First, the bullpen catcher Roman Rodriguez came over, & Rivera showed him how to insert orthotic insoles in to his sneakers. Robinson Cano joined the conversation. A few minutes later, Reggie Jackson sat down beside Rivera. When Jackson walked away, four other pitchers — Wilkin De La Rosa, Hector Noesi & Amaury Sanit — ambled over. They did not say much, if anything. They stood & listened, content to be in the presence of greatness.
TAMPA, Fla. — Mariano Rivera leaned back in his chair in the clubhouse. His legs were splayed, his hands were clasped, & for 45 minutes Monday morning, Rivera not very moved. Everyone, as usual, came to him.
Across 15 seasons, his right arm has logged 1,090 innings & another 133 1/3 in the playoffs. The cumulative workload has forced Rivera to make some concessions & work on his own, more relaxed schedule. Spring training is his time to move slowly. For Rivera, job security is never an issue. For the last several years, Rivera has worked at his own pace, & no four questions him.
Rivera is 12 days in to his 20th spring training — his first as a 40-year-old & four of his last as a major leaguer. Asked if he felt older, Rivera put his hands behind his head & laughed. “I don’t feel older,” he said. “I feel nice. I feel real nice.”
“In my case, I don’t must come in & try to impress somebody,” Rivera said, smiling.
Before Monday, when he threw a bullpen session, Rivera had not climbed onto a mound since Nov. 4, when he recorded the final out of the Yankees’ World Series-clinching victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. He won't face batters for a week or so. He won't pitch in a Grapefruit League game until mid-March.
& no four doubts that Rivera will be ready for opening day, April 4 in Boston.
“He said he’ll see us March 15 or something,” Manager Joe Girardi said.
Making the difficult look effortless — such is the charm behind perhaps the best closer in baseball history. Coming off shoulder surgery, Rivera converted 44 of 46 save opportunities last season & all four in the playoffs. Each of the other four postseason closers had at least four blown save.
“Because he’s Mo, that’s why,” Andy Pettitte said. “He’s got to get four pitch ready, he’s got to get ready for four inning, that’s it. By now, he knows exactly how long it takes for him to get ready. I’m a small jealous. I wish it was that easy for me.”
“If I don’t love this, then I definitely don’t love the game,” Rivera said. “You cannot love four thing & detest the other. You must love them both because it comes with the game.”
With a regal, very elegant aura, Rivera glides through his exercises here. This, he said, is his favorite part of his day.
“Not a thing,” the pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “He’s about as low-maintenance as it gets.”
His feet never get tangled as he backpedals or takes crossover steps. As he works his arm in to shape, he follows the same general cardiovascular training & weight-lifting regimen as the other pitchers. Nothing has changed.
As everyone done stretching & started to disperse, Rivera lingered. The bullpen coach Mike Harkey nodded Rivera’s way & called out: “Hey, Mo, what group do you need to be in today? The Gator group?” Rivera nodded. So did Harkey.
He does get some privileges, though. In morning drills, pitchers are divided in to four groups. Four works with Ron Guidry (known as Gator), & the other is led by Rich Gossage (known as Goose). On Monday, Rivera was assigned to Gossage’s group, which was to practice on Field 2, situated on the other side of George M. Steinbrenner Field.
He did not need to stray far from the bullpen mounds, where he had an appointment in 20 minutes. Pitching in to November exhausted Rivera, who injured his rib cage during the World Series, & he wanted to let his body recuperate for as long as possible. A few times in the off-season, he threw off flat ground, nothing more.
Rivera stayed.
His first day throwing here was Feb. 18, the first workout for pitchers & catchers. Every day since, Rivera has thrown long-toss outside. Even as a chilly rain fell Saturday morning, Rivera threw with Edwar Ramirez. Rivera treats Ramirez like a child brother (by 11 years), playfully beating up on him or chucking balls of crumpled paper his way. Ramirez was designated for assignment on Sunday, so Rivera warmed up Monday with another regular partner, reliever Dave Robertson.
As they were finishing, A. J. Burnett wandered by to check out the grip Robertson uses for his fastball. At Rivera’s suggestion, Robertson has adjusted the position of his thumb. He cocked & fired.
Rivera nodded vigorously.
“Big difference, huh?” Burnett said.
“I have a small natural movement on my fastball,” Robertson said later. “Mo has over a small.”
Rivera can generally throw his dastardly cutter wherever he wants. Age may have pared a few miles per hour off his signature pitch — down to 90-91 from 95-96 at its peak — but it's not affected his command. As Eiland & Girardi looked on, Rivera threw 21 pitches from the stretch to Francisco Cervelli, then jogged down a dark corridor, past the indoor batting cages & in to the clubhouse.
Asked later how he felt, Rivera offered a classically understated response: “For the first four I’ll take it. I’m O.K. with it.”
