Respecting the Game

On a sweltering July night in Flushing, N.Y., we were reminded why we love the game of baseball. When its biggest superstars gathered on July 16 at Citi Field, one player’s star shined a little brighter than the rest.

As the Orioles’ 21-year old sensation Manny Machado made what O’s fans are confident was his first of many trips to the Midsummer Classic, another member of the A.L. East squad, Mariano Rivera, made his 13^th and final appearance in the All-Star Game.

Now before you run to my Twitter handle to crush me or post hate messages in the comment section under this article, let me be very clear about something…I LOVE our Birds, bleed black & orange and despise the pinstripes. Are we okay now? Good.

That said, sometimes it ‘s more about the overall game of baseball than the singular team name on the front of the jersey. So as you read this piece, put aside your team allegiance – or hatred – for a few short moments. For the next five minutes, be solely a fan of the beautiful game we know as baseball.

From sandlots to multi-million dollar ballparks, baseball has an essence like no other. The NFL may be the most popular sports league in America, but only baseball holds the claim as our country’s “National Pastime.” Football is the girl we want to take home from the bar; baseball is the one we want to marry.

Baseball is a game of mind-blowing statistical analysis and unmatched personality. Whether just or not, it’s also a game that seems to draw greater scrutiny and public ire over the use of performance enhancing drugs than the other major sports. Perhaps that is because we revere its records as sacred and hold the artistry of players like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Brooks Robinson, Joe DiMaggio and Cal Ripken – just to name a few – in a manner that is reserved for deities, not mortal men.

Add Rivera to that list of greats who deserve a special place in the annals of baseball.

With more than 640 career saves, Rivera sits alone atop baseball’s list for games saved. To put that accomplishment into perspective, former reliever Trevor Hoffman is second on that all-time list with 601; Texas reliever Joe Nathan is second to Rivera among active pitchers while having over 300 fewer games saved than the Yankees’ closer.

Rivera’s 2013 “farewell tour” is reminiscent to that of Ripken’s in 2001 as their careers have similarities. In their own respective way, each has left an indelible mark on the game. During their careers, both players garnered a respect from their peers, as well as fans throughout the game, that is uncommon in today’s sports cultures. In an economic system where players take their services to the highest bidder, Rivera and Ripken both spent their illustrious careers with one team. It didn’t matter if it was their rookie season or final year in the majors, each approached the game with the same relentless work ethic, desire to win and overall admiration for baseball.

Rewind to July 16. As the first chord of “Enter Sandman” played at Citi Field to start the eighth inning, a roar could be heard throughout the stadium. While it was an inning earlier than usual, everyone knew what that song meant…the greatest closer in the history of baseball was about to make his final All-Star Game appearance.

The stage was set, and A.L. Manager Jim Leyland made sure this final act received the spotlight it deserved. As Rivera entered from the outfield in the same fashion as he’s done for 19 years – carrying his glove in his right hand and jogging to the mound focused on the task at hand – his teammates remained in the dugout.

It may have been the night of All-Stars, but that moment rightfully belonged to Rivera as the American League and National League players, managers, and coaches joined the sellout crowd of more than 45,000 with a gesture of appreciation in the form of an ovation that lasted nearly two minutes. Even Orioles’ first baseman Chris Davis knew the magnitude of the situation as he taped the moment on his cell phone.

It didn’t matter if you were a fan of the Orioles, Red Sox, Mets or Dodgers; for at that moment, we were all fans of the same thing…baseball.

After a noticeably moved Rivera acknowledged his peers and the crowd, he went right to work with a 16-pitch, three-up, three-down, inning that preserved his career All-Star Game ERA at a perfect 0.00. While Rivera got credit for the always exciting category of a “hold,” his four career All-Star Game saves are the most all-time.

Rivera’s performance earned him the game’s MVP, which most will acknowledge was more as a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the game than his one inning of work that night. Nonetheless, it placed him in yet another rare class as he joined Hall of Famers and Orioles’ legends Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, along with future Hall of Famer and Yankees’ teammate Derek Jeter, as the only four players in MLB history to earn MVP honors in both the All-Star Game and the World Series.

Rivera also became just the second reliever in an All-Star Game to win the MVP (Mets’ pitcher Jon Matlack shared the honor with Cubs’ third baseman Bill Madlock in ’75) and the first pitcher to claim the award since Pedro Martinez in 1999.

Most fittingly, Rivera joined Ripken as the only players to win All-Star Game MVP in their final seasons…another connection for the two players whose respect for the game is timeless.

Baseball has experienced many dark times throughout its history, including the Black Sox scandal, eight work stoppages and the “steroid era.” Yet baseball has always managed to get up off the mat. And while no single player is bigger than the game itself, players like Mariano Rivera have helped pull baseball back from those cloudy days.

So while, as O’s fans, it is certainly our duty to root against Rivera when he enters the game; it is our obligation as baseball fans to say “thank you” and respect what he has meant to this great game we call baseball.