The ‘Sandman’ Does It Again!!
This past Tuesday, September 13th, long after most of those on the East coast were alseep, Mariano
Rivera very ‘quietly’ banked his 600th save. In fact, ‘Mo did it so quietly, that his own catcher, Russell Martin, had no idea of the significance of the save until he saw a herd of Yankees swarming to the mound to congratulate him on reaching the milestone.
The 41 year old Rivera has been lulling batters to sleep ever since he garnered his first save on May 17th, 1996 vs the Angels. Maybe that’s why there isn’t much fanfare surrounding ‘Mo’s latest accomplishment. He’s been doing his job so well for so long, that not many even noticed he had tied a record. It’s a shame when you realize that he is the real MVP of the Yankees just about every year! Think about it…would the Yanks have won all of those World Series and Playoff games without Mariano? I mean the guy does have 42 postseason saves!
There’s an old expression that goes, “…You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”
Perhaps at some point in the not so distant future, they won’t be playing “Enter the Sandman” anymore late in games at Yankee Stadium because there will be a new closer coming out of the bullpen vieing for saves- just like the 600 that ‘Mo has earned…Only then will one realize exactly what #42 has achieved in his amazing career.
FANTASY FURNACE 