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HOST:
New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera is expected to announce tomorrow that he will retire
after this season. His announcement signals what could be the end of an era of Yankees domination.
Lance Dixon spoke to New Yorkers about what the announcement might mean for the future of the
Bronx Bombers. (:14)
(“Enter Sandman” fades in after 1999, fades out after bed.)
It started in the summer of 1999. That was when Mariano Rivera first started entering Yankees games
in the ninth inning to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” He had a calm demeanor as he would strut out to
the pitcher’s mound and over 600 times he helped guarantee the Yankees’ opponents were put to bed.
After 18 years that career will be coming to an end, and not only Yankee fans are paying respect. (:22)
FRANCO:
Mariano Rivera’s probably the greatest closer of all time, in baseball, even being a Met fan I can
recognize that. (:07)
That’s Gerardo Franco, a cab driver, who says Rivera and the other players that made their debut for
the team in 1995 like shortstop Derek Jeter and former catcher Jorge Posada were throwbacks—they
weren’t big free agents, they came up through the minor leagues. Franco says that despite the Yankees’
wealth, you can’t just buy talent like that. (:18)
FRANCO:
Those guys they were the heart of the team, that’s the one thing that the Yankees had a real strong
foundation. But, I don’t see them winning anything for at least another ten years. (:09)
Long-time Yankees fans, like Anthony Mendez, said Thursday’s reports about Rivera were not
completely shocking. (:06)
MENDEZ:
I expected it. I really did, I mean he’s 43 years old. (:03)
Mendez suspects that Rivera would’ve called it quits in 2012 if the closer hadn’t torn his ACL catching
balls in the outfield and missed the rest of that year. (:08)
MENDEZ:
If he would’ve not gotten injured, I think it would’ve been his last year. (:03)
Even though Rivera’s final season seems to be here, Mendez doesn’t think that rallying around the
record-setting closer will be enough to push the the Yankees to a title. (:08)
MENDEZ:
I really, I don’t expect much from the team. I know they’ll compete and they’re still the Yankees. So if
anything goes down they’ll probably pick up a replacement somewhere in a big trade or something.
(:09)
Replacement players may eventually help the Yankees deal with their injury concerns and an aging
roster on the field, but replacing a figure like Rivera may prove tougher. Yankees fan, Daniel Ayata,
recalls attending the game when the pitcher got his 602nd career save, breaking the all-time record.
(:16)
AYATA:
I’ve been at the stadium plenty of times and the crowd gets loud. But, that was one of the loudest
crowds I’ve seen and witnessed and I was lucky to be there. (:09)
Whether the Yankees win a title or not, fans in the Bronx will have the chance to watch a future Hall-of-
Famer for at least one more season.
Lance Dixon, Columbia Radio News. (:10)
