Thursday notes: The Rivera edition
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Feb 17, 2011 
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Mariano Rivera left home yesterday, doing what Andy Pettitte couldn’t bring himself to do this winter.
“It’s hard,” Rivera said. “One of my kids was, the little one was attached to my hip, crying. It’s hard. A lot of people don’t see that, that part of the game. You have to leave your family. Even though you’re going to see them, being detached from your family is hard.”
It seems Rivera never seriously considered retirement this offseason, but he admitted that leaving home “gets harder and harder,” and now that his oldest son is 17, Rivera realizes he’s “missed a lot of things.”
“Baseball is not everything,” Rivera said. “That’s what we do, yeah, but there’s still life after baseball. There will come a time when you have to make a decision, even though you still have the abilities to play. That comes within yourself. If you don’t feel it in your heart, you don’t feel it in yourself no more, it’s time to say goodbye because, why are you going to do it if you don’t have the desire to do it? That’s why I thank God for Andy, and I respect him because he just didn’t have the desire to do it no more.”
I’ve already mentioned a few things about Rivera today, but he’s one of those guys who always leaves plenty of worthwhile notes. Here’s his welcome-back interview, plus a few additional items.
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• Given yesterday’s Joba Chamberlain story, the first question to Rivera was about his weight. “My weight? I think it’s OK,” Rivera said, clearly puzzled and not really getting the joke.
• Rivera said he doesn’t know Rafael Soriano very well and he wasn’t contracted during the Yankees negotiations. Those two have lockers right next to one another. “I don’t know Soriano much at all,” Rivera said. “I have seen him. I have talked to him a little bit, but not much. I will get to know him better this time.”
• During his brief free agency, did Rivera consider playing for anyone but the Yankees? “I either don’t play or play for the Yankees,” he said.
• Who exactly was sick in the Rivera household? “Everybody was sick,” he said. “I was, but I got better.”
• Girardi insisted Rivera isn’t the only veteran who would be allowed to show up late. “There’s actually a lot of them that I trust, because I know how seriously they take the game,” Girardi said. “I know they would find a way to get their work in.”
• Girardi said one thing Soriano might be able to take from Rivera is his longevity. “A lot of people can learn from Mo that as you lose a little off your fastball, that doesn’t mean you can’t be as good,” Girardi said. “You might have to do it a little different — Mo came up with a sinker — so you may have to add a little something to your repertoire, but you can still be a very good pitcher.”
• Girardi on what it will be like when Rivera finally does retire:
“It’s going to be strange, similar to how strange it is not to see Andy Pettitte here. When you have someone that’s been here as long as certain players have been, it’s strange when you walk into the clubhouse and you look where they usually sat and they’re not there.
“Mo is not going to be an easy person to replace, just because of how good he’s been over the years but also what he’s meant to this organization, meant to the clubhouse and his leadership skills. It’s not easy to replace. You have to be careful, because you don’t want the person who comes in after Mo to feel like he has to replace Mo. That person only has to do his job; he doesn’t have to be Mo.
“There’s only going to be one Mo.”
Associated Press photos, the second one is of Rivera with Chamberlain
Chad, out of curiosity, who has taken Pettitte’s locker?
Good question, DS007.
The funniest reality show I’ve ever seen? The last thread.
A.J. got it, I think.
# Joe from Long Island February 17th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
GF – read your description of breakfast, the other day, with all the berries, flax, etc….Man, you don’t fool around, lol. I’ve been working out with a personal trainer, and it’s one of the smartest things I’ve done in a long time. He’s helped mrs. joe and me with not just exercises, but some hints on nutrition that have really helped with fitness and weight loss. I’m not interested in being a body builder type, I just want to be able to feel good and not get sore when I clear snow
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Hey, Joe. Yeah, those berry smoothies definitely keep your colon in tip-top shape. I really think they’ve made a big difference with my health these days. I didn’t have any issues getting sick this winter when everyone else in the family did (knock on wood).
I would LOVE to have a personal trainer. I just can’t afford it.
I’m doing well these days with my diet and exercise routine (I probably spend 12-13 hours a week at the local YMCA) but a pro would certainly give me plenty of new ideas to implement in my daily routine.
There’s an advanced “boot camp” program the Y offers a couple of times a week and I’m going to start doing that. It’s pretty hardcore from what I’ve heard from other members, so it sounds like it would be a real challenge.
I’m sure the program will kick my butt, especially in the beginning, but that’s kind of the point – isn’t it? I’m really looking forward to warm weather so that I can take advantage of it now that I’m feeling better than ever and completely over my illness.
