Composed & Controlled Closer

The New York Mets just signed closer, Francisco Rodriguez to a three year deal. K-Rod brings to the Amazin’s all the bells and whistles of amped-up pitching power. Without question, K-Rod will make an impact and impression on the team and the fans in New York. All the comparisons to Marino Rivera are intended to stir up discussions among baseball historians. I do not believer K-Rod has reached the level of Rivera’s success in his career and do not think he ever will. In fact, I am confident there will never be another Mariano-like player to reach the pros.
Rivera is one of the few living baseball legends. Enough cannot be said about Mo and his aura in pinstripes. Rivera is the most composed and controlled closer of all time. He is the main reason the Yankees were as dominant as they were during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The way Mo throws his signature cutter cannot be expressed in words. It’s a thing of beauty and grace. The pitch puzzles hitters and has them shaking in their shoes. In his prime, Mariano was the most feared player to take the mound. He still ranks high on the fear list but has certainly lost some of his dominance. The best thing about Mariano is he takes everything in stride. As humble as Lou Gehrig himself, with the talent of a young Babe Ruth, Rivera is a first ballot sure-thing Hall of Famer. Nothing about Rivera’s appearance indicates his competitiveness. He doesn’t look like he could strike out anybody until you actually see him take over a game. I never had a doubt in my mind about the Yankees closing out games or coming from behind when they called on Rivera. Mariano is not perfect, but is the closest thing to perfection I’ve ever seen in an athlete.
K-Rod is talented and aggressive. He is more flamboyant and self-assured as Rivera and probably will be remembered just as often as Mo. But when it comes down to which player I would rather have on my team, there is no comparison. No disrespect to the new Mets’ closer, but Rivera is in a class of his own. I just thought I would take a moment to appreciate number 42. He won’t be a closer for the Yankees, or any other team, for very much longer. Mo’s career is winding down but he’s already made his place in history.

Parting points: I can’t stop my Foo Fighters fascination. Their latest CD is my favorite yet.