Mariano Rivera is 42 years old and entering his 18th season with the Yankees. The 12-time All-Star said this week he knows when he’s going to retire, but he won’t divulge the date. Fellow reliever David Robertson is being considered as a potential closer replacement if Mo does hang it up. Robertson knows that will be a tough role.
“It’s something I would want to do, but I’m not going to focus on that right now,” Robertson said. “I’m not really worried about it at all; all I’m worried about is the season that’s upcoming, being able to get my outs and get the ball to Mo. Those are big shoes,” Robertson added. “Those are shoes that I don’t think anybody is really going to be able to fill.”
Not only does Robertson respect what Rivera has done, he also says the closer is so good he could continue pitching.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Robertson said after being informed of Rivera’s words that his mind is made up about retirement. “He may have hinted, but you never know; he could Brett Favre us.”
Rivera may be old, but unless he is sick of the game or wants to do something else with his time, why should he stop pitching if he’s still the best at his job? Don’t get me wrong — I don’t like seeing athletes’ skills decline — but Mo is still as good as he’s ever been. How could he walk away 18 years later still at the top of his game? It would be tough, hence the Favre talk. And let me say this: Rivera wouldn’t be hated if he did pull a Favre.
