Just days before surgery on his injured knee, now scheduled for next Tuesday, Yankee great Mariano Riviera thrilled an audience of 4th and 5th students gathered at an assembly this morning with a surprise appearance. Riviera met with youngsters from the William B. Ward Elementary School in New Rochelle, NY.
Riviera entered from the back of the room, walking down the aisle without a noticeable limp despite having a torn ACL and torn meniscus.
Riviera encouraged the students to work hard to achieve your dreams and not to give up on them, to have goals in life. Riviera shared that he grew up in Panama and lived in New Rochelle so he knows a lot of people in New Rochelle.
After his talk, he offered to answer three questions.
One student asked if he was OK after his injury.
“I’m fine.” said Riviera.
Another student asked if the Yankee closer wanted to play more.
“I want to play next year,” said Riviera adding mock concern over whether the Yankees would still want to put him on the roster.
“What did you want to be when you grew up?” asked a third student.
Riviera disclosed that he wanted to be a mechanic but God chose baseball for him.
Riviera closed by asking if any students were celebrating birthdays. He signed baseballs for four students who came forward (a few who tried to sneak up were held back by teachers who knew better).
Mariana Riviera is the career saves leader in Major League Baseball and widely expected to be a first ballot Hall of Famer after his retirement. He had hinted during Spring Training that 2012 would be his last year. Those plans were put on hold on May 3rd when Riviera suffered a freak injury while shagging baseballs before a game against the Royals in Kansas City, MO.
Publicly Rivera said there’s no timetable for his return to baseball.
“When the Lord permits it to be ready, it will be ready,” said Riviera recently.
Talk of the Sound has learned that Mariano has told close friends that he thinks he could be ready to pitch before the end of the 2012 season, in time for the playoffs. The likelihood of such a dramatic return may start to become more clear after surgery next week.
Love Mariano
But…. the god stuff is a bit much.
The “God stuff” complaint is
The “God stuff” complaint is a bit much.
Myths
It is your right to feel that way
Just as it is my right feel nauseous when people invoke ridiculous myths and generally impede world progress by clinging to antiquated belief systems that clearly do more harm than good
clearly do more harm than good
By what calculus does a belief in God “clearly do more harm than good”?
If there is a God than Mariano will recover from his surgery and be back on the mound before the Yankees start the first round of the playoffs.
If not then we know it is the Devil’s handiwork. We all know that the Devil is a Red Sox fan.