...and we don't know what it is. I hope you didn't think we had all the answers. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is 42 years old. He's most recently been tremendously effective, and he's always been tremendously effective since shifting to the bullpen, but the $30 million, two-year contract he signed in December 2010 expires after this season. What's Rivera going to do at that point? He says he already knows. Marc Carig:
Mariano Rivera didn't come out and say it. But the greatest closer of all time left plenty of hints today that this will be his final season. Rivera, 42, said that several weeks ago he made his decision. For now, it is a decision he will keep to himself, one that can't be changed despite what happens this year.
Rivera won't yet tell the media whether he's going to retire or try to stick around. He has already decided whether he's going to retire or try to stick around. He says that nothing that happens during the season could change his mind, which seems far-fetched - I'm sure something could change his mind - but Rivera sounds awfully committed to his choice, and as Carig states, the suspicion is that he's just about ready to spend the rest of his life with his family.
A lot of articles about players in Rivera's situation conclude by briefly reviewing their histories of achievements and success. I don't think that Mariano Rivera's history of achievements and success can be briefly reviewed. The man is Mariano Rivera. Last year he posted a 1.91 ERA. That was his worst ERA since 2007. Yeah.