Journalistic integrity be damned. If I’m one of the beat reporters standing there, I’d give him a hug. I thought this injury may delay his retirement, but if Mo decided to retire this past offseason, why would he want go thru rehab this coming offseason? Thanks Mo!

When a yankee player gets hurt I get frustrated because it affects the team and usually we ask SG how many wins it’s going to cost the yankees. But this is different. I am not thinking about how the team is going to be affected or who is going to replace his spot in the bullpen. I am frsutarted because I am going to miss him so much. I can’t believe that I will say this, but I rather have Mo healthy for one more season than watching the Yankees win the world series.

How about the Yankees win the World Series this year and THEN Mo ALSO comes back healthy and plays one more year?

Damnit.

He should have been able to retire after having closed out the final Yankee win of this season (whenever that might have been).

This season got shittastic in a hurray.

Strictly from a team standpoint, I don’t think this is a huge deal.  The bullpen is the teams greatest strength, especially with the way Hughes starts have been going.  Both short and long term this is no where near as bad as losing Pineda.

But from a fan prospective, this REALLY REALLY sucks.

Coupled with the Pineda injury, it is like getting kicked in the crotch from the Ghost of Christmas Past AND the Ghost of Christmas Future.

Watching the Yankees play right now is like getting kicked in the crotch from the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Losing your favorite player of all time like this is just not fair.

The thing with the Pineda injury is that we never had him, so it doesn’t really feel like a loss to me.  He’s just never been a Yankee IMO.

It is less the loss of Pineda so much as it is the loss of Montero. When we lost Montero, the hope would be we could feel okay about it because of Pineda. So when Pineda got hurt, there was nothing to keep us from feeling bad about not having Montero. Watching Montero hit was one of the main things I was looking forward to this season (winning a bunch of games was the #1 thing I was looking forward to this season - hopefully I still have that to look forward to).

Yeah, I was looking forward to watching Montero too.  Even if the trade made sense in terms of WAR or whatever, it’d have been a lot more fun watching him hitting 5 or 6 days a week instead of watching Pineda pitch once every five days.

I’m really having a hard time keeping interest in this year’s team now.  They’re just boring.

This is the most Yankee-induced pain I’ve felt since 1979, which I guess puts things in perspective.

I hope Cashman realizes that this is not a good team and starts rebuilding next season.

Here’s an interesting question - let’s say Mo does make a comeback next season. How much does he sign for?

[6] That’s it exactly, Brian.
Another “true-ringing” phrase, from the last thread, was:

if Girardi has a strength

I had hoped Rivera would have the chance to go out on his terms…but not even the greatest usually do.  I can’t watch the video.  I can only assume that he will deal with this with the usual perspective and humility that he’s dealt with everything his entire career.

With everything that’s happened this season, this was the capper.  I think I’m going to take a break from the games for a while.

[6] - Post of the year.

And yeah, right now there is nothing interesting to watch but Jeter.  Hopefully they will start winning soon and change that. Remember the Red Sox lost their closer and got off to a bad start and the Rays lost Longoria for a few months. Both hurt then more than this hurts the Yankees.  If some pitchers turn it around this team will be fun again.

... I hope.

In terms of pure interest and excitement going into this season it was always Montero and Mo. Maybe Nova and DRob as “step forward” guys. There was also buzz about a Hughes bounceback. Well, we lost Montero but gained Pineda and Kuroda. Pineda left but we got Andy which was cool. Hughes crapped out but our soon-to-be-38-year-old shortstop is a joy to watch again. Now we’ve lost Mo and DRob will be the closer. I feel like we’re watching The Wire here. Who’s getting knocked off or promoted next?

Who will pitch teh ...9th? (sobs)

I’ve been to tons of games and have yet to see him make an appearance. Looks like I never will.

[19] The only one I have a distinct memory of was a loss up at Fenway (Manny five-holed him for an RBI single to win it).

Huh…now that I think about it, I haven’t seen him pitch in quite awhile in person either. The Yankees either blow the other team out or they lose in the last X amount of games I’ve been to. I was telling my wife at the game on Wednesday how much I wanted to see him. When they lost, I said, “Well, we’re going again at the end of the month, hopefully we can see him then.” Silly me.

I saw Mo blow a save in Arlington in 2010 when he hit Jeff Francoeur with the bases loaded. That was a bad night. But I also saw him strike out GMJ to end the 2009 ALCS. That was a good night. We’ve been spoiled because Mo’s provided so many more of the latter.

I saw perhaps his greatest performance. Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Him sprinting out to the mound and collapsing said it all.

One of life’s greatest pleasures is sitting in Yankee Stadium on an October evening and listening to Enter Sandman. I consider myself fortunate now to have been able to do that more than once.

