A Brief Summary Of Mariano Rivera's The Closer

731 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Inspiring story about sport essay

The Closer was written about Mariano Rivera, a small town fisherman's son turned into big time baseball player. Mariano Rivera, or "Mo," played baseball on a small beach in Panama growing up. Once Mo grew up, he played professional baseball in the USA for the New York Yankees. One of my favorite parts in this book was when Mo described pitching in the eighth inning of game seven in the World Series, "All I think about is throwing the best pitch I can. The first hitter, Mark Grace, hits a broken-bat looper into center for a single. David Dellucci pinch-runs for him, extra speed that is important because the next hitter, catcher Damian Miller, is surely bunting. Miller squares and taps his bunt almost straight back to me, an easy force at second. …show more content…

Mo truly was one of the greats. What I liked was all of the in depth thoughts from real life situations of a Major League Baseball player, that was easily my favorite part of reading this book. I liked that because it kept me interested, just because of how much I liked Mo and the Yankees. "But the more I practice with the Gulf Coast Yankees, the more I know I can compete with them. When we run and field, I am right there with everybody. And when I am on the mound I discover that, as skinny as I am, and as underwhelming as my 86- or 87-mile-per-hour fastball is, I can do one thing better than just about anybody else: Put the ball exactly where I want." (Pg 62) What I didn't like was reading about the injuries of Mo. I didn't like that because I hate that such a great player's historic career was not as historic as it could've been. "I let the words sink in for a moment: Torn ACL. Torn MCL. Surgery. Out for the year. They are hard to take in. Three hours earlier, I am romping around the outfield, doing what I love most, maybe in the last season I'll ever play, savoring every moment. Now I am looking at major reconstructive knee

Show More
Related

  • The Legacy Of Babe Ruth

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Babe Ruth is still a very well-known person in history today, even almost one-hundred years later. He did not only change the way people viewed negro baseball leagues, but he also gained a large reputation for his ability to play baseball, obviously due to his amazing abilities. Ruth’s ability to play was almost impossibly good, in fact, he was even titled “athlete of the century” for his ability. With that ability and power that he had once he won, he would become a

    Read More

  • The Big Field by Mike Lupica

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hutch, the main character of The Big Field, has played baseball all of his life. He has always played shortstop, the same position that his father dreamed of playing as a professional. “Hutch, had always thought of himself as the captain of any infield he’d ever been a part of” (Lupica 1). Hutch finds himself being demoted to second base because there is another player, Darryl, on his new team that is expected to go pro and also plays shortstop. Hutch struggles because he does not want to play second base and his father does not support him because he does not want baseball to break Hutch’s dreams like it did his own. Hutch is betrayed by his father and Darryl when he finds them practicing together. Hutch has to learn to adjust and eventually becomes friends with Darryl, the up and coming shortstop. He understands that if he wants to win, then he needs to work together with Darryl. His father also comes around and finally gives Hutch his approval. Students should read this book in a high school English classroom because it demonstrates how relationships can be difficult, but teamwork can help to solve many issues.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Jackie's Debut A Unique Day By Mike Royko

    349 Words  | 1 Pages

    In “Jackie’s Debut: A Unique Day,” is written by Mike Royko, and appeared in the Chicago Daily News on Wednesday, October 15, 1972, the day after Jackie passed away. This article is about one of the most famous and cultural African Americans to ever play the game of baseball. In the beginning of the story, there were wise men sitting in the tavern that had something to say about Jackie. They weren’t the kindest words and said that he would ruin the game of baseball. Jackie was going to be at Wrigley Field and the kid had to see him perform. Him and his friend always walked to the baseball games to avoid streetcar fare. On that day, Wrigley Field was packed. He had never seen anything like it, there were about 47,000 people there and at the

    Read More

  • Throwing Strikes by R.A. Dickey and About R.A. Dickey

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    first person about his struggles in the beginning of his baseball career, and how he miraculously turns his

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson: Compare and Contrast

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major-League baseball. His inspiring actions and wise words are remembered even now, and on Jackie Robinson day, all baseball players wear his jersey:“42”. Many biographies have been written, and one biography, The Noble Experiment. Recently, in April 2013, Legendary Motion Pictures released a movie entitled “42”. In many ways, the film and Jackie’s autobiography are alike. However, the are also different in many ways.

    Read More

  • David Ortiz Essay

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Who would have thought a little boy from the Dominican Republic would have so much effect on people. David Ortiz is a well known player around the Major League Baseball Association, many people know him by Big Papi. He has created foundations and many other things for all types of people. From children to adults and in between, Ortiz has been an influential individual.

    Read More

  • The Natural by Bernard Malamud

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...d but he could not achieve his goals. His situation is relatable to the audience even if one is not a baseball player. The book teaches the audience to avoid company and mistakes that can rob them their success. Roy Hobbs misfortunes remind the readers how some obstacles can alter someone’s dreams.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Lou Gehrig's Farewell To Baseball Speech

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    For this rhetorical analysis paper I chose one of my favorite, and most famous, sports speeches of all time, Lou Gehrig’s farewell to baseball address. Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player in the 1920’s and 30’s. Lou didn’t really need to use a attention getting introduction, he was well known and loved by so many that people piled into Yankee Stadium to watch and listen to him give this speech. Although he didn’t need an attention getter, he began his speech with one of the greatest baseball quotes of all time, “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” (Gehrig, 1939) Every single time I hear or read that opening line it sends chills down my spine and stops me for a moment