Hoffman Puts Rivera In Perspective

[nosebleedjints]

I've often felt when looking at Rivera, while he's been awesome and was so huge in the 1996-00 teams, I still felt we could have won at least one if not three more titles had he not choked.

In 1997 he blew game 4 when the Yankees would have swept the series.

In 2001 there was game 7 of the WS, and in 2004 he walked the leadoff batter in the 9th and blew back to back save aginst Boston in the 3-0 collpase.

 

I felt those three years were a major blemish and made it for to fully embrace his career.

I am thinking different now after seeing Hoffman.

I realized being a close is like nothing else, you are not going to be perfect.

The best hitters strike out, leave guys on, the best defenders boot balls, and the best starters get rocked.

 

The same happens with closers, except with them it is a lot worse because when they suck...they blow the game...literally.

They come in with a lead or tie score and if they stink they give up the lead if not the loss...and I think it's that nature of the position which made it tough for me to see just how special Mo has been a closer.

 

How many times did Babe Ruth strikeout or drop a ball?

How many times did Bob Gibson give up three runs in an inning?

Yet with a closer, you make a blunder, you blow it all in the most biggest time of game.

[osi724dasack]

good points...

 

but when it comes down to it everyone will agree that Mariano Rivera is the best closer in MLB history