Throwback Thursday x Mariano Rivera choosing to hang 'em up following 2013 season

One last go around - For 17 seasons, longtime Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has dominated the American League landscape with his devastating cutter, sawing off broken bats and fooling batters while on his way to becoming baseball's all-time saves leader with 608 career saves. Saturday afternoon, however, the 43-year old Panama native held a press-conference in front of the media where he announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2013 MLB season, ending the distinguished career that began with the New York ball club in 1995. With plans to retire after the 2012 season last year, Rivera, a 12-time All-Star was forced to rethink his retirement when those plans came to an abrupt stop after suffering a knee injury while shagging balls prior to a game in Kansas City on May 3, which turned out to be a torn ACL that put the 17-year veteran on the shelf for the remainder of the season. Having been the poster boy for success during much of his career, many thought there was no way that one of baseball's most celebrated players would go out like that.

They would be right as Rivera refused to let his decorated big league career end at the hands of an injury, shooting down all rumors of that being the last we saw of the one they call 'Mo' toeing the rubber in the ninth inning with the game on the line. "I'm not going down like this," Rivera told the baseball world after undergoing knee surgery in June. And after those words left his mouth, the sun came out and the birds began to sing like a scene from a Disney movie. But like all Disney movies which feature a happy ending, the only way to properly end this saga will be for the Yankees to send their closer on a horse riding in the sunset with a sixth World Series title under his belt. With Rivera calling it an "honor to put on the pinstripes," it's been nothing short of an honor for us baseball fans to watch him take the hill during the ninth inning and do what he's done his entire career -- win ball games. And though I'm not a fan of the Yankees personally, I think I can speak for everyone when I say Mo wore the pinstripes the way they were meant to be worn -- with class. After watching another one of baseball's all around good guys take the field for one last hurrah in 2012, Mo could expect similar treatment to that of Chipper Jones who received gifts from every National League organization last season in what was his final year in the big leagues before calling it quits.

One gift that won't be given to him, however, is a sixth World Series Championship and is one he and his teammates want more than anything else. Unfortunately it won't be an easy task as the Yankees will be without much of their power hitters to start the year. With Mark Teixeira out 8 to 10 weeks with a strained tendon in his right wrist, Curtis Granderson sidelined until May with a fractured right forearm and Alex Rodriguez not expected back until mid-season at the very least while recovering from hip surgery, the Yankees will depend heavily on Robinson Cano to provide much of the pop for the Bronx Bombers. They'll also be looking for some much needed production from players such as Ichiro Suzuki, Travis Hafner and Kevin Youkilis, all of which were All-Stars for their respected former clubs. Not to be forgotten is Derek Jeter who himself is recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the ALCS last season and Brett Gardner who when healthy can run the base paths with the best of them. As for the pitching staff, Phil Hughes is expected to miss his first start of the regular season while battling back problems.

The injury bug has been so contagious to the Yankees organization as of late that even Yankees GM Brian Cashman hit the disabled-list with a broken leg and dislocated ankle suffered during a sky-diving stunt. For their sake, I hope this isn't a bad omen of things to come for those who support the pinstripes. And for the first time in awhile, the Yankees are entering the season as underdogs to make it out of their division on top with the recent retooling of the Toronto Blue Jays who many are expecting to contend for a title.


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