By Matt Goldberg aka Rivera42

How does one choose a favorite player? After all, the majority of us are fans of numerous sports and even a variety of teams. Scattered among these menagerie of teams are certain players that stand out, even transcending their chosen sport. Some might be flashy and outspoken, starring in numerous commercials and needing to be in the limelight. Shaq is the first athlete that comes to mind, and personifies this scenario. The man was one of the best players to ever step foot onto the hardwood and his personality matched his huge stature. He was a rapper (or at least attempted to be), starred in movies, had/has his own TV shows and who can forget “Kazaam”. I would consider Shaq to be on one end of the spectrum, while at the complete other end is a man known as “The Sandman”, number 42, Mariano Rivera.

As a kid born in the mid 80s, the Yankees were unwatchable. They were the modern day Mets. A complete failure of a franchise and their glory days of years past felt like another lifetime. Then things changed in 1995. Although the season didn’t end the way Yankees fans had hoped, they were finally going in the right direction. At that time I was only 10 or 11 and didn’t have a “favorite” baseball player. All of my friends had “favorite” players, and I really could not make up my mind who I wanted to anoint with this honor. Slowly Paul O’Neill became the player I idolized. This guy had everything, he was a fierce competitor, a true warrior who played the game with integrity and toughness that was unmatched. Around the same time I began noticing Mariano Rivera.

The Mariano to Wetteland connection was a joy to watch. Even in 1996 I knew Mo was special, he had an indescribable “it” factor that gave fans confidence that this guy would come in and get the job done. After John Wetteland left, Rivera took over the closer duties. He was so dominant the game really became 7 or 8 innings, other teams knew once Mo ran out from the bullpen it was over. As a fan, the final outs of a close game were always the most stressful. Even my mom, who was a casual baseball fan at best, knew that when number 42 was out there we could breathe a sigh of relief (no pun intended). We could rest assured that the Yankees would maintain the lead and win the game. Of course there were times when this was not the case, as in a certain playoff game against Cleveland and in 2001 against Arizona.

Statistics speak for themselves and nobody can deny that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer to ever play the game. However, there is more to becoming a true icon in the sports world than just stats. There are countless players who were excellent, even legendary, but they never were revered and praised as much as Mariano. Of course I do not know him personally, I had the pleasure of meeting Mo once and he was terrific. Very mild mannered, friendly, and humble. Exactly the way I would have expected him to be. There seemed to be no differences between the gentleman we see take the mound and the man I had the honor of meeting off the field. Over the course of such a long and storied career there has not been one negative story about Mariano Rivera. No scandals, no failed HGH tests, just a clean record and playing the game the right way. In my opinion we have seen the perfect athlete, did his job better than anyone else, did it with quietly and with dignity.

We all know the saying “good things don’t last forever”, although I wish he could pitch forever it is not reality. As this is his last season Mariano is putting up amazing numbers and showing no signs of age. A legend should make his exit graceful, while still being able to show the world what made him great. Did we really need to see Willie Mays on the Mets or Patrick Ewing on the Sonics and Magic? There is nothing better and more rewarding than to see my favorite player, Mariano Rivera leave the game on his terms and as one of the last true gentleman in the sport. Personifying the number 42 on his back, just as the late Jackie Robinson had so many years prior, with 100% pure class. All Mariano fans can agree we are sad to see him go, but are glad he came.

By J.R. Lebert aka jrlebert

On May 20, 2013, one of the most special, caring, and important people I will ever know, Theresa Agro, my grandmother, “Me-Ma”, passed away. Me-Ma was a profound influence on my life, and, oddly enough, on my love for baseball and the New York Mets.

Little does he know, but in a way, today is a sad day for David Wright. You see, back in 2005, my grandmother started a relationship with David. He became her boyfriend. Charmed by his good looks, but thrilled more with his prowess at the plate, David Wright gave Me-Ma someone to cheer for again on her beloved Mets. Every time he got a big hit, or made a diving catch, she would always say the same thing: “Did you see my boyfriend? Did you see him do that?” I only wish she was in better health to have seen him in this year’s World Baseball Classic, performing so well, some gave him the nickname Captain America. On Monday, David lost a potential suitor.

Me-Ma’s love affair with the Mets, and eventually Mr. Wright, started way back in the late 60s. Many Mets and future Mets lived within a few miles of her, in Westchester, NY. She corresponded with Art Shamsky, and any other of the Mets who would come by his house. I still have the signed card she got, personalized, to me. She was a long time jeweler in White Plains, and other ballplayers would stop in, and she would strike up conversations with them, too. Through and through, to the end, Me-Ma was a Mets fan.

