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| AP Photo/YES Network |
No matter how much we all dislike that team in the Bronx, you never like to see a great player's career end in a fluke, inconsequential way. That may have happened to the Yankees' Mariano Rivera,
who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee while shagging fly balls in the outfield before yesterday's game in Kansas City. Arguably the greatest closer ever (and there's really not too much argument there, to be honest), Rivera has been a rock as the last guy out of the New York 'pen since 1997. Six hundred and eight saves later, he is a 42-year old freak of nature. Until yesterday.
Part of me wants to see him back on the mound next year, so that the Red Sox can continue their relative (and I stress the word
relative) dominance of him. Part of me wants him to end his career on a high note—without any sloppy end-of-career performances. If it all does end in the Kauffman Stadium outfield, my lasting memory of Rivera will be his gracious acknowledgement of the Fenway Park crowd on Opening Day 2005 as we 'mock-cheered' him for his rare 2004 ALCS Game 4 misstep. It was a classy move by a classy man. He was a more than worthy adversary.
