Congratulations On 500, Mo!

Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera has recorded save number 500 tonight against the Mets.

That amazing feat has only been accomplished by just one other closer in Major League Baseball history-- Trevor Hoffman (and that was in the NL).

"Definitely, it's good," Rivera said. "I won't tell you it's not meaningful. It's a blessing."

In addition to his 500th save, Mariano also recorded his first ever RBI after being walked with the bases loaded by none other than Fransisco Rodriguez.

Congratulations, Mo. You have been a vital part of the Yankees over the years and your services have definitely not gone unnoticed.

Rivera Surgery Success, Will Throw In 3 Months

Mariano Rivera

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had surgery Tuesday on his right shoulder and is expected to resume throwing in three months, a month ahead of spring training.

New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek operated at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Altchek also operated on catcher Jorge Posada's shoulder last summer.

Altchek shaved a calcified joint on the top of Rivera's shoulder. The 38-year-old Rivera had 39 saves this year, and his 1.40 ERA was his best since 2005.

Mariano the Great

Mariano Rivera

It is arguable, that at age 37, Mariano Rivera just completed his best regular season in his sure-fire first ballot, Hall of Fame career.

Mo's 1.40 ERA is the second lowest of his career (1.38 in 2005)

His 0.66 WHIP is the lowest of his storied career (0.86 in 2005)

He gave up a career-low 11 earned runs for the entire season.

Mo walked a ridiculous 6 (SIX!!) batters all year long and struck out 77 (12+ k/bb)

In case you think maybe Mo did all of this in less than an average amount of work, Mo has averaged 73 innings per year (even including his 107 inning year in '96 as Wetteland's set-up man) and logged 70 2/3 this year.

Oh, Mo pitched all year with a sore shoulder too.

Mariano Rivera Reaches 1,000 Innings Pitched

Mariano Rivera

Congratulations, Mo.

Will Francona Enter Sandman In The 9th?

Mariano Rivera

Bryan Hoch/MLB.com:

Terry Francona may be attempting to guard the worst-kept secret in the All-Star Game. Should the American League take a lead into the ninth inning of Tuesday night's All-Star Game, Mariano Rivera fully expects to be warmed and ready to close out the contest at Yankee Stadium.

"I would love to -- I definitely would love to," Rivera said on Monday. "I have a feeling, knowing Francona, that he will put me in there if we have the opportunity to close the game."

The 38-year-old Rivera is in the midst of a career campaign for the Yankees, having converted his first 23 save opportunities as he opens a new three-year contract. Even though Francona has a pretty solid option heading to the Bronx from his own club, the ultra-effective Jonathan Papelbon, Rivera seemed to believe the ball for the ninth inning would be all his.

"It's tough, but we're here in Yankee Stadium, and I think I should get a shot," Rivera said.

Rivera said that he had not considered what it might be like to jog to the mound in the ninth inning with World Series home-field advantage on the line.

"I haven't thought about that yet, but I know definitely it is going to be special," Rivera said. "I hope we have the opportunity to be ahead and have the chance to close the game and experience how it is going to be."

"It's an honor to have the opportunity to close this game in Yankee Stadium, which is going to be the last All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium, period," Rivera said. "It's a privilege and a pleasure to do that.

"First of all, it's home. You're talking about the history of baseball, and when you're talking about Yankee Stadium, you have to talk about greatest players that have gone through it, and amazing fights and football games and all the events that took place in Yankee Stadium. But the most important things are all of those championships."

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said that he would not be surprised to see Rivera emerge from the bullpen gates as the evening grew closer toward midnight.

"It'd be fitting," Jeter said. "But I guess that's our job and everyone's in here -- to give him that opportunity. It'd definitely be fitting to see him come out for that ninth inning."

Moose Cruises, Joba Confuses, Mariano Defuses

Mariano Rivera

Bryan Hoch/MLB.Com:

Hank Steinbrenner may not have been shy about his phone calls, but the more important event for the Yankees was hearing those Moose calls.

Mike Mussina won his fifth consecutive start Wednesday night for the Yankees, who snapped a short two-game skid by limiting the Rays to one run over 6 1/3 innings. Robinson Cano had four hits, including an RBI, and Bobby Abreu also drove in a run, leading New York to a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.