In a family full of Yankees fans, there were a few of us who stuck out, but none more so than Me-Ma, and her sister, my Aunt Lou. They were both fervent Mets fans, and would talk on the phone after games, often heatedly, about their performance on the field. Me-Ma always said the Mets gave her “agita”, and looking at their record in her life time, it’s not hard to see why. She was a fan through the mostly dismal 60s, the almost always dreadful 70s, and of course the eventful and flashy 80s, which is where I come in the picture.

One of, if not THE first baseball memory of mine, is sitting on her couch, watching Darryl Strawberry and the 1986 Mets. Me-Ma LOVED those late-80s Mets, with Darryl, Doc, Gary Carter, Bobby Ojeda (she called him Bobby Agita, of course), and Lee Mazzilli, the Italian superstar. It was those memories of watching games with her that turned this kid born and raised in Los Angeles into a lifelong Mets fan. Every time Me-Ma and I talked during baseball season, one of the first things that would come up would be our Metropolitans. She was able to see many more games than I, as I was in L.A. I was never sure if this was a good thing or not for her stress level, because the conversation always started with, “Did you see what they did last night? What were they thinking?”

In 2000, Me-Ma and I talked before, during, or after every single game of the World Series. Needless to say, Armando Benitez was never a favorite of hers. Few things brought her more joy recently, however, than watching her boyfriend, David Wright. He was, in her eyes, the perfect Met. He was good looking, a good person, and a good player, and that was really all she needed in a suitor. No matter that the relationship was a bit one-sided (he never did take her on a date…), she loved her David, and her Mets.

Just last month, I visited her in the hospital, and it was obvious her health was not good. She was in and out of it, as I would imagine many are at the age of 93, and we had very few conversations, none of which lasted very long. There was, of course, the one moment she was with it that the Mets came up. I was telling her about what else I had planned during my stay in New York. My primary reason, of course, was to see and spend time with her. Weeks ago, when I planned the trip, I looked to see if my Mets were home, and of course they were. It was only a few days before the game, however, that I realized I would be able to see Matt Harvey throw against Steven Strasburg!

I told Me-Ma that I was going to the game, and even as out of it as she was, she looked me dead in the eye and told me, “I hope they win!” True to the end, Me-Ma was a Mets fan.

Thank you, Me-Ma, for being my grandmother, and the greatest fan the Mets ever had.

By Tony Gaspar aka YummiestBeef

It’s rare gift to be able to predict the future. Many people claim to be able to do it and several people make money by claiming to do it. I am here to tell you that I possess this rare gift of predicting the future. The unfortunate truth however, is that the gift only applies to Major League Baseball.

All right so I didn’t predict that the Blue Jays would be in last place in the AL East in mid-May but I did expect the Houston Astros to bring up the rear in the AL West (along with every other baseball fan on Earth). I also predicted that the Minnesota Twins would not be as bad as several ‘experts’ said they would be and would likely finish the season near .500. Low and behold look where they are now, one game under .500.

Now that you are convinced of my gift of psychic abilities I present to you the winners of the World Series from 2013-2017:

2013 World Series Champion: Detroit Tigers

As much as it pains me to do this I have to give the 2013 trophy to the Detroit Tigers. Victor Martinez has looked like a shadow of his former self at the plate this year posting a pathetic .215/.272/.306 clip. Martinez, however, is in his first year back from a torn ACL and is generally considered to be a slow starter. Despite the Tigers’ $50 million dollar man hitting slightly better than a National League pitcher they still rank 1st in both batting average and on-base percentage and 5th in slugging percentage. These stats are good enough to give the Tigers a league best 206 runs scored. While Cabrera is destroying the ball so far this year and we would expect his numbers to drop a little bit we can reasonably expect Victor Martinez to post numbers at least a little closer to his career line of .300/.367/.464. Needless to say this team will put enough runs on the board to win it all. This brings us to the rotation, which possesses arguably the best 1-2-3 lineup in the majors with Verlander-Scherzer-Sanchez all pitching lights out so far this year. Even Doug Fister is getting in on the action. Fister, a control master, has only eight walks this year and posts a respectable 9 hits per 9 innings. Verlander’s strike out numbers have dipped slightly this year and his WHIP has increased but he has maintained a 1.93 ERA so far this season. As long as the other members of the rotation continue to produce decent numbers the offense will be able to carry this team through October and into November.

