04/20/24
March 19, 2006
Mo's Guide to Baseball: For those of you who insist athletes be role models, look no further than one of the greatest closers in baseball history.
Good article, Mariano is one of the few Yankees that I could never find it in my heart to hate.
posted by uglatto at 04:02 PM on March 19, 2006
How could anyone not hate a Yankee?
posted by Parbreaker at 05:16 PM on March 19, 2006
The biggest role model in baseball now is Barry Bonds. He says "if your not cheating your not trying" like noone else ever did
posted by joby at 05:32 PM on March 19, 2006
For the record, I stopped subscribing to the "Athletes as role models" crap years and years ago. One of the best things about Rivera is he's a role model for the younger players on the team and in the organization. That's definitely worth something.
posted by dyams at 06:17 PM on March 19, 2006
Rivera is an all- around good guy. I met him at legends field last year, and I must say- he's a hell of a guy.
posted by redsoxrgay at 07:40 PM on March 19, 2006
The thing is, Rivera is a role-model, Bonds is a role-model, your postman is a role-model. The key is to educate children to differentiate between GOOD and BAD role-models, and why they are different. That is the part that we as parents play, giving them the tools to be able to recognize when something is acceptable, or more importantly desired, and why the easy way, or the flashiest way, may not always be the best way.
posted by elovrich at 09:10 PM on March 19, 2006
odds on favorit barry bonds ends career in pinstripes. if he had played his whole career there he would have broke the record 5-6 years a go with that give me right field line and there would not be the controversy. if he breaks aaron in new york the press will forgive him and george would pay him plenty his kind of player anyway
posted by kdrckrules at 10:13 PM on March 19, 2006
you want a role model look up ex yankee, padre, pirate, brian boehringer, kid went thru high school and juco with out even having a girl friend. not because he didnt want because he had a dream and made it happen . hard work and dedication. maybe never a super star but an all star in my book . he used to help me paint the gym at meremac for $6 an hour not a pre madoona juco kid but one that had an arm with a 96mph fast ball and a lot of desire.
posted by kdrckrules at 10:18 PM on March 19, 2006
Excellent story! My role model when I was a kid was Al Kaline. Consumate professional. Always came out day after day and did his job. Never a complaint or bad word for anyone else. Love a ballplayer like that.
posted by commander cody at 11:05 PM on March 19, 2006
not a pre madoona juco kid This was after 1986, I take it?
posted by yerfatma at 06:13 AM on March 20, 2006
I'm ordinarily a little suspicious of ballplayers who actually refer to themselves as role models, but Mo seems like a solid guy. He reminds me a little of fellow Panamanian Rod Carew in his approach -- go out and do your job, whatever is asked of you, and leave the fanfare to the media and the fans. I have to admit, though, I'm intrigued by the "mistakes" Rivera mentioned -- they never found the press to my knowledge.
posted by BullpenPro at 06:56 AM on March 20, 2006
Thanks for posting this -- Mo has been one of my favorites since he was setting up for Wetteland. I knew that his steely on-mound demeanor was the opposite of his off-field personality, but I didn't know he was such a mentor to the younger players.
posted by Jugwine at 08:41 AM on March 20, 2006
odds on favorit barry bonds ends career in pinstripes. I tried to resist but had to respond to this statement. Absolutely no way in the world. Joe Torre is still one of the best examples in coaching of a guy who understands the importance of team chemistry, and the ability of players to get along in the clubhouse, on the road, on the field, etc. as a key to success. Torre may not always get his way, and sometimes other things are taken into consideration, but he'd never want a personality like Bonds in his clubhouse, if he had any choice in the matter.
posted by dyams at 08:58 AM on March 20, 2006
That's dead on, dyams. Add to that the fact that Bonds has never really forgiven Steinbrenner for what he perceived as shoddy treatment of his father, Bobby, and what you have there is mutual disinterest. How does Bonds manage to work himself onto every freakin' baseball thread? This article is about Mariano Rivera, a pitcher on the east coast in the AL -- about as far away from Bonds as you can get... although I remember Mo striking Bonds out in a key situation during an interleague game at the Stadium. Sweet.
posted by BullpenPro at 09:11 AM on March 20, 2006
Thanks dyams. It is good to read a good story about an athlete. This guy is truely a class act and he plays well and gets compensated for it. I still think I need to be the biggest role model to my kids but it helps to be able to point out people like this also.