By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

 

 

You can always count on the Yankees to provide some seasonal drama before the baseball season actually starts. On the heels of the will-he-or-won't-he Bernie Williams story, peerless closer Mariano Rivera created a stir about whether or not he'll be wearing pinstripes next year (2007 is the last year of his contract) when he made comments to reporters this past week as pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training. Here's your chance to see my take on Rivera's supposed ultimatum and what the Yankees should and will do about it, and respond with some thoughts of your own.

Mo is 37 years old, and more than 12 seasons of pitching on the Major League level takes its toll on a body. During the 2006 campaign, there were periods of time when Rivera didn't play at all after straining his back tying his shoes and experiencing problems with his right forearm just before the postseason.

Possibly one of the only people besides Muhammad Ali who can lay claim to the title of "The Greatest of All Time," Mariano Rivera has a pedigree longer than the spaniel Diamond Jim, and more brass than a tuba factory. He's got a room reserved at Cooperstown, for crying out loud. Not even Goose Gossage or Mo's predecessor John Wetteland could cast the aura of calm and assurance that Rivera does when the bullpen door opens and "Enter Sandman" blasts over the Stadium loudspeakers.

Sooner or later Rivera will make his last jog out to the mound from the bullpen and, as of right now, the Yankees have no one to succeed him. To illustrate just how bad withdrawal from Rivera will be, one need only look back to the 2006 season when Rivera suffered those injuries and was unable to play -- Yankee fans everywhere held their collective breath every time manager Joe Torre made a call to the bullpen, every pitch Kyle Farnsworth or Scott Proctor made in relief, every called ball or strike that either inched the Bombers closer to a win or a blown save. Rivera brings a peace of mind that you can take to the bank -- and Rivera knows it.

For each of the past four seasons, Mo has been paid $11 million for his services to the Yankees. He's gotten his fair share of raises (all well deserved), but many believe that he's still being underpaid for what he contributes to the team off the mound. He goes about his job methodically, never (up to this point) complains and is a team player.

But the fact is that times change, and sometimes you don't like what you're seeing. Like it or not, Rivera is now part of the old guard that now only includes Derek Jeter, the boomerang kid known as Andy Pettitte, the still in-limbo Bernie Williams, as well as Jorge Posada and manager Joe Torre, whose contracts both expire this year. Everyone else is new, and there are no other holdovers from the recent dynasty. Rivera has seen the only organization he has played with in the Majors spend ridiculous amounts of money on pitchers that haven't panned out or worse. Carl Pavano has been paid to sit on his tender tush season after season.

This really isn't a contest, just some drama that's coming out of Yankee-land and more than likely being blown way out of proportion in some of the other press. Mo sees the money that's being (carelessly) thrown around on prospects and lackluster throwers and has to have been asking himself, "if this is what's being spent on mediocre guys, what am I worth?" His contract is up this season, which is always the perfect time to renegotiate. There's a reason why the catch-phrase is "You gotta go to Mo!" in the late innings of a Yankee ball game -- he's indispensable, irreplaceable and incredible, indisputable facts that GM Brian Ca$hman won't ignore. Expect to see some minor press release sometime by September or whenever the Yankees clinch the AL East this year that Mo's got his extension and a hefty raise.

Wanna argue with the Ref? Don't like the call? Go ahead and make your own!