2014 World Series Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers

So here’s the deal, Clayton Kershaw is THE BEST PITCHER IN THE MLB and you cannot even have a rational argument about it. Chad Billingsley had season ending surgery this year but should be ready to go in time for the 2014 season. Billingsley had a rather successful 2012 campaign with a 10-9 record and a 3.55 ERA. Add that with Zack Greinke, who was inked to a six year deal for the 2013 season, and Hyun-Jin Ryu, who both have been lights out in their first seasons with the Dodgers this year, and you have the makings of one of the best pitching staffs the MLB has seen in quite some time. As if the pitching isn’t enough to win them the World Series their lineup will include; Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Andre Ethier. That equates to roughly 120 home runs and arguably the best 2-5 hitters in the National League. In 2014 we should also expect the speedy Dee Gordon, who is tearing up AAA Albuquerque this year, and possibly Yasiel Puig who is expected to hit somewhere between 40-50 million home runs in his career.

2015 World Series Champion: Washington Nationals

We all knew they would appear somewhere on this list. After coming close in 2013 and 2014, 2015 will prove to be their year. Ryan Zimmerman has been dealing with injury issues recently but assuming he can stay healthy for the 2015 season he will play a key role in the Nationals’ October run. We all know Bryce Harper is an absolute stud, and will be a large reason for the Nats’ success. Inking Denard Span to a long-term deal will also be important, as good leadoff hitters are not as prevalent in the league as they once were. Washington will have to had some free-agent hitters though, as they do not possess many solid bats in the minor leagues aside from third-baseman Anthony Rendon. After trading Alex Meyer in the Denard Span deal during the offseason the Nats have also depleted the arms down on the farm. Nathan Karns looks to be a solid pitching prospect who projects as a 3-4 starter. Other than that the Nationals will have to rely on Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, Dan Haren, and Stephen Strasburg. Yeah, I think I’d be okay relying on those guys too.

2016 World Series Champion: Baltimore Orioles

A current roster that is brimming with young talent anchored by superstar sluggers Manny Machado and Adam Jones the future looks bright in Baltimore and they may put it together as early as 2014. Jones has improved his stat lines nearly every year and there is no reason to think that the now 27 year old will stop anytime soon. After clubbing 34 dingers in 2012, Jones could easily match these totals for years to come. Along with Adam Jones in the lineup are Manny Machado and Matt Wieters. Machado is an absolute beast on the defensive side of the ball and nearly unmatchable in offense. After hitting 7 home runs in 191 at-bats last year Machado has nearly matched that total in 20 less at-bats in 2013. This kid has all the makings of a bonafide superstar at third base. As we know hitting isn’t everything in baseball and holy hell have the O’s put together a fearsome pitching staff. Chris Tillman and Wei-Yin Chen, the 1-2 starters for Baltimore, are two young pitchers who so far in 2013 have posted WHIPs below 1.3 and a K/9 ratio over 5. The funny thing is these two guys may only be the 3-4 starters in 2016 as Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman are both fantastic pitching prospects expected to make an immediate impact in 2014 and beyond.

2017 World Series Champion: Minnesota Twins

Before I get called out for riding the bias bus let me just say this; The Twins outfield in 2017 will consist of Aaron Hicks, Byron Buxton, and Oswaldo Arcia. Hicks has struggled at times this year but has also showed flashes of promise as epitomized by his two-homer game in which he made a Torii Hunteresque catch to rob Adam Dunn of a home run. Buxton has reached safely in every game he’s played in with Class A Cedar Rapids and Arcia has shown at 22 what the Twins should expect posting a .286/.318/.476 in 23 games at the big league level. Not only that but the Twins will also have Dominican Slugger Miguel Sano who, in all likelihood, will end up at first base with Travis Harrison or Trevor Plouffe anchoring third base. Lest I forget the other portion of the Twins offense Joe Mauer, this team will not have a problem with run support. But with the pitching prospects the Twins have they may not need much run support. Alex Meyer, who came over from Washington in the Denard Span deal is an absolute dominating force on the mound. J.O. Berrios who has posted a fantastic K/BB ratio of 5.4 so far in Class A may challenge Meyer for the title of staff ace. Finally Trevor May projects as an easy 2-3 starter for this staff and assuming some decent free-agent pickups this team could be scary good in 2017.