I’ve seen Mo pitch about a dozen times, and it was always a save situation and he always nailed it down.  I haven’t seen him pitch in person since 2001 though.  Can’t believe we may never see him again.

Nerdfest in Cooperstown in six years!

6. Dead on.

Time to blow up this team, from space, with a giant laser pointed at Teixeira. I feel bad for Jeter having to hang out with these losers. His pursuit of .400 is my only reason to watch this team if they can’t take at least 4 of the next 3 games against the Royals.

I’ve only been to two Yankees games, but I was lucky enough to see Mo close out a game in Old Yankee Stadium. I hope he comes back, but I can understand why he wouldn’t.

This sucks.

Now is not the time to walk away from this season.  Now is the time to double down.  Jeter is having his best start since…since ever.  The guys that suck are going to get better.  CC has had his laxative April, and Pettitte will be back soon, battlin’ a-mighty.  The Yanks remain in the hunt, ahead of the Townies, and now will have a chip on their shoulders against cruel Fate.  It is barely May, friends.  Shake your despondency.  Look to the Captain and his .400 batting average.  And above all, think of Shteeve, poor torn Shteeve, who must fight his inner demons, knowing that watching Robertson close out games is wrong, even though we all may find that it feels so right.  I expect all cylinders soon, and yea, the Yankees will again be a mighty, driving machine.

Mo is dead.  Long live Mo!

I’m going to blame the Knicks-Heat playoff series for this. (Sorry if you hate basketball.)

Stay with me. The Knicks lost Iman Shumpert (torn ACL and meniscus) in game 1. Done for the year. After game 2 Amar’e Stoudemire cut his hand punching a fire extinguisher case (always a good idea to punch things, professional athletes!). Done for the series. Before game 3 Mo gets injured shagging fly balls. Done for the year, maybe his career.

Now, this week Eli Manning is hosting Saturday Night Live, which will start on Saturday night and bleed into Sunday…the day of game 4. So Giants fans (I am not one), do you feel confident in the reliability of the studio’s lighting rigs?

(Sorry if I am being to flippant, folks. I’m just as devastated as you are.)

I don’t know, Dave S. I can’t shake the feeling that Tex is a massive albatross. Also, the only starter you named after CC hasn’t pitched in a year and a half. And without Mo, they’re going to need an extra inning out of the rotation.

Not ready to watch video yet.  The NYT article tough enough.  The ball was hit by Jason Nix so if TSBG or Swish weren’t hurt?

It sucks, sure.  But let’s put this in a little perspective:  Mo’s career was almost over anyway.  To put it in terms he can relate to, it was the bottom of the ninth, two outs, and a two-strike count.  He’s 42.  He’s toed that rubber for an eternity, at least as baseball eternities go.  If it all ended last night, none of us here ought to feel cheated.

Although it may seem like he’s had a bad break, we should be grateful Mo’s days in pinstripes ended on the field while he was having fun shagging fly balls (still dreaming of playing centerfield?) and not with a diagnosis of a terminal illness (Gehrig) or in a plane crash (Munson).  We should be proud that while his knee is busted, his legend is intact, unlike Clemens or any number of other recent stars whose falls ended not in surgery and recuperation but in disgrace.  We should be glad if he goes out still at the very top of his game. 

Whether he plays again or not, this isn’t the end for Rivera.  Not time for the Sandman.  In fact, I suspect he’ll be around for another 30-40 years, looking not much different than he does now. Still wearing the stripes and number 42.  There will plenty more opportunities to cheer him, thank him, and remember how good it all was.

Watching Mo talk last night was really brutal.  This fucking sucks.

It sucks, sure.  But let’s put this in a little perspective:  Mo’s career was almost over anyway.  To put it in terms he can relate to, it was the bottom of the ninth, two outs, and a two-strike count.  He’s 42.  He’s toed that rubber for an eternity, at least as baseball eternities go.

That’s like saying it’s OK that you broke your leg because you have diabetes and were probably going to lose the foot anyway. This still sucks.

Mo being Mo. Said he wasn’t going to head back to NYC, wanted to stay with the team, be there for the guys.

Obviously, he was overridden and is probably already back by this time. But it shows you who the man is, and I think also indicates an acceptance on his part that 2 days will not affect what’s coming with the knee, that he’s out for the season and maybe for good. So his mind turned to what was most important to him - his teammates.

If only the rotation weren’t in such shambles, this would be a good argument for moving Hughes to the BP. As weird as it sounds, that Aardsma signing now looks pretty solid.

