The fate of Rob Gronkowski

Gronkowski carted off after injury/ blacksportsonline.com

Rob Gronkowski, tight end for the New England Patriots, has been repeatedly injured during his career and his durability issue may lead to his departure from the team in the 2015 season. Now facing a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, he might not even make it onto the field until December 2014. With these factors coming in to play, the Patriots could be looking for a new tight end this coming season.

The injury-prone Gronkowski suffered sprained ligaments in his ankle during Super Bowl XLVI which required him to have surgery. In the 2012 season he broke his left forearm and then re-injured it in a playoff game that same season.

Gronkowski’s right knee injury occurred when he got hit by T.J. Ward from the Denver Broncos. Ward spoke out about this hit and how everything he did was legal, and the league is forcing him and other players to hit in this legal manner.

“But we have to play this game the way that they force us to, and unfortunately it [resulted] in an injury for him ... I honestly prayed for him 'cause it looked bad the way they were over there,” Ward said to Marc Sessler after the December 9, 2013 game.

For the last two seasons, Gronkowski only played in 18 of the 32 games. All of this missed playing time was a result from his injuries. The only way for a player to be of use to a team is if he is on the field playing. The Patriots have a difficult decision whether to drop him or keep him on the team. He is an amazing player on the field setting many records while playing for the Patriots in just four seasons.

The Patriots gave Gronkowski the highest salary for a tight end in the league and he deserves that contract while he is playing. When he is playing, he is a hard person to defend on the field. Due to his injuries of the last couple of seasons, does this mean that his place as the starting tight end for the Patriots is in jeopardy, or does his record the past four years influence the choice as to whether the Patriots want to keep him?

The legendary sandman enters his final season

Will Mariano Rivera’s retirement lead to the downfall of the New York Yankees’ legacy? The Yankees ace closer has been with the team for 19 seasons and contributed to five World Series wins. Throughout the years he has shown consistency and reliability as a closer and he has been essential in the ninth inning.

Mariano Rivera - Wikimedia Commons

Rivera said that he would have retired at the conclusion of last season if he did not tear his ACL on May 3, 2012. He was on the shelf most of that season; however, he did not want to retire due to an injury. "I didn't want to leave like that," Rivera said in a press conference before the 2013 season. "I felt like I wanted to give everything."

The New York Yankees need Rivera to elevate his abilities with some of their best players including Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez out due to injury. Rivera returned to baseball on April 4, 2013, leaving him a significant amount of time to recover and come back even stronger than last season. Rivera is the most tenured player on the team and his experience will play a major role for winning another World Series.

Although many did not expect the sandman to return after his ACL injury, Rivera has been very consistent this season. He started the season by saving Andy Pettitte’s eight inning performance against the Boston Red Sox in their third game of the season.

The Yankees are looking forward to a better opening to their season as far as they are concerned with their pitching. With some of their best and more reliable batters out pitching is where the Yankees really have to be aggressive. Rivera’s composure and consistency are exactly the attributes that the Yankees need during the pressure situations.

Contributed by Kian Zadeh and Din Islam