written by Matt Lungariello
Imagine if Wayne Gretzky was booed in the later part of his career while his skills were diminishing. Imagine if Michael Jordan was booed for sub par play during his return to the Washington Wizards. More specifically, imagine if Don Mattingly were booed at Yankee Stadium when he made his dramatic return from countless back injuries to find himself drowning in a slump (and perhaps an inability to perform at the level he had become accustomed to playing at). Hard to imagine. None of these things took place... COULD take place... Yet an even bigger injustice occurred on April 6, 2005: Mariano Rivera was booed while walking back to the home dugout at Yankee Stadium.
*******
I can’t remember the last time Joe Torre was forced to take Mariano out of an inning in which he started. Yes, he was in deep trouble and couldn’t seem to find a way to get the outs he needed to end the inning. Yes, it was pitching against the same team that he blew two consecutive saves against in the ALCS last year, and whom he has blown his first save opportunity of the season to one day prior. But it was also the World Champions. The best team in Baseball!
Later, “Yankee Fans” on ESPN radio claimed that they weren’t booing Mariano Rivera as much as they were booing his performance. Well, thanks callers! I can finally tell the difference between the fans that were on hand to see Dion James and Matt Nokes bat third and fourth, and the ones who were diehard fans the moment they stepped onto the field to face the Texas Rangers in the ALDS in 1996. These TRUE Yankee fans who I sit with in section 10 in the left field upper deck “nose bleeds” would never, and will never boo the man that we can thank our 10-year run of success for. It wouldn’t matter how badly he performed, he has earned himself a lifetime boo-free-pass in our house. He has, without a doubt, been the biggest reason that the Yankees have been able to compete at such a high level year in and year out. He is the best player to ever play his position and been the most clutch performer in the biggest spots on the biggest stages in the world.
He is the only pitcher to be standing on the mound for the final out of the World Series for four consecutives seasons. He did it with ease against players that were taking steroids, studying films of his pitches (or should I say pitch), and he did it without showing off, pumping his fist, or acting surprised.
“That’s my job,” he said after pitching three scoreless innings to earn the win and series MVP in the all important game 7 on the 2003 ALCS against the rival Boston Red Sox. I guess he’s right. Over the years, fans have become accustomed to Mo being so automatic that they forgot what a risky business being a MLB closer is. Now fans are saying that he is finished, or that he has a mental block against the Red Sox being that he has blown four consecutive save opportunities to them. The argument that says that he has lost some of his dominance is somewhat true, in that 3 pitches and 3 broken bats later the inning and the game is not always over. But, last season he reached his highest save total of his absolutely incomparable career. He had 53 saves in 57 chances along with a 1.93 era. That’s a real "drop-off." Similar to the "drop-off" that Alex Rodriguez had last year when he came to the Yankees and posted a 286 batting average 36 homers and 106 RBIs. We should all have such bad seasons. When a player has great seasons over and over, people begin to expect it. So it goes with Mo.
It is a somewhat fair, or at least fairer assumption to expect better 2004 seasons from both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez more so than Mo because last year AROD and Jeets were 28 and 29 years old and apparently just reaching the primes or their careers. Rivera’s prime has passed and "all" he has to show for it is 4 World Series rings, 6 All Star Appearances, 1999 Babe Ruth Award, 3 Rolaids relief man of the year awards, finished outside the top 5 in total saves twice in his 8 years as closer, 1999 World Series MVP, 2003 ALCS MVP, top 3 in Cy Young voting 3 times, and top 25 in MVP voting 6 times which is the most impressive because the award is usually reserved for position players. Other than that, he hasn’t done much. So I guess it wasn't staggering when he topped his own personal best last year. It didn't mean anything. He's done. Boo!
Although I would never boo Derek Jeter personally, I can understand why someone would more than Mariano Rivera, only because we know that Jeter is better than the way he was playing, he was 29 years old. Mariano is going to be 36 this year, he is 10 lbs soaking wet, and was, along with Pedro Martinez, considered freaks of nature for being as tiny as they were yet pitched as well as they did. I guess there is something in the water in those Caribbean Islands, which is probably why everyone tells us not to drink their water when we visit.
If Mariano is really finished and can no longer pull his weight closing ballgames, fans should cheer him louder than usual: win, lose, or draw. That would make it their last chance to let him know how important he has been to the team, to us, and to what the team and its fans have become. A consistent Juggernaut. The booing "fans" should be embarrassed that if Mariano retires tomorrow, their boos are what he would hear in his head for the rest of his life.
I think Mr. Torre said it best after the game, "I think it's inexcusable if the boos were from Yankee fans because they wouldn't be crawling all over themselves to get into this ballpark if it weren't for him." I don’t need any votes or trophies to tell you that since 1996, Mariano Rivera is the MVP of the entire league, much less the MVP of the Yankees.
