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Gotta watch this if you haven't seen it:

 

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=30965689&topic_id=6479266

 

Mariano Rivera is one of 3 players I've seen in person in my lifetime that I will never forget.  All 3 electrified the crowd in a way I haven't seen any other player do so.

 

Mays, Bench...Rivera.

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That video is simply awesome! 

 

Class is what I think of.  Supreme athletic class and supreme personal class.

 

Here's a little personal anecdote on Mariano Rivera...

 

One night, we were staying at the Four Season's Hotel in Seattle.  My colleagues and I brought our wives  along on a business trip to Seattle as we were doing a lot of work at the time for Microsoft.  Later in the evening, we were all mingling in the bar/lobby area of the hotel and having a good time.  I politely asked if I could go and lay down for awhile as I had a long day and had a headache for some reason.  My wife was having such a good time, she wanted to stay and mingle with the others for a little while longer.  After I laid down, I fell asleep and did not wake up until the next morning.  Unknown to me at the time, the New York Yankees were staying at our hotel.  After the game, the Yankees started coming down to the bar including Derick Jeter, Paul O'Neil, and Mariano Rivera.  Apparently, Mariano was minding his own business at the bar and when my wife went to get a drink, she asked him what he did while she was waiting for her drink.  Mariano replied he played for the New York Yankees and my wife apparently did not believe him.  According to a friend's retelling of the story, she kept saying, "Really!  Really, you play for the New York Yankees!"  She obviously had no clue who he was.  Apparently, Mariano was very gracious and ended up signing an autograph for her.  She had no idea who it was. 

 

The next morning, she said, "Hey the New York Yankees were at the bar last night and I got one of their autographs" and I replied... "No way, No way, why the heck didn't you try and wake me up?"  She said they called several times from the hotel lobby but apparently I didn't hear it.  I said who the heck's autograph did you get?  She said, "I don't know, I never heard of him before, but here is the autograph."  I look at it and lo and behold it said "To Karen from Mariano Riviera"  I said, " You knucklehead (kindly ribbing her), do you know who this is?"  I said "He is one of the most famous pitchers of all time!"  Her reply, "He was nice but I kept telling him I didn't believe he was with the Yankees"       

Rivera and Jeter standing together on that mound reflects all that has been so great about baseball for many, many years. They also allow an escape from the steroid aspects.

Some have compared the 3 guys standing on the mound to Lou Gehrig's last day and the "luckiest man in the world" living through history. 

I don't know if what happened last night is or isn't on par with Gehrig or even needs to be.  There is no pitcher and no position player who made baseball great, for me(other than our son who named our grandson Derek ), over the past 20 or so years than Rivera and Jeter.

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