At Home Plate - Save 609 May Never Happen.

Written by Jonathan Leshanski (Contact & Archive) on May 05, 2012

We may never see save 609.Ā The great Mariano Rivera isn't dead but sidelined.Ā At the age of 42, asking him to bounce back from an ACL tear might be asking too much.

That's not to say that Rivera wouldn't be game.Ā After all he is one of the fiercest competitors of all time, especially when the pressure is high.Ā In fact, that's the spot where he's unparalleled.

No one, especially Mariano, wanted this happen.Ā Mo was a blaze of glory. That calm, cool, collected demeanor that entered each game to the theme of "Enter Sandman" was taken from the field on a cart.Ā Not in the ninth inning, not from the mound, but while practicing shagging flies in Kansas City.

Photo by Keith Allison, used under creative commons license.

Mo should retire in style, at the Stadium, feted by the fans, by his opponents and teammates as the greatest who ever filled that ninth inning role.Ā No doubt, all of those will and have been giving Mo his due via their words and thoughts.

The Yankees will certainly honor him in other ways once he does retire.Ā They'll be giveaways, a Mariano Rivera day at the Stadium and almost certainly a monument out in Monument Park out beyond centerfield in the new ballpark, but those days will be more about the fans than they will be about Rivera.

He says he'll be back.Ā That he isn't going out like this.Ā That's probably true, but it's a year of recovery, rehab, pain, and perhaps mechanics that aren't quite the same.Ā Who and what Mariano will be when, and if he really returns, is up in the air.Ā Ā If he's not the Mariano we know, the dominant Mariano - I think he'll choose not be that sad type of player who doesn't know it's time to walk away.

Will he toe the rubber at the Stadium again?Ā Yes.Ā At least once, be it for a ceremonial single day contract, or for another season of glory we just don't know, and even Mariano doesn't know.Ā Ā But he's a fighter and I wouldn't bet against him, nor would anyone who's ever faced him.

Rivera is perhaps one of the most respected players in the game.Ā No matter how much you may love or hate the Yankees you can't deny that.Ā He isn't flamboyant or a media darling.Ā But he's the best there is at what he does.Ā Hands down.

We at AHP wish Mo a speedy recovery. A tip of the cap to you, Mariano.

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