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

Closure in Mickey Mantle's Career

Mickey Mantle / Topps

Prior to the start of 1962, New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle had already accomplished some of his career's most notable feats as a power hitter. He won his first and only triple crown in 1956 as the leader in home runs, batting average and RBI's. "The Mick" as he was called, went through a transition in playing style after suffering an injury that impacted his overall performance beyond 1962. The first half of the 1960's looked promising for veteran swinger Mantle, seeing as he hit a home run in Yankee Stadium that cleared the 461 foot marker. A year later in 1963, he slammed another home run which some estimated could have traveled 600 feet. Mantle helped the Yankees win a World Series prior in 1962 and these new feats of power suggested that he was in his prime as a hitter. However, this would be the last time that Mick won a World Series with the Yankees.

Mantle was unable to play because of a sickness called osteomylitis, a condition that impaired his bone structure. After a difficult season in 1965, his total of a mere 19 home runs revealed that Mantle was no longer the player he used to be. The following season marked the first time in 14 years that Mantle was not invited to the MLB All-Star game.

Baseball analysts recognized the Mick's retirement during the mid 1960's. However, Mantle impressed fans when he managed to hit his 500th career home run against the Baltimore Oriole's pitcher Stu Miller on a 3-2 pitch. This remarkable moment allowed Mantle to end his career on a strong note since he announced his retirement on March 1st, 1969. In 1974, Mickey Mantle's noteworthy career and collection of Word Series rings helped him become immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame.