Aug
16
Steve Serby’s Q&A with Mariano Rivera
BySteve Serby of The NY Post sat down for a chat with the legendary Mariano Rivera, touching on everything from how long he plans to keep playing to Phil Hughes to his restaurant. Make sure you give it a read, lots of fun and interesting stuff from the Hammer of God. (h/t Patrick)
Great. Mariano only has to pitch until his son can take over.
But he said he doesn’t show the cutter to 16 year olds!
Heh.
On a serious note, I hope Mo’s sons don’t become baseball players, for the simple reason they’ll never be as good as their father.
However, if your dad is a good, but not great outfielder, you should definitely play. (See: Bobby Bonds and Ken Griffey Sr.)
Mike, assuming Mo’s, well Mo, and still healthy at the end of next year. What kind of contract do you see the Yanks offering him….2/$30M?
I should hope so, I really fear the day the Yankees 9th inning man is not Mo.
Hopefully he can keep shutting down hitters with dominance and resign for a couple more years. Even if he pitched to a 3 era next year I’d want him back.
I love Mo, but the man is not a great interview.
which is good. he never says anything he shouldnt, never over steps his boundaries. he worries about himself and his teammates and is always the positive presence.
It’s great that Mo never says the wrong thing, but you could be a good guy and still give a good interview. Nick Swisher, for example.
Yeah well not everyone has Swisher’s personality.
Jeter is the same way, boring textbook answers.
Swisher is as unique a human being as I’ve seen in a while.
He’s one step above Giambi
He’s just not a flamboyant kind of person. He is who he is.
It doesn’t help when Serby asks stupid questions such as this one:
Q: Do you want to retire a Yankee?
A: Definitely.
Well, true.
Another reason he gives a boring interview is that there is nohing particularly controversial about his life, so therre’s no juicy questions. Which is good.
True. Serby asked a few good questions, but most of them were pretty bad.
Q: Favorite restaurant?
A: Mo’s New York Grill in New Rochelle.
ha, i laughed
“I’ve never been nervous on the mound. Once that door opens, I’m not nervous.”
Wow.
Q: One pitch you would like to have back?
A: I’m comfortable with what I have.
Q: No regrets?
A: No regrets, no.
I’m not worthy.
It wasnt a pitch he wants back, just a throw to second base…
But of course, he did that on purpose to throw us off the scent. Some people STILL don’t know that he’s a God.
That just PROVES his godliness.
Enrique Wilson, if they had won, would have flown home to the Dominican Republic.
The plane he would have taken crashed. Everybody aboard died.
Naturally Mo couldn’t let that happen. So he blew the save on purpose.
Don’t think for a second he didn’t know the future before it happened. He did.
Q: What would you say to Yankees fans who are dreading the day when the ninth inning belongs to someone else?
A: I know for sure I’m not gonna do that job forever. I know they know.
I know no such thing!
I’m 100 percent in denial over that fact. The 9th inning will always belong to Mariano. Someone else — if someone else ever takes it over — will just be borrowing it.
It’s like buildings and elevators:
Since we can’t retire #42, they’ll retire the 9th inning.
If you could ask Mo anything, what would you want to know?
I’m curious to know if he wants to stay involved with the Yankees when the dreaded retirement comes? Would he consider being a pitching instructor or coach within the organization?
How awesome would it be if became a bullpen coach for the Yankees.
While I’d love to see Mariano in a coaching role, the best players don’t always make the best teachers. One of my favorite baseball anecdotes:
Someone asks Steve Carlton how he throws his slider. Steve picks up a ball, grips it, and says: “You hold it like this, and you throw the shit out of it.”
Obviously Mo is a little more articulate, but he’s shown pitchers that pitch forever, and how many of them have it?
I can throw his cutter…somehow, mine didn’t get me on my tiny private D-III school.
Knowing is only HALF the battle…
But you’re not a major league pitcher. The guys he’s shown it to are. Sure, maybe in 2023, some Rule V draft pick in the Yanks’ system is taught the cutter and becomes ridiculous, but I’m not sure just because he has that he’d be a great coach.
(He might be a great coach due to his demeanor, patience, and other qualities, but not necessarily due to his physical skills)
Well, Tomko and I have that in common…
+1
Actually, Tomko might be a good coach — crappy players often become successful coaches, because they’ve had to work hard and struggle. They might know all the techniques and tricks, but are unable to execute.
Bring Mo back for PR and marketing. Once a year sign him to a minimum contract to throw the first or last pitch of a game. Face a 43 year old Pujols. It would be Ringling Bros shenanigans and play havoc with career stats, but just think about ‘watch Mo pitch to the first batter of the 7th’ night:
“He’s 51. He’s only throwing his cutter. It still doesn’t matter.”
I’m just kidding…mostly…
Wow, that interview was bad, I’ve never read any Steve Serby so I don’t about his other stuff, but that was a horrible interview. He made it seem like he was trying to have Mo second guess himself.
I stopped right after the question about the Dodgers.
Agreed. Those were such loaded questions.
Thanks for the mention, Mike.