As of today, I’m in full remission of CIDP so I have no intention of stopping what has gotten me to this point.
So all those stories that Mo was going to groom Soriano to be his successor were all for nothing………… Hmm, that’s one of the reasons I liked the deal. Oh well, no point in worrying about the future.
When it comes time for Mo to hang it up, boy – that’s going to be rough. There’s never been, and never will be, anyone like him. Yet, he’s just as remarkable off the field as on. I completely trust him – I don’t even feel like he needs any coaching – he’s his own coach. He could show up a month late, throw 1 inning, and I feel like he’d be ready for the season.
I think about Moose’s locker with the window whenever ST lockers are written about.
After looking at Colon, it’s hard to believe that anyone is mentioning Joba’s weight.
I think about how Moose supposedly sat in his hotel room in Tokyo eating PB&J sandwiches.
Can that really be true? It could be apocryphal.
I didn’t actually believe the story about Mariano speaking to Soriano about playing for the Yankees. I think that was all Boras. Frankly, I think that unleess Mariano’s arm falls off or he decides to suddenly retire, Soriano absolutely walks after this season. He can make just as much if not more as a FA.
And frankly, I don’t think the Yankees will even attempt to stop him. Too much talent lining up from the minors with nowhere to put them. There was even an article today about the Yankees not stressing if CC opts out. That I don’t believe and wouldn’t want, but I understand the premise. Again, lots of talent with nowhere to put them.
The trade of Vernon Wells taught me that any contract can be moved, and with that it gives hope that should AJ not have a bounceback season, even he can be moved as he’d only have 2 years remaining on his contract, with the Yankees probably willing to eat $10MM.
I really wish Cash would have pulled the trigger for Haren last year. All I know is it was Nova,Joba and 2 other players. I wonder if Cash would have had a change of heart if he knew Lee and Andy wouldn’t be on the team
J. Alfred Prufrock February 17th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Cash said today that ManBan and Betances will both be at AA, at least to start. Makes sense. However, Newman had said he wasn’t sure where those two would be and one could be @AAA. So, interesting comment by Cash. He didn’t rule out either of them getting a look later in the season though. It will be interesting to see how their integration plays out. They could both be ready at the same time. Then what? You think Brackman’s an automatic at AAA, even though he is reportedly a slow starter? SWB opens at LHV, easy 45 minute ride from me.
We went to Nassau Seafood in Princeton on Monday. Beautiful weather and sat outside. Have you tried Osteria Procaccini in Kingston yet? That is our next stop. Saw the signs for Trenton, and ached for AA baseball.
///
yea YanFem,they could be knockin on the door at the same time,but we know how conventional the yanks are.Cashman probably would be allergic to bringing both on board in the same yr because he has,y’know,recurring nightmares about 2008.Any how, CC’s staying put.I could see one being brought in the FOLLOWING year after the other gets a foothold.Especially with CC around still leading the way and Hughes another couple years deeper into his role.Sounds like ABrack is headed straight to AAA,so yea.
yes!we tried it last week!it’s sensational,& I don’t go overboard for restaurants unless they warrant it.the pizza is crazy,just crazy.sweet little place,too.Kingston feels like it’s 1910,not 2010.great little abbreviation of a town on the way to Princeton.yea lookin forward to the Trenton trek,too – very close to my home, of course.ANY way,rush to OP!
If Soriano pitches well and acclimates himself to the team and the city, I think he’ll stick around for more money, knowing that this may well be Mo’s last contract.
*2011,that is.
“It could be apocryphal.”
It could be. If I knew what that word meant, I could offer a more informed opinion on the apocryphal-ness of it.
A.J. is in Pettitte’s locker. The left wall of the clubhouse is full of pitchers. There’s a set of seven, then a gap, then a set of six. The prime lockers are the ones on the ends. They belong to Sabathia, Burnett, Robertson and Rivera.
Girardi uses sinker as a replacement word for 2-seamer, alert Randy. Ron Gardenhire would never make the same mistake.
Chad Jennings February 17th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
A.J. is in Pettitte’s locker. The left wall of the clubhouse is full of pitchers. There’s a set of seven, then a gap, then a set of six. The prime lockers are the ones on the ends. They belong to Sabathia, Burnett, Robertson and Rivera.
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Thanks Chad.
Nick in SF……UCLA has been playing very well and they’d be a 5 point favorite on a neutral court……I’m on them and I’m rolling the dice on The Cal-Berkley Bears laying the 2 as they bounce back……Baby parlay as well……UCLA is only laying .5 in the 2nd half……
People have been talking about Mariano “grooming people” forever.