The resurgent right-hander was sharp once more, mixing his pitches and spotting his offspeed stuff with command over an 87-pitch performance, scattering five hits. Mussina walked one and struck out four, lowering his ERA to 3.99. The performance came hours after manager Joe Girardi held the first closed-door clubhouse meeting of his tenure, and on the same day that Steinbrenner issued comments criticizing the club's sluggish 19-21 start.

Mussina started the seventh inning and recorded the first out, but was lifted after a walk to Evan Longoria, earning a mixture of Moose calls from the Tropicana Field crowd. Cliff Floyd greeted reliever Ross Ohlendorf with a single, and Dioner Navarro shot a run-scoring hit up the middle, but Ohlendorf escaped the inning when Gabe Gross lined to Derek Jeter for a deftly turned double play, nabbing Floyd off the bag.

After scoring just twice in their previous 24 innings entering the game, the Yankees touched Rays right-hander James Shields for runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Hideki Matsui rapped a two-out double up the gap in left-center and scored on Cano's single to center; in the fifth, Morgan Ensberg led off with a single, moved up on a sacrifice and scored on Abreu's two-out double.

MIA: Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera

Wow.

I can not wait for the explanation of this one.

Okay...I understand that the game was tied but don't you think that Mariano Rivera could potentially enter in the 9th and get out of of an inning using 10 or less pitches? If he could do that for one inning, couldn't he do it for another? I mean couldn't we at least give ourselves a shot at scoring some runs in extra innings?

I mean come on Girardi.

Mariano Rivera can't throw 20-25 pitches in a game anymore? Get out of town.

This game sucked. The managing was pathetic and so were the players. Mistakes like this will drag you down in more ways than one. It cannot continue.

The Yankees are not in that bad of shape just yet...but see what a four game sweep in Cleveland does for the energy of this team.

Mo Ready To Mow Down Some Red Sux

Mariano Rivera

Justin Terranova of the New York Post:

Mariano Rivera did not have to enter last night's 15-9 marathon win over the Red Sox, which means The Sandman will be available tonight if the Yankees need him.

And with Joba in Nebraska and can't-quite-get-out-of-the-sixth-inning Mike Mussina starting, the Yankees could be in desperate need of Rivera tonight. Especially when a repeat offensive outburst is far-fetched with Red Sox ace Josh Beckett pitching.

"He is the top of the list of pitchers I have ever caught," fill-in catcher Chad Moeller said of Rivera. "It is no secret what is coming. He just executes it every time. You know what is coming and there is nothing you can do with it."

Rivera has looked as dominant in 2008 at the age of 38 as he has been throughout his career. In 6 1/3 innings, he has given up three hits, walked none and struck out six. Most importantly, he has not allowed a run in earning his five saves.

The end results have been good since Chamberlain left the team to be near his ailing father in his hometown of Lincoln, Neb. Three games, three wins. But the means to get those wins have not been pretty.

Billy Traber and Bruney were roughed up Monday in Tampa Bay when they allowed a 7-1 lead to evaporate. Ross Ohlendorf was knocked around in last night's win, and a 7-3 advantage turned into a 9-7 deficit.

The Bombers' bats and the always reliable Mariano Rivera have bailed them out thus far...but just how long can it hold up?

Three Up, Three Down For Mariano

Mariano Rivera

Mariano just pitched a really good inning of work today. Three up, Three down. So much for the rust!!!

Mo Throws Some BP

Mariano Rivera

Peter Abraham reports Mariano Rivera has arrived in Tampa and thrown his first BP session of the Spring. Dave Eiland was looking on as Rivera threw.

“I felt fine, it was good,” said Rivera, who is scheduled to appear in his first game on Friday. “Everything was good.”

Rivera said he was not worried about location. His goal was just to get a little stronger.

“Everything is on schedule,” he said.

Rivera traditionally throws 8-10 innings each spring and will go back-to-back once. There also could be a game when he gets five outs. At this stage in his career, he knows exactly what he needs to be ready.

Before He Was The Sandman

Mariano Rivera

One of the greatest closers in Major League Baseball history was not always a multi-millionaire. He was not always the go-to guy in the ninth inning of a crucial World Series game. Before he became that man, he was just a poor kid who loved the game of baseball.

With all of the million dollar paychecks and scandals currently rocking Major League Baseball, I feel it is important for not only the players but also the fans to remember back to when they first fell in love with the game of baseball.