Yes, it is sad…but lets remember the good times. the 4 WS that ended happily with Mo on the mound (and forget the one that ended sadly with Mo on the mound).2003 Game 7, (duh). And hundreds of others. Adn the entire 1996, when Tom Kelly said something like “he does not belong in this league, he needs to be pitching in a higher one”
Geat memories - Being at Yankee Stadium when he entered and standing with 50,000 others as ONE, cheering from the time the bull pen gate opened until the last pitch. THAT was awesome.

As far as this team - you can’t rebuild if no one will take the horrible contracts off your hands; and trust me, no one will. (Then again, the Angels gave up Napoli for Wells!)

But I am not giving up - in 2005 they started 11-19, and they finished first; and that was with a total idiot (instead of a semi-idiot) managing them. Maybe Cashman will find this year’s Aaron Small and Chacon somewhere….But yeah, right now they look like a bunch of tired old men who swing for the fences on every at bat because they are too lazy to run around the bases. And remember when Cano was good?

Hey, AJ gave up 12 uns in his last start, so at least we can be happy he is not here.

Now let me go shed some more tears for the Great Mariano.

I’m going to distract myself from my grief by complaining unendingly about Teix until he plays better. Might not even stop then.

until he plays better

Setting the bar high, are we?

[35] Yeah, that’s where I had to stop watching.

Soriano is the best option for closer.  He seems to lose interest in any other role and having him pile up saves seems like the best chance for him to have a good enough year to opt out of his contract.

Sure, Robertson is the Yanks’ best reliever, but he’s more valuable in his current role.  See (e.g) Mo in 1996.

[41]
Good idea.
Any chance of it happening?
Nah.

[35] - I think he is just scared of what the Yankees medical staff might do to him.

{41} what made Mo valuable in 1996 was the multiple innings. He threw 107. As Joe G will nver use Robertson that way - much as Joe T never ever again used anyone in that way (maybe Mendoza) -  and for all I know DRob can’t handle it, they may as well make him the 9th inning guy.

I know I’ve seen Mariano close a bunch of games—for a while I had friends with season tickets, and I’ve heard “Enter Sandman” numerous times.  Nothing really sticks out for me though, I guess I have a better memory for offensive highlights.  But this is just awful.  I second what SG said.  This is like the end of Babe Ruth’s career, or Hank Aaron’s.  Mo is just the best there ever was.

Maybe Mo has lost a bit, but he’s still one of the best in the game.  I never thought that would be the case at 42.  I kind of feel the same way about Jeter, I’m delighted that maybe he’s going to go Luke Appling on us, and I was sort of hoping Mo would be like Jamie Moyer, only more effective. 

Just a lousy day to be a Yankee fan.

[44] Hughes is probably the best option for that. If he airs it out for 1-2 innings and looks like he did for the first few innings of his last start, he’ll be quite successful.

Hughes for the 6-7, DRob for the 8th, Soriano for the 9th, Logan and Rapada and Loogies.

Go with a 4 man rotation, cap them at 5 innings to keep them fresh.

CC, Kuroda, Nova, Pettitte. If you have to have a 5-man rotation, let one of them be Phelps and Mitchell for 3 innings each.

Garcia to chum slick.

Maybe Chum Slick will be my new handle.

Awesome. Just to keep the misery train a-rollin’, MCA from the Beasties is dead at 48.

The bullpen in the least of the worries.  With or without mo Hughes should probably be moving there soon.

But once Pettitte comes back what is the order for 5th starter auditions?

The last Mo appearance I saw was at Fenway when the Yankees spoiled the 100th celebration back in April.  Two strike outs and a ground out to end it. Twelve pitches; twelve pitches that I was trying not to take for granted as they were being thrown.

I called my father right after the game and remember saying “Yeah, it was odd Girardi brought in Cody Eppley, but at least it meant I got to see Mo pitch at least one more time.  If this is his last season, who knows if he’ll pitch when I’m at a game again?”

Pineda, Gardner, Swisher, Chavez, Mo…..  Francisco Cervelli will be batting 4th and Graham Stoneburner will be closing games by the All-Star Break at this rate.

Maybe Chum Slick will be my new handle.

Make sure you are Chum Slick with girl on side.

Crap. I had my ACL reconstructed a month ago; bad times. [Though at least I went out in two feet of fresh powder, not messing around at work.] He’s done for 2012 unless they can fit him with some funky brace, but I doubt they would take the risk of a bigger blowout. He would be completely fit for next year.

Baseball would be better served by some Mariano in 2013.

“He works hard, and he’s going to work hard at his recovery and I’m no doctor, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him back here this year,” Jeter said.

This is literally impossible. Returning to full activity is 6 months, minimum.

He did say he’s no doctor.

Damnit SSF, he’s a shortstop, not a doctor.

57 awesome