If it were that simple, the whole bullpen would be throwing his cutter.
There’s only so much you can teach, and there’s only 1 Mo.
BJK February 17th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
People have been talking about Mariano “grooming people” forever.
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I think they were referring to his haircutting hobby…
don’t think soriano needs any grooming, just needs to stay healthy.
I can’t recall who, but there used to be a player in majors who would give his teammates haircuts…he did it as a hobby….anyone remember who it was?
GF – mrs. joe and I got a discounted deal on the trainer. The Y works just as well, just got to get a routine, be active, healthy lifestyle, and stick with it. Nobody knows that better than you.
Something that we all know…. is that once Mariano hangs ‘em up, we will not see anyone like him, ever again. That’s why every time I go to the Stadium, I hope he comes into finish the game. I want to be able to tell my (step)grandchildren that I used to go to Yankee Stadium, and see The Great Rivera pitch.
prolly Jay Buhner.
good point jerkface.
that was a bit sloppy of girardi, but he was just trying to make a point that mariano learned a new pitch when he lost some velocity.
mariano’s two seamer’s purpose is to move in on righties when they try to cheat up on the plate to get to his cutter.
a real sinker would sink more down than run in on righties the way mariano’s two seamer does .
What a crapfest the last few threads were. Why people try to antagonize each other is beyond me.
People have it out for one guy, and it gets all muddles. They sling arrows and then ask others not to engage the troll.
As for Mo? I absolutely loved his “I will investigate” line Hercule Poirot in camp!
I think Mo shows up late in general because he starts camp much later than everyone else. It’s such a non-issue. He’s immortalized already.
He’s expensive, but Soriano is a good safety net. And he will be in some high-leverage situations. You’d never call Mo in with bases loaded in the 7th to get the last out, but you’d probably call in your closer.
Joba/Robertson/Soriano/Rivera? Our lineup chewing up middle relief? Can you say 5-inning games?
Randy–
Do you know/can you describe what was so unique about the way Wang threw his sinker? I understand he learned it from Neil Allen (?)…
Mo personifies the word ‘class’. that… i will prolly will miss the most. I think the same with Bernie.
Call in your setup guy. Duh.
Did Mo sign on for 2 years?
I wonder if he’ll finish the contract. I guess if he signed for two he’ll stay for two, but…
“Mo personifies the word ‘class’ ”
In terms of character and ability, he is truly in a class by himself as a Yankee.
Photo caption contest!
Photo #2:
Joba: “Hey Mo–Check this out! What do you think of the new muscles?”
Mo: “My investigation is not looking good.”
Joba: “Huh?”
Mo signed for 2, So for 3, but can opt out this winter. A lot of things will depend on how Mo ages.
BoJo February 17th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
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I think they were referring to his haircutting hobby…
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Oh good. At least that’s more likely to work.
So to Mo?
I hope Sterling doesn’t get wind of that, m.
Answer: Jo-Ro-So-Mo
What’s the question, WATSON?
Mo probably needs 2 seasons to pass Hoffman. It’s possible to do it in 1, but he’s only reached 42 saves twice over the past 6 years.
m -
Yeah, I guess other than health, if he signed for 2, he’ll honor the 2.
Just reading about him having a hard time leaving his little one tugged at my heart a little.
The money’s darn good, but there are personal sacrifices in terms of family.
Rich in NJ February 17th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
So to Mo?
I hope Sterling doesn’t get wind of that, m.
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Speaking of contracts, I believe this is the last year on Sterling’s. Which means listening to the games may be less frustrating as soon as 2012.
The newly redesigned Yankee analyst site has two good reviews on Brett Marshall and Adam Warren
http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/
BJK -
Unfortunately, Mo closes for a team that wins big a lot.
BJK–
Sterling will be around as long as he wishes. GMS promised him so, and I think Hal will honor that.
BoJo February 17th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Sterling will be around as long as he wishes. GMS promised him so, and I think Hal will honor that.
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Bojo- I can only hope that he doesn’t. But if he does, maybe Hal can include an opt out clause that will entice him to leave?
“Joba/Robertson/Soriano/Rivera? Our lineup chewing up middle relief? Can you say 5-inning games?”
5 inning games when the Yankees are in the lead, hopefully, but if they’re not they’ll always have a good shot at making a comeback.
If the Yankees sell their radio rights to another corporation, I don’t think they will let the sight-challenged Sterling’s presence stand in the way of a deal.