Here is what it was like for "The Sandman".
_____________________________________________

Mariano Rivera reached into his locker, lifted the lid off a shoe box and described how the cardboard would have made a perfect baseball glove for him as a skinny 7-year-old in Panama. Rivera sounded like a giddy kid as he spoke of tearing a hole in one narrow end of the cardboard and then poking his hand through to the other side for a homemade glove that would last for weeks. Well, maybe for a few days.

As Rivera discussed his first memories of baseball, he never stopped beaming and never stopped using his words, his hands, his eyes and his laugh to convince a visitor how special those warm days on the dusty streets of Puerto Caimito really were.

It did not matter that Rivera had to snatch rocks, tennis balls and taped-up balls in a flimsy cardboard glove. It did not matter that the bats were usually plastic. It did not matter that there were no grass fields and that the rhythm of games depended on the traffic flow on the streets. To listen and to watch Rivera, his introduction to baseball was pure nirvana.

"It makes me smile and it makes me happy to think about that," Rivera said. "It makes me feel good. I'll always have that inside me. I'll always remember seeing the kids playing back home. I still play with them. If I was there now, I'd be playing with them. They love me."

So innocent, so soft-spoken, so genuine. That is the Rivera who reads the Bible in the clubhouse, who sends boxes of equipment home to Panama so other children will have real gloves, who worked daily as a fisherman with his father, Captain Mariano, and who strangely insisted that he did not even consider becoming a professional player until after he signed a contract.

"You see most kids trying to be Nolan Ryan or Don Mattingly," Rivera said. "I never had that. I never thought about being a pro. I just got the ball, got my glove and enjoyed the game.

Projecting Current Yankee HOFers

Mariano Rivera

The hall of fame results are set to be announces tomorrow at 2pm and it got me thinking, How many current Yankees will end up making the Hall? Now even though I project the holy trinity to dominate for years lets skip the kids, including Cano, for this exercise and only look at players with 10+ years in the league.

No-Brainers
Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez
All three are first-ballot candidates even if they never played another game. Jeter will have 3,000 hits barring injury (has 2356) and with all his gold gloves and clutch play he is in. ARod might become a guy everyone starts rooting for as he starts to erase Bonds from history, he really could retire today and be a first ballot candidate. Rivera is the greatest closer ever, period.

Borderline
Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada
Mussina
Now Mussina has a real good shot. His numbers are pretty close;
Top Ten Cy Young - 8 times
Top Ten Wins - 8 times
Top Ten K's - 10 times
Top Ten adjusted ERA+ - 10 times
Five Time All-Star(Seems low)
6 Gold Gloves
Career ERA 3.70
250 Career Wins
The biggest issue Mussina will have is not with the quality of his numbers but the fact that he doesn't have any of he criteria that voters love; a high peak, reaching number thresholds and postseason excellence. High Peak-Moose never won 20 games and never won the Cy Young. He was always overshadowed by Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson. Reaching Numbers - 250 wins is nice but 300 is still where automatic election begins. Postseason excellence - Moose pitched some great games in the post season but his numbers (Except Wins) are almost a carbon-copy of his regular season numbers(3.42 Era more then a K per inning). I once heard Moose referred to as Mr Almost, almost wins 20 games, almost won a series, almost pitches a perfect game and it looks like almost makes the hall.

Andy Pettitte
Andy has 200 Wins at age 35 and could become a strong candidate if he pitched well for 3-4 more years. Add in his 18-7 postseason record and he becomes a real strong maybe. However, it looks like he will pack it in sooner rather then later and end his career with 230+ wins, that won't be enough but if he has a late career surge he could make it in.

Jorge Posada
I was surprised to find myself putting Jorge on this list but he has 5 silver slugger awards in the eight years since he been a full-time player. Does the best player at a position for almost a decade deserve consideration for the hall? I think so. Jorge does only have 218 career home runs, to have a reasonable shot he needs to eclipse 300.

Most likely we are probably looking at four who end up getting in; Rivera, Jeter, ARod and one from Posada, Moose and Andy.

Rivera wants four years

Mariano Rivera

According to Fox Sports;
"There is a reason why Mariano Rivera has not accepted the Yankees' offer of a three-year, $45-million contract.
Rivera, according to major-league sources, wants a fourth guaranteed year"

I was on the fence about 3 years but if he is standing hard on four you have to let him go and try and find it elsewhere.