As a Red Sox fan, Mariano is the ONE Yankee that I have no qualms about watching best us.

You can’t NOT root for a consummate professional like that. Watching him pitch is a thing of beauty.

its the thumbs down on my last comment. I don’t get most of those. I would like people to comment instead of thumbing down.

ERA+ 205. Next in Line? Pedro Martinez at 154. Next reliever on the list? Dan Quisenbury at 147.

ERA: 2.22. 13th all time but the only pitcher to start his career live ball era in the top 40. Fact is that the next Live Ball Era pitcher on the list is Hoyt Wilhelm at #45.

WAR: 55th, the only pure reliever in the top 100 (his one season as a starter actually lowers his WAR).

WHIP: 3rd all time.

The saves are a byproduct of that greatness.

Yes there are closers that have reached 100 saves faster than Rivera but none have shown the staying power of Rivera and Hoffman and none have shown this level of excellence so late in a career.

“During the same period, Rivera saved 379 of 431 chances, and broke a million bats with his devastating cut fastball. “Enter Sandman” became the music that announced that Rivera was on the scene and that the game was as good as over, although Rivera has said he had no role in choosing the song.

“Asked if he liked the song, Rivera said: “You want me to tell the truth? I don’t want to get in trouble.

“I don’t listen to that kind of music,” he added, more bluntly. “I don’t love the song.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/sports/baseball/05mets.html

Maybe Rivera himself has asked the Yankee PR department to keep quiet? I dont know. 600 career saves is huge, whether you believe in the importance of the stat or not, and Rivera is the type of guy that MLB should be hyping…

Mo is a wonderful and truly unique pitcher, but the total number of saves doesnt even tell half the story.

The fact that he gives every impression of being a nice humble man who tries to earn what he’s paid in a sport that sees others in the same job do their best to act like they are the cat’s behind, while in fact coming off as the donkey’s, really sets him apart.

In my mind the lack of hoopla is in accordance with his character; just doing his job, gets paid real well for it, that’s all the fanfare required, thank you very much. When he sets the record, providing it’s not against the Beaver Men, I shall tip my hat to him, hope everyone else does the same, and hope that’ll be that. If it is against the Beaver Men, then I’ll dig out my copy of “Mettalica” and score a deep groove in it with the scathing hate pouring out of my eyeballs.

Then I’ll tip my hat to him.

But when you look at those comparative numbers, you get the point that Isringhausen made in the article’s quotes: this is a record that won’t be approached, let alone touched, certainly while most of us are alive. Once it’s done (probably by this time next week or maybe even by the time the Yanx leave Seattle), the hyperbolists will do their damndest to articulate it, but it’s an accomplishment that leaves even sportswriter gaping and mute.

Just sayin…

Either that or Mariano has a really bad picture of himself covered up in the attic.

Actually in Mo’s case, I don’t think it’s an issue of everybody knowing saves are a dumb stat as much as people have pretty much felt that it was inevitable that he’d get there soon enough anyway. I know the sentiment of, “well, enjoy the record while you still have it,” came up when Hoffman retired. It’s one of those rare baseball things where stat nerds and Joe Sixpack can both agree that Rivera’s great — they just take different routes to get there.