Doreen February 17th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Unfortunately, Mo closes for a team that wins big a lot.
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Fortunately, that might anchor Mo around for an extra year : )
Doreen, I just booked my air fare! I’m taking a later flight on departure day so I can go to another park and sort of say goodby
More on Brett Marshall
http://scoutingthesally.com/ga.....k-yankees/
Sterling will not be around after this year. WCBS’s contract is up and so is Sterling’s contract. ESPN will pay far more money and will probably buy a station with a stronger signal. If WCBS’s loses the contract the Steinbrenners will likely not have a say who the broadcasters are.
i am advocating an announcing team of Sterling and Frazier, at least i be entertained. I would also make sure my TV is on.
For those who like following the prospects, here is a nice little site
http://scoutingthesally.com/ca.....k-yankees/
They are so dreadful.
Cashmoney February 17th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
i am advocating an announcing team of Sterling and Frazier, at least i be entertained. I would also make sure my TV is on.
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What about those of us who can only listen to the games, no visuals? Have a heart, dude.
Betsy -
That’s what we usually do. Morning at a park and then to the airport.
I love planning vacations. It’s almost as good as the vacation itself. And Disney gives you a chance to be a kid for a few days.
bojo-
everyone can’t throw a sinker. neil saw wang had the perfect arm slot to throw a sinker.
mo doesn’t have the arm slot to throw the sinker the way wang did.
an interesting aside since this is a yankee blog is that a lot of really good pitching coaches came out of the time neil was a yankee under billy martin and pinella. neil, rhighetti, eiland was a young pitcher even.guidry of course,. tommy john . other notable pitchers were al leiter, candalaria, rhoden.
the thing was that these guys did a lot of talking about stuff. all teams have pitchers who talk , but i think this group had an exceptional number of guys who really were into the game. i saw neil run into dotson 5 years later and they spent a half hour having dotson teach neil a modified circle change that dotson threw.
my point is wang’s sinker had a yankee pedigree to it from way back when billy was managing. neil picked it up back then. this passing on of baseball craft is one reason why i like the yankees to keep some guys from the organization as coaches to pass things on.
girardi is the best example of someone passing on yankee tradition right now. i wish the yankees did a better job of holding onto their former players as coaches. there is a value in it.
what BJK, you don’t think john stark is effervescent?
BJK February 17th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Doreen February 17th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Unfortunately, Mo closes for a team that wins big a lot.
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Fortunately, that might anchor Mo around for an extra year : )
********
I guess it’s all in how you look at it, right?
Randy–
Based on that, I have to ask…did these guys use spitters? I seem to recall Art Fowler liking that pitch…
just occurred to me… Benoit/Soriano tandem were pretty darn good. I can think of davis/goosage, Mo/wettland, Nelson/Mo, Ward/Henke as some that could rival that duo, but i can’t really think of a better combo than those two did in a single season.
Here is an article on Jake Westbrook’s sinker BoJo, I’ll let Randy decide if its a real sinker or not:
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.c.....8;c_id=cle
Thx JF
My girlfriend is a Yankee-Fan-In-Training.
The first game we listened to together, I warned her that Sterling was terrible.
Perhaps just to make me look good in front of her, Sterling rewarded us with a botched home run call.
“It is hiiiiiigh… it is faaaaar… it issss… GONE! NO! It bounced off the wall!”
Jay (NYC)
Is there any serious discussion among execs that Pujols is older than 31?
Klaw
(1:42 PM)
There’s an impression, but there’s no hard evidence. If you’re a GM, you have to at least consider how his value would be affected if he was actually 32 now rather than 31.
Obviously there is no way to know and its just speculating but he looks older than 31 to me….one reason I’d be very hesitant to give him an Arod type contract if I’m the Cardinals unless the market absolutely dictates that I had to in order to keep him.
Pujols is a naturalized citizen; wouldn’t he have had to present valid documentation at the time?
# Cashmoney February 17th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
just occurred to me… Benoit/Soriano tandem were pretty darn good. I can think of davis/goosage, Mo/wettland, Nelson/Mo, Ward/Henke as some that could rival that duo, but i can’t really think of a better combo than those two did in a single season.
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Goose and Sparky Lyle were pretty tough as well (although the game has changed quite a bit since then) and the “Nasty Boys” trio in Cincy (Dibble, Myers, and Charlton) always come to mind when discussing dominant pens.
That was a nasty bunch indeed.
I wouldn’t give A-Rod an A-Rod type contract.
Doreen,
I assume so….he just looks older than 31 to me. He very well could be that age.
