WHY SCOTT'S RIGHT ABOUT MARIANO

I know, I know... Who's Scott? Scott's a buddy of mine who had a unique perspective on the Rafael Soriano acquisition when I told him that Mariano Rivera was the one who made the push for Sori. You can read that story HERE. He said "It doesn't surprise me. Mariano has always been about good pitching.". Then he paused, and his grin turned to a stone cold glare... He looked me dead in the eye and said, "Mariano will be the next pitching coach for the New York Yankees, mark my words.". So I am. Not because he's my pal, but because he's right. Oh and that dialog about Scott's glare... I added that for dramatics...never happened.

His point did happen though, he's right. Ever since Mariano hung in the bullpen with Wetteland and Nelson, Stanton and Graeme Lloyd, he learned all about winning pitching. He always grew up learning about competition and class and bridging to the Sandman. Then one day, Rivera became the Sandman. To put it simply, if you don't get to Mo, you're not winning. So quality pitching needs to get you that V. No excuses.

5 rings later, nothings changed for Mariano. Pitching wins championships, and if it means Mariano offering his 2 cents to get quality like Rafael Soriano, people listen. Why? Because Rivera may not say a lot, but when he talks, you know it matters. He has a baseball mind like no other. And the best part for Rivera? It's not about personal pitching achievements, personal awards and his personal save record. It's about his team's wins.

So when 2012 wraps up and Mariano decides to call it a career, it's not goodbye, it's just a small bump in the road for Yankee fans. Because while we will know it's "So Long" to the Sandman, it's "Hello Coach" to Mr. Rivera. Expect Mariano to be back and a driving force behind the Yankees pitching for many years after he retires. It makes sense, but especially to my pal Scott.

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