MLB - Mariano Rivera likely out for the season

[Glacies]

I'm totally heartbroken. This has been a guy I've followed since his major league debut and I believe he taught me something about sportsmanship with his poise and professionalism.

If you don't know, he tore his ACL shagging fly balls during batting practice yesterday, something he's been doing to warm up a game since about '95. He's 42 now and doubtful to return this season, it was expected to be his last season as well.

[R_of_G]

Heartbreaking is exactly the apt term for this. I woke up this morning to this news.

Mariano Rivera is one of those athletes whose performance transcends the feelings that usually go along with sports rivalries. I work with die-hard Rays fans (Yankees haters) who made sure to tell me this morning how sad it was to see his career probably end like this. There's no argument from anyone I've seen in any city that this man is the best relief pitcher to ever play the game. Even my dad, the lifelong Yankee hater emailed me this morning to say there will never be another reliever like Rivera.

Aside from the obvious statistics which show what he accomplished, I think one of the greatest illustrations of Rivera's greatness is that MLB allowed him to keep the #42 after they retired it league-wide in honor of Jackie Robinson. MLB knew that as important as Robinson's legacy is to all of baseball, in the Bronx, #42 will always mean something else first. Now the Yankees will have it retired twice.

I consider myself lucky to have lived in a time which allowed me to watch Rivera pitch. He will always be one of my favorite Yankees. I assumed this would be his final season, but I kinda expected it to end with him throwing the final strike in a World Series clinching game, not tripping on the warning track and tearing up his knee.