Yankees Pitching Coach Mel Stottlemyre said, "I was very surprised by that. Everything he's done here and in this ballpark, I was shocked. But that's New York." No it isn’t... or at least I thought it wasn't. I thought that New York fans were better than that. Mattingly was cheered until his last plate appearance in 1995. His last productive year was in 1989, and don’t get me wrong he had some great moments and decent seasons, but didn’t have a great full season since 1989. I agree the man should be cheered forever, but so should Mariano. Like Donnie, Mariano has given us everything that he has inside him, everything he is worth. Brought us titles, which Donnie Ballgames never did, yet Mo’s getting booed for two blown saves. I thought New York fans were better than this and maybe the real fans are. Maybe that's the difference. Maybe these are just the same business idiots who sit field level now and who in 1989 would have been across the city at Shea Stadium instead. Maybe... And I actually hope it is just those people who've piled on the bandwagon.
****
It was the first series of the season. If Mo is finished, we wont know until June or July anyway, and just to erase any doubts you may have about Mo pitching to the Red Sox; All this talk routes back to the 2004 ALCS against the Red Sox, where he had 2 saves, pitched 7 innings, surrendered 6 hits and one earned run. That’s a 1.29 era. His blown save against the Red Sox in the 2nd game of the ’05 season was on a solo home run to Jason Varitek. It was an inside cutter which was a ball but V-Tech was waiting for it. Perhpas more blame lays with the catcher Jorge Posada for not noticing where the batter was standing, yet calling for that pitch. If V-Tech took the pitch, Mo would have hit Posada’s target without Posada moving his mitt, doesn’t sound like a bad pitch to me.
Familiarity happens when two teams are playing each other for the 54th time in the past two years. Thank God for the balanced schedule. Even the Blue Jays have forced blown saves here and there against Rivera. Its bound to happen when you face the same team 19 times a year excluding the playoffs. If you noticed the at-bat prior to Variteks, Mo made Renteria (often considered one of the most clutch players in the game who signed a 10 mill contract months ago) look like a High School reserve striking him out with ease. Did Rivera age that much from one batter to the next? The Yankees faced Pedro Martinez often throughout his tenure with the Red Sox and a lot more of the same thing. Eventually, the Yanks figured some things out, and Pedro failed to be as dominant as he was to the rest of the league. Even the "lowly" Baltimore Orioles were even known to have their way with him on occasion. Thank God for that balanced schedule. The balanced schedule that sees the Yankees play the Mets 6 times a year, and in some cases, the Sox don’t play them at all, but we all know that Selig may as well be in a funeral home before he steps into a board room. I digress…..again…
Rivera said in an interview that after the Varitek homer that he will need to make adjustments, and as we know fate is without a sense of irony, Mo finds himself the next day in a one run game in the 9th against the Sox. He begins using his 2 seam fastball which he introduced into game play last year, but never mastered. The mastery of this pitch would allow him to move to the opposite corner. The pitch is designed to sway to the right as opposed to the cutter which “cuts” to the left. A dangerous weapon that he was unable to “work on” last year, because of how late it was in the season when the Sox “got his number,” and the importance of each win, as the Yankees were fighting for a division title and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Why didn’t he work on this pitch during the offseason or the preseason, you ask?
Mariano’s preparation throughout his career has never changed. He doesn’t pick up a baseball during the offseason. Not once. It has worked and I am not about to change that now. This preseason, just as Mo was gaining arm strength, he was hit with an injury and banned from any pitching at all. Right now early in the season: this his spring training. Working on his new pitch during a regular season game might seem dumb, but it would be a lot dumber working on that pitch in the midst of another September pennant race.
“So he lost control, “ as Stots put it, "I don't want to say he lost his cool, but he definitely lost his command." That’s a fact, but people need something to write about (like me), and “Yankee Fans” need something to complain about and that will never change. It’s a great story, and its exactly why the Yankees and the Red Sox should never play against each other in the first month of the season. Besides for the fact that the Yankees are wasting sellouts (the Sox sellout their kitchen size area everyday anyway), the Yankees were going to sellout their ballpark whether they were playing the Devil Rays or the Sox on the opening series so why play now? Save these sellouts for when they mean something. For when Schilling and Johnson can matchup, Moose against Wells in the dog days of summer. Not when Manny is going 0-8, and when AROD and Sheff are still finding their strokes. What's next for Selig in 2006. scheduling the playoffs before the regular season is played?
I will no longer consider myself a Yankee Fan, I will call myself part of the Yankee faithful. I don’t want to be considered a Yankee fan if Yankee fans boo Mo, and maybe the Sox fans are right about us, I meant to say, YOU. This writer thinks that Mariano has a lot left. He will continue saving games because that’s his job. Mariano has learned from his mistakes and in professional sports, these people are few and far between. In 1997, his first year as closer, he blew a save in game 4 to the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS, and the Yanks went on to lose game 5 and the series without Mo stepping onto the rubber in the finale.
