars stood on the edge of the field to give Mariano Rivera a standing ovation. MO then responded by pitching 1-2-3 eighth inning, and for his efforts in that inning, he received the All-Star MVP honor.

When this season is over with, Rivera will call it quits on Hall of Fame career which has spanned 19 seasons, five World Series championships, five Rolaids Relief Man Awards, three Delivery Man awards, and 13 all star game selections. Not to mention shattering the all-time save record along the way. Mariano career was as dominant as his cut fastball was to hitters, and the only fitting way for MO to go out is striking out the last batter in the ninth inning of the World Series clinching game. That would be the ultimate way to send out a legend who almost never made it because he couldn't cut it as a starter so instead he was thrown into the bullpen and 18 years later; there stands the greatest pitcher to ever be summoned from any bullpen in the Major League history.