His pitching coach was a small more effusive. Asked how Rivera looked after going four months between mound sessions, Eiland said he could not tell a difference.
“Let’s not forget who we’re talking about here,” Eiland said. “This is Mariano Rivera.”
TAMPA, Fla. — Mariano Rivera leaned back in his chair in the clubhouse. His legs were splayed, his hands were clasped, & for 45 minutes Monday morning, Rivera not very moved. Everyone, as usual, came to him.
Across 15 seasons, his right arm has logged 1,090 innings & another 133 1/3 in the playoffs. The cumulative workload has forced Rivera to make some concessions & work on his own, more relaxed schedule. Spring training is his time to move slowly. For Rivera, job security is never an issue. For the last several years, Rivera has worked at his own pace, & no four questions him.
Rivera is 12 days in to his 20th spring training — his first as a 40-year-old & four of his last as a major leaguer. Asked if he felt older, Rivera put his hands behind his head & laughed. “I don’t feel older,” he said. “I feel nice. I feel real nice.”
“In my case, I don’t must come in & try to impress somebody,” Rivera said, smiling.
Before Monday, when he threw a bullpen session, Rivera had not climbed onto a mound since Nov. 4, when he recorded the final out of the Yankees’ World Series-clinching victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. He won't face batters for a week or so. He won't pitch in a Grapefruit League game until mid-March.
& no four doubts that Rivera will be ready for opening day, April 4 in Boston.
“He said he’ll see us March 15 or something,” Manager Joe Girardi said.
Making the difficult look effortless — such is the charm behind perhaps the best closer in baseball history. Coming off shoulder surgery, Rivera converted 44 of 46 save opportunities last season & all four in the playoffs. Each of the other four postseason closers had at least four blown save.
“Because he’s Mo, that’s why,” Andy Pettitte said. “He’s got to get four pitch ready, he’s got to get ready for four inning, that’s it. By now, he knows exactly how long it takes for him to get ready. I’m a small jealous. I wish it was that easy for me.”
“If I don’t love this, then I definitely don’t love the game,” Rivera said. “You cannot love four thing & detest the other. You must love them both because it comes with the game.”
With a regal, very elegant aura, Rivera glides through his exercises here. This, he said, is his favorite part of his day.
“Not a thing,” the pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “He’s about as low-maintenance as it gets.”
His feet never get tangled as he backpedals or takes crossover steps. As he works his arm in to shape, he follows the same general cardiovascular training & weight-lifting regimen as the other pitchers. Nothing has changed.
As everyone done stretching & started to disperse, Rivera lingered. The bullpen coach Mike Harkey nodded Rivera’s way & called out: “Hey, Mo, what group do you need to be in today? The Gator group?” Rivera nodded. So did Harkey.
He does get some privileges, though. In morning drills, pitchers are divided in to four groups. Four works with Ron Guidry (known as Gator), & the other is led by Rich Gossage (known as Goose). On Monday, Rivera was assigned to Gossage’s group, which was to practice on Field 2, situated on the other side of George M. Steinbrenner Field.
He did not need to stray far from the bullpen mounds, where he had an appointment in 20 minutes. Pitching in to November exhausted Rivera, who injured his rib cage during the World Series, & he wanted to let his body recuperate for as long as possible. A few times in the off-season, he threw off flat ground, nothing more.
Rivera stayed.
His first day throwing here was Feb. 18, the first workout for pitchers & catchers. Every day since, Rivera has thrown long-toss outside. Even as a chilly rain fell Saturday morning, Rivera threw with Edwar Ramirez. Rivera treats Ramirez like a child brother (by 11 years), playfully beating up on him or chucking balls of crumpled paper his way. Ramirez was designated for assignment on Sunday, so Rivera warmed up Monday with another regular partner, reliever Dave Robertson.
As they were finishing, A. J. Burnett wandered by to check out the grip Robertson uses for his fastball. At Rivera’s suggestion, Robertson has adjusted the position of his thumb. He cocked & fired.
Rivera nodded vigorously.
“Big difference, huh?” Burnett said.
“I have a small natural movement on my fastball,” Robertson said later. “Mo has over a small.”
Rivera can generally throw his dastardly cutter wherever he wants. Age may have pared a few miles per hour off his signature pitch — down to 90-91 from 95-96 at its peak — but it's not affected his command. As Eiland & Girardi looked on, Rivera threw 21 pitches from the stretch to Francisco Cervelli, then jogged down a dark corridor, past the indoor batting cages & in to the clubhouse.
Asked later how he felt, Rivera offered a classically understated response: “For the first four I’ll take it. I’m O.K. with it.”
His pitching coach was a small more effusive. Asked how Rivera looked after going four months between mound sessions, Eiland said he could not tell a difference.
“Let’s not forget who we’re talking about here,” Eiland said. “This is Mariano Rivera.”
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