He was quoted afterwards, “I wish it was next year, because I want to show everyone that I am better than this. I am better than this. You will see. I will show everyone that I am good.” He did, he bounced back and proved everyone wrong. The closer position along with the designated hitter is often questioned as to whether there should be a place for them in the Hall of Fame. Regardless, one thing that stands alone in this argument is that Mariano Rivera is one of very few active Hall of Famers.
Yet, he is receiving the boos that Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Jason Giambi, Javier Vasquez, Kevin Brown, Hideki Matsui (I take it back), Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, and even Jeter/Posdada/B.Williams/Torre deserve more for their performances in the historic choke of 2004. Because no matter what happened in previous years, no matter who played bad and who made the big mistakes, they always had Mariano waiting in the pen to pick up the pieces.
It's time to turn everyone's heads…..again, Mariano. To enter the Stadium blasting "Enter Sandman" to a crowd that doesn’t understand why you are the Sandman. And if you don't bounce back like you always do, then it is time for everyone to put the red carpet out for the man that has accomplished what NO ONE else will ever accomplish. To sing "Enter Sandman" with joy, and appreciate seeing the epitome of guts, glory, and grace under pressure bless us with his presence.
We will all be able to tell our grandchildren that we saw the sandman pitch in person. You would also fail to mention you booed him on his way out. Red Sox players (who apparently “own him”) and fans alike say that he is the best ever, that he is the best at what he does, the best to ever dig in to any pitchers mound in existence.
So Mo: Its time to yet again prove what you are and what you are made of. Even if it's to a group of frontrunners that will never understand anyway.
*********************
Quick Yankees Notes
Arod after the game, “I blew it for him. I picked up the ball and was going to throw to second, bobbled it, and knew I still had time to get one out at home. Bobbled it again. I couldn’t have messed up that play worse than I did.”
Jeter was taken to the hospital one inning after running for himself after he was hit in the head with a pitch. "He heard some ringing in his ears. He felt a little woozy," Torre said. "Timlin wasn't trying to hit him. He was just trying to rush a little, and his ball was all over the place." Whether or not the pitch was intentional, three games down, five Yankee batters hit, zero Sox batters hit.
My brother/friend said, “When people come to the Yankees, they automatically cannot pitch to David Ortiz.” I say, “When people come to the Yankees, they automatically forget how to hit people. Preferably in the head.” Upper Deck Matty says, “Hitem, Hitem In the head!” After all is said and done, Yankees take the series 2-1. Three great performances by the three starting pitchers. Newcomers Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano particularly impressive. Randy, because of the 40 degree gametime temperature which isn’t supposed to agree with him or his bad legs. Pavano because he was able to shut down an amped up defending champion Red Sox lineup that was seemingly out for blood. He was able to put the energy that was pumping through him up toward getting Red Sox batters out. Moose didn’t have his good stuff, kept them in the game, and they went into the 9th with the lead. Centanni. Torre for putting Sierra in the Opening Night lineup instead of Tino. Torre for pitching Pavano game 2 instead of game
3. Sierra because he knew that it was important to have Tino announced as starter before the game for fan’s sake, yet starting Sierra instead because of his numbers against Wells, and it allowed Giambi to play 1st base, and its better to expose Giambi as an incapable defender now as opposed to July or August. Pavano game 2, not because he is the number 2 starter, if the playoffs started today, Moose would get the game 2 nod. But because this allowed Torre to send Moose to the hill game 1 at Fenway when the Sox raise the championship banner in front of an extremely hostile Boston crowd.
He made sure he called the Moose and Pavano (who won't be nickname-less for long) into his office to tell them, “I want Carl to feel the daytime stadium like this, and I don’t want anyone pitching that game at Fenway except you.” Quote from Moose’s mouth. Both players appreciated it, and it is always better to pitch the vet in that situation. Besides, Randy may be the big game pitcher on this team, but Moose is OUR big game pitcher. That’s exactly why Torre doesn’t manage Baseball players, he manages men. Jaret Wright will be better than people think. Everyone knows what to expect from Johnson, Pavano, and Moose. No one knows what to expect from Wright. Some said his signing was a mistake (a 21 million dollar mistake). First off, the third year of his contract is an option year, so it would be a 14 million dollar mistake, but we have already mentioned New York’s soulless conception of professional baseball. Secondly, why is everyone so sure that he is the next Vasquez or Weaver? That he will choke in the New York spotlight? He controlled the Yankees in 1997 when the Indians advanced passed them in the regular season and playoffs. Besides, this man was in the witness protection program! He disappeared for two years. He had his arm reconstructed, yet enjoyed the best season of his career as ace of the division winning Atlanta Braves. He has guts and I am proud to have him on the team that I root for.
Hideki Matsui homered during game two which I attended. The scoreboard read Gonezilla. Section 10, Row H 15-18 call him Hideki BATsui, any language you're speaking, ask yourself how good is this guy? Yours only as a, Yankee Faithful
