Not only will Mariano Rivera not pitch in Houston, he won't play in center field, either.
Citing "tremendous soreness" in his arm, Rivera said:
I think I squeezed every ounce of fuel that I have in my tank. It’s empty. It’s nothing. I have nothing left. I give everything that I had, and I can say, I can go home and say, I used every talent that the Lord give me to play.
And regarding playing center:
I would’ve done it, but now my knee is not cooperating, and I don’t want to make a fool of myself out there. I respect the game too much for me to do something that I’m not supposed to do.
Yeah, that's probably for the best. Rivera's send-off Thursday at Yankee Stadium was too perfect for him to follow that up at Minute Maid Park.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
