Torn ACL. First ballot and nothing but class. Horrible way to call it a day.

Hopefully, he can at least come back and make 1 pitch to retire on.  

Real bummer.  He was a great relief pitcher.  Olney went a little too far this morning on ESPN and said he'd put Rivera on the Yankee Mt Rushmore with Ruth, Gehrig, and Dimaggio.  Kinda crazy picking Rivera over Mantle, Jeter, and even A-Rod.

Rivera was the best player at his position and role in MLB history.  That's indisputable.  In the eighth or ninth inning of a huge game, he was arguably more valuable to the Yankees than Mantle, Jeter and (definitely) A-Rod.

I think you are right overall jrd_x, certainly regarding Mantle and Jeter. 

But it is also true that in a way, like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and a few other players before him, Mariano has changed the game itself. He was not the first closer, or even the first modern closer, but I think that teams for years playing the Yankees have had to find a way to get a lead early, possibly leading to mistakes on their part because they took chances, knowing that after the 8th inning if the Yankees had the lead it was probably over. 

So in a way he has left a mark up to now that transcends his great numbers and accomplishments. Whether that will be lasting and closers will be seen to have that effect overall on the game when we look back a few decades from now remains to be seen. But to NY opponents the effect has been real enough. 

Anyway, for those of us from New York it is shattering news. 

Posted by jrd_x on 5/4/2012 1:08:00 PM (view original):
Real bummer.  He was a great relief pitcher.  Olney went a little too far this morning on ESPN and said he'd put Rivera on the Yankee Mt Rushmore with Ruth, Gehrig, and Dimaggio.  Kinda crazy picking Rivera over Mantle, Jeter, and even A-Rod.

Even arod? Ummm, sure. That's just dumb.

Posted by tecwrg on 5/4/2012 1:17:00 PM (view original):
Rivera was the best player at his position and role in MLB history.  That's indisputable.  In the eighth or ninth inning of a huge game, he was arguably more valuable to the Yankees than Mantle, Jeter and (definitely) A-Rod.

Look, Rivera was arguably the greatest relief pitcher of all time, but that's like being the skinniest kid at fat camp.

There is no way he was more valuable to the Yankees than Mantle.  Mantle hit 536 home runs and had a 298/421/557 line over 9900 plate appearances while playing center field.  He's inner circle Hall of Fame, among the greatest handful of players to ever play.  Rivera, while still being a Hall of Famer, isn't.

Posted by The Taint on 5/4/2012 1:38:00 PM (view original):

Posted by jrd_x on 5/4/2012 1:08:00 PM (view original):
Real bummer.  He was a great relief pitcher.  Olney went a little too far this morning on ESPN and said he'd put Rivera on the Yankee Mt Rushmore with Ruth, Gehrig, and Dimaggio.  Kinda crazy picking Rivera over Mantle, Jeter, and even A-Rod.

Even arod? Ummm, sure. That's just dumb.

Arod's first tier/inner circle HOF.  Rivera isn't.  The only hang up is that Arod played his first nine seasons with Seattle and Texas. So yeah, maybe not when you look at just Yankee years.

With respect to the Yankees, Rivera's career and legacy has been far more valuable than A-Rod's.

In terms of HOF, maybe Rivera should be considered first-tier / inner circle.  In terms of his position (closer), he is far ahead of everybody else.  In some article I read online today, they described it as "Rivera, a large gap, and then all the other great closers in MLB history", or something along those lines.

Belittling his accomplishments and his impact over the past 17 years by calling him "the skinniest kid at a fat camp" is laughable.

You can get someone to replace Rivera.  Im sure Robertson and/or Soriano will do fine there.  You couldn't replace A-Rod in his best years on the Yankees. 

That said, he'd definitely go on the Yankee Mount Rushmore over A-Rod. Other than Jeter, he's the face of the Yankees for the last 15 years.

Posted by tecwrg on 5/4/2012 2:19:00 PM (view original):
With respect to the Yankees, Rivera's career and legacy has been far more valuable than A-Rod's.

In terms of HOF, maybe Rivera should be considered first-tier / inner circle.  In terms of his position (closer), he is far ahead of everybody else.  In some article I read online today, they described it as "Rivera, a large gap, and then all the other great closers in MLB history", or something along those lines.

Belittling his accomplishments and his impact over the past 17 years by calling him "the skinniest kid at a fat camp" is laughable.

If you're counting just Yankee years, maybe it's close, but I'd still take a position player or starting pitcher any day over a relief pitcher.

Closer isn't a position.  It's an arbitrary label usually applied to the team's best relief pitcher.  So Rivera was the Yankees best relief pitcher for 15 years.  That's great and he's a Hall of Famer.  But greatest closer isn't the same as greatest shortstop or greatest third baseman or greatest center fielder.  Again, skinniest kid at fat camp.

My all-time Yankee rankings:

1. Ruth
2. Gehrig
3. Mantle
4. DiMaggio
5. Berra
6. Jeter
7. Rivera

jrd_x, I don't think anyone argues that Rivera was more valuable to the Yankees than Mantle. HOWEVER, it is worth asking what factors separated the 1996-2000 Yankees from other teams, at a time when many teams had (steroid-enhanced in many cases) power hitters putting up Mantle-like numbers year after year, including A-Rod elsewhere. None of those won a WS. 

It's 1960. Yankees-Pirates. Yankees crush Pittsburgh 3 games, lose 3 closer ones. Bottom of the 9th, tie score, game 7. Bill Mazeroski at the plate... now, who's more valuable?

Just when you think people can't get dumber......

Rivera changed the way managers managed and team played.  From the 6th inning on.   There is no question, in the Book of Yankees, that Rivera gets a chapter, A-Rod get a paragraph. 

As for a Yankee Mt. Rushmore, it's impossible.   Not enough stone heads.