Mariano is a class act and every parent should tell their kid that if they intend to play sports Mariano Rivera should be the example to follow.

I think (and hope) he’ll be back

Some of us might hate the Yankees but as a baseball fan, how can you not appreciate what Rivera brought to the game all these years? I’ll bet first vote HOF as well.

As far as the Yank-these replacing him, I think it’s time for everyone in NY (including us Mets fans) to realize how unique Mo is.

As little as I think of the Saves record and people considering Mo as one of the best pitchers of all time. Let’s be honest, Mo is the best at a position ( the one inning three run or less lead pitcher) that’s only existed for 25 years recording a stat that’s only been around for 40 years. And remember, most relievers are relievers because they weren’t good enough to be starters.

What is the most impressive thing is that Mo has been able to do for as long as he has and been as consistent as he has been. We’ve seen several great closers of the past two decades, but they usually burn out after a couple of years.We’ve seen closers rack up monster save seasons, but they end up going into slumps, sometimes lasting a few weeks, sometimes lasting for a full season.

To have what the Spanks had in Mo was very unusual. Other than Hoffman, no closer has had the longevity and consistency to do it for 15+ years without missing a beat.

I know there’s always an argument going on about the value of closers and how difficult can it really be…the way i see it, it takes a special type of person to do what they do. How many times have we seen someone trying to fill the closer roll and fail? All the other active closers in the league and ticking time bombs.