"More than a relief pitcher, I'm the Closer. Mariano of the Marriott" - Jay Z.
Probably the most important Yankee of the past 2 decades... yes, more so than Derek Jeter. If you're a fan of baseball (or sports) you know of, and respect Mariano. And if you're a true fan, you should read this SI article about how the slender fastballer became the sandman...
(from SI.com)
GOD TOUCHED MARIANO RIVERA ONE JUNE AFTERNOON IN 1997, AND RIVERA SHRUGGED.
Just three months into his new role as the closer for a budding Yankees dynasty, Rivera was suddenly unable to throw his signature four-seam fastball straight, not even during his daily toss with pitcher Ramiro Mendoza. Every catch a struggle, Mendoza told Rivera to knock it off, to quit making the ball dip and dart. Rivera assured his friend that he wasn't doing it intentionally. He was gripping the ball the same way he always had, releasing it the same way he always had. The wicked movement just ... happened. And continued to happen while Rivera warmed up one late-June night in the bullpen at Tiger Stadium. The baseball, as if defaced, would not fly straight. New York bullpen catcher Mike Borzello had never seen Rivera throw like this before, and it made him nervous. "In the old Detroit stadium the bullpen was on the field," says Borzello, now the Dodgers' bullpen catcher. "So if you missed the ball, they would have to stop the game. And there's nothing more embarrassing than that. He started throwing these cutters. Immediately I checked the ball. Is the ball scuffed? What is going on here? "When a guy is throwing 95 and the ball is cutting the last few feet before it gets to you, believe me, you never forget something like that. I was like, What are you doing?" Rivera didn't have an explanation, and though he says he "didn't have any idea where the ball was going," his results did not suffer. READ MORE
