Keidel: Rivera Should Be At The Top Of All Lists When Pondering Gotham's Greats
By Jason Keidel
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The listeners of 1010 WINS, in addition to the readers of CBSNewYork.com, have cobbled a list of the most iconic athletes in the history of our beloved city. It's a conga list of NYC luminaries, all of whom have earned a place in the hallowed archive.
And while it's all strictly subjective, it's hard to imagine three players in any sport who slide in front of Mariano Rivera, who was tagged by the listeners/readers at No. 4.
The laconic, iconic closer set 35 MLB records -- including the most saves -- and is more responsible for the Yankees' five World Series titles since 1996 than anyone.
Not that titles should be the main metric. If it were, then Yogi Berra's 13 rings (as a coach, player and manager) would trump the entire field. But in the nouveaux enclave of the bullpen, no one preserved more wins than Rivera.
And the closer saved his best for October, his high deeds under brown leaves shredding the stat sheet. His playoff ERA was 0.70. He recorded 42 saves, surrendered just 86 hits in 141 innings and allowed two homers in 32 postseason series.
All of us bow to Babe Ruth as the New York legend nonpareil. But since he predates the chronological line for voting, he is not a blessed member of the final four. So who mattered more, who did more, than Rivera?
You could certainly argue that Derek Jeter should be No. 1. The sainted shortstop is hardwired into nearly every heart in the five boroughs. And while any argument for Rivera morphs into an argument against those he trails, that's not the intent.
The pious pitcher not only handled himself with unparalleled grace on the mound, but also with biblical humility. If you were lucky enough to meet him -- and I was -- you saw him regard the janitor with the same respect as his manager.
Rivera was an impossible hybrid of class and cutter, of cool nerves and white-hot passion for baseball. If you saw him collapsed on the rubber right after Aaron Boone's homer in the 2003 ALCS, you could not find a more open soul in any sport.
No one doubts the bona fides of Jeter, Joe Namath, Mickey Mantle or any of the luminaries left on the list.
But what separates Rivera is his ability to bask under the bright lights without burning in their glare. Moreover, he wasn't in the game for the gravitas. He saw adulation as an adjunct of the job, not a perk to peel off into peripheral interests. He didn't have a montage of endorsement deals, a high-end burger named after him or his face plastered across our billboards.
Sweeny Murti, not a man given to hyperbole, has often said that Rivera is the second-greatest Yankee ever, behind Ruth. I concur. It's impossible to forget David Justice musing over the idea of Rivera in an Atlanta Braves uniform. Justice assured the press that had Rivera been a Brave, those titans from the 1990s would have way more than one title.
There's a reason Rivera was the final player to wear No. 42. Not since the number was retired has someone approached Jackie Robinson's candor, fortitude or nobility.
Rivera was a man for all seasons, especially the postseason, and he should be at the top of all lists when pondering Gotham's greats.
Follow Jason on Twitter @JasonKeidel.
