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How about a tennis player who is returning a serve, serves that have variable spins, speeds, trajectory's. Watch a tennis match and put yourself in their shoes. Not only does a tennis player have to hit the ball, he/she also has to make it pass over the net, but not over the opponents baseline (not hitting it 'out') and even after acomplishing both, the ball must still be challenging for the initial server to hit back to the returner, if the ball is 'in' but is hit weakly your opponent will easily win the point. Baseball players just hit up and out and hope it flys long enough... Pathetic
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<p>What are you, a tennis letterman bitter about football jocks picking on you?</p>
<p>I'm sure tennis is difficult, but look at the size of that racket, and look at the stick that baseballers have to work with. No many experts would call returning serves one of the hardest feats is sports.</p>
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Baseball players just hit up and out and hope it flys long enough...
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This is possibly the dumbest thing i've heard all summer. Try hitting a round ball that is coming at 80-100 mph and moving up, down, and sideways as it flies, with a round bat made of wood 300+ feet in a gap, or down the baseline, or hit it so it so it leaves the bat at the angle that allows it to fly 400+ feet over the fence. Or go and try to just throw a ball 80-100 mph, leave alone making it brake or curve.</p>
<p>The special thing about Mariano Rivera is that he gets it done with only 2 pitches: fastball and cutter. This lets him stay durable because the other pitches after awhile will kill your arm.</p>
<p>Mariano Rivera is the best closer in baseball. He's just lights out. (and I can't stand the Yankees) - consider this shortlist of accomplishments:</p>
<p>405 career saves
Lowest postseason ERA of all-time (0.81)
Most postseason saves of all-time (34)
Most saves in World Series play (9)
Lowest career ERA of closers in top 50 of career saves (2.31)
Holds record for 34 consecutive scoreless innings pitched in postseason
Holds record for converting 23 consecutive postseason saves
Only reliever to win ALCS MVP (2003) and World Series MVP (1999) awards
8-time All-Star (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006)</p>
<p>With a glove the size of their ego, it would be hard not to catch that ball. Baseball batting=swing and hope you hit good. 3 strike outs? In cricket, one 'strike', and you're gone mate. No wonder you obese Americans favour such a dull game. My grandmother's Saturday morning stroll burnt more calories than in a Yankee vs Red Sox game.</p>
<p>Rivera's always been amazing, Papelbon is an incredible find for the Sox, BJ Ryan is overpaid but still really good (I miss him in B-more), and Chris Ray (except for his past two games) has been really good for the O's.</p>
<p>about steroids. they don't help you hit the ball, they help you hit the ball harder so it goes longer. it's not enough to only use steroids, a player must have a good eye at the plate and know how to swing the bat. if you pick out a below average AA player that has been in AA for pest 10 years, and feed him steroids for a year straight together with making him work out like crazy, he's not gonna hit 80 home runs if brought to the majors.
For me, the only thing about Mo that matters is that he blew a save on November 4, 2001. :D
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the other pitches after awhile will kill your arm.
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yeah, right. nobody throws screwball anymore, you know. besides, look at very good pitchers that use slider a lot, for example, randy johnson. his arm looks fine to me.
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swing and hope you hit good.
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iloveagoodbrew, you're such an idiot. do you really think that baseball players randomly swing the bat and hope they happen to hit the ball?</p>
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The special thing about Mariano Rivera is that he gets it done with only 2 pitches: fastball and cutter. This lets him stay durable because the other pitches after awhile will kill your arm.
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it's because he's a closer who pitches a couple innings a week.</p>
<p>anyway, papelbon just uses his splitter and his fastball</p>
<p>look, if you're measuring it by accomplishments, of course rivera is "better." then again, he's had a ten-year head start. if you measure it by how well they have pitched this season, papelbon is much better.</p>
<p>There are almost no closers who use offspeed pitches to get guys out. Among the exceptions, Trevor Hoffman and Jason Isringhausen come to mind with their curveballs, but that's about it. Majority of closers are fireballers that can crank it up to upper 90s: Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge, Tom Gordon, BJ Ryan, etc. If your changeup is 85mph and your slider is 91, chances are you're not gonna get hit very often (exception right now is Lidge, but he's gonna be there eventually)
And guys, you've got to remember that closer often comes in situations like bases loaded with nobody/1out and middle of the batting order coming up, so he can't afford walking people or giving up hits, even flyballs. So closer has to be lights out for one inning.</p>