Baseball observers schism into intuitionists and empiricists over the matter of closers. Some have been ripping on saves, and the men who make them, as overrated, for decades, and seemingly every year a team—with varying degrees of success—announces an attempt at closer-by-committee. Just as often, sports-talk ululationists and tabloid backpages make the case that teams need brand-name solutions at the back of their bullpen, or everything will be f***ed.
If you watched K-Rod implode as a Met, or have ever watched Matt Capps pitch, you can appreciate the thrift wisdom of Joe Maddon’s open-sourced closer solution. If you watched Joe Borowski close games, you can not mind the retail shock therapy of giving a multi-year, mid-10-figure contract to a guy who’s probably going to pitch a third as many innings as Jake Westbrook. The position is surely overrated and overpaid, but try to convince someone living in the afterglow of Calvin Schiraldi or Jose Mesa’s love.
Rivera’s injury was the most prominent catastrophe to the closer guild in 2012, but it’s been an ugly early season for that particular profession. No fewer than 12 teams have changed closers, because of wonky thumbs, torn ligaments, and talent deficiencies (perceived or real). The internet paranoia kettle, stoked in part by fantasy tweakers, is always shrieking with news about closer legitimacy crises, something that the Yankees haven’t known since the first Rudy Giuliani mayoralty.
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1. Heinie Mantush (Krusty) Posted: May 15, 2012 at 04:43 PM (#4132160)Also:
...ya know, 42 isn't being retired on an account of Rivera.
Only because he isn't retired yet. When he is, the Yankees will retire 42.
Without a doubt. It's already happened, the Cardinals retired Bruce Sutter's #42 in 2006.
However, the line:
heavily implies that all of MLB will be retiring #42 on behalf of Rivera.
It's technically true that "no one will be allowed to wear number 42 ... after [Rivera] retires", but that glosses over the pretty important fact that no one else is allowed to wear it while he is playing. Because, you know, a much, much, much, much, much more important figure in baseball history wore #42.
I find this interesting. I hadn't considered this. For the next few April 15ths, it'll be weird for that guy.
about as much as Lee Smith got for the years he was the all time saves leader.
Now that some pitchers break-in as closers, they do have a chance to get a head start on Rivera who didn't close regularly until his age 27 season. But they'd still have to awfully durable to threaten the record.
I would think a cyborg who could pitch, could pitch more than 60 innings a year.
#justsayin
But since the cyborg would only be used for 60 innings a year, there's no way we'll ever know if you're right.
No ill effects?? A mere 16 years later, the injury cascade from his fatigue finally screwed up his fly-shagging mechanics enough to end his career!
He was at least a 100-year old model before they sent him back, probably already had about 75,000 innings on his arm. And it's not like anybody in our timeline has a clue how to maintain a cyborg.
And who are you gonna call on in the 9th inning -- Mo, Data or the Terminator? (Don't be fooled by the nickname.)
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