Rich,
The Yankees doing it and the Cardinals doing it are two different things though….the Yanks can absorb that risk fairly easily. If they give Albert 10/275 now and he has a career ending or altering injury in 2011 then they are pretty much sunk.
So I’m watching Better With You with Nick Swisher and I totally awwed when I saw that they had put swisher on the end of Joanna Garcias name. Too cute.
GF, I wished i had seen lyle/Goosage and late 70s Yankees (was a baby) but yeah, that’s a good combo along with the Nasty Boys.
blake
That’s true, but my point is that bad contracts shouldn’t have precedential value.
So I wouldn’t give anyone over 27 a ten year deal. I probably wouldn’t give any player of any age a ten year deal.
The Fox Midwest guy (an ex-pitcher) was on the radio and he said that the cards didn’t want to offer him a 5/150 which would make him the highest paid (which he deserves IMO) paid player, yet protect the team from an older player in a non-DH league. They didn’t want to put the ball in his court and make him the bad guy for walking away from that kind of deal. Something about the cards were loathe to make cardinal greats look bad.
But draft picks aren’t going to be enough rto compensate his departure so he’ll probably be in another uni. He did say that the cards would consider trading him to the cubs. I found that last part hard to believe.
I could see the cards sending him out if the division. Yankee fans would poo their pants if the Sox rented him. They certainly have the inventory to get it done. Snort.
The other thing about Goose was that he regularly pitched multiple innings, so a setup reliever wasn’t as important.
*out of the league
Colon looks like a cow !!! OMG
“I could see the cards sending him out if the division. Yankee fans would poo their pants if the Sox rented him. They certainly have the inventory to get it done. Snort.”
Pujols can veto any trade and he’s already said that he would.
Rich,
Yea I agree with you for the most part. 10 years is a long time for a guaranteed contract….no matter who it is.
Pujols is a perfect fit for the Mets if they can get their stuff together.
Pujols is going to become a free agent and re-sign with the Cardinals….they will pony up once they see what the actual market is.
it’s a tough one blake, I think Puhojs singlehandedly changes the entire complexion of that offense. I would reluctantly give him what he wants if I were the cards. He is a historical hitter and a home grown redbird. The Cards may be sunk without him in the near future as well.
8 for 260 struck you as reasonable?
I can see why the other teams hate the Yankees. Players deserve to get paid what Alex and CC get, but it’s a lot for the other teams. Yankees don’t even bat an eyelash.
Other teams that get revenue sharing money from the Yankees should think twice when assessing their enmity toward the Yankees, especially if they don’t reinvest that money in their team.
But the enmity is definitely there Rich. On that note, I wonder if Peter Angelos will ever do a deal with Yanks again.
Salaries are out of control ! PERIOD ! Pretty soon ( now ) the avg. fan won’t be attending games more than once or twice a year. It’s a weeks pay for a family of 4-5.
Cashmoney,
I think they will do it in the end and just pray he stays healthy and the player he currently is for at least 5 or 6 more years. I think 8-9 years at 30 million or so will be around the number.
Pujols does deserve to be the highest paid player, but Arod’s contract is ridiculous, and I don’t think any team will pay those dollars for years, depending on the economy and other contracts. I would not like him in the AL East, but if he leaves St. Louis, which I doubt, maybe the Angels could offer him something desirable because he could DH if he can’t play 1st anymore. Actually, St. Louis can pay him most per year; just not as many years.
4 NYY,
I agree with you. The regular guy will not be able to go to more than a couple of games a year. Smaller markets may pay their players slightly less, but the wages equate to the size of the population almost always. Food in the supermarkets in AZ is substantially less for most things…except soda. People are paid far less for the same jobs.
Pujols will reject a trade? So he’s saying he wants to be a card for life? At least that’s my pov if he’s handcuffing the team by saying that.
The only thing working against Pujols is the Yankees, tigers, and presumably the sox will have the position covered. Rangers cant afford him (or to have ARod Redux) No one is going to pay Albert 30 million (sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?) to DH.
Albert will test the market and might go crawling back to the cards. Unless the Cubs go bonkers and give Albert the years.
doreen-
in case you haven’t figured it out yet.
i sent my idisk to the dektop to see what woud happen and poof it was gone to.
i googled ” how to get my idisk back” and this came up and got it back:
2) Finder -> Preferences… -> Sidebar
so click on finder
go to menu at top of computer, click on finder and under a drop down menu appears. click on preferences
on finder preferences , click on sidebar
a box comes up with DEVICES .
check the idisk box and you’re back in business.