THE CLOSER―MY STORY

Friday, June 06, 2014

THE CLOSER―My Story
By Mariano Rivera with Wayne Coffey

OVERVIEW: In The Closer. Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers, and discusses the other "Core Four" teammates with whom he came up in the game—Jeter, Pettitte, and Posada. He examines the mental preparation that goes into being a world-class athlete, taking us on the jog from the bullpen to the mound―a place where the game, or the season, rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time―his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to his now wife, Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his incredible instincts for persevering. (From the back of the book.)

AUTHORS: Mariano Rivera was a New York Yankee for nineteen seasons. He is Major League Baseball's all-times saves and ERA leader, a thirteen-time All-Star, and a five-time World Champion. He and his wife, Clara, have three sons and live in New York. Wayne Coffey is one of the country's most acclaimed sports journalists. A writer for the New York Daily News, he co-wrote R.A. Dickey's bestselling Wherever I Wind Up and is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Boys of Winter, among other books. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and children.

MY REVIEW: The man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door is finally sharing his life and journey with his many fans. Today he is considered a global legend and often listed with Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Jeter as one of the top six Yankees of all time. And yet when he was first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't own a glove and arrived at his Yankees tryout with his big toe sticking out of his shoe. He had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, and spoke no English

The thing that impresses me the most about Rivera is his faith in the Lord to guide him.  The Wall Street Journal called him the greatest closer in baseball history. ESPN said, "...There has never been anyone like this. And it's likely there never will be." Sports Illustrated called him one of the most respected athletes in the country for almost two decades. I agree!

If you are a baseball fan you will not want to put this book down. Even if you are not a fan of the game you will be inspired by the story of this son of a poor Panamanian fisherman.

(I received this book from The Barnabas Agency in exchange for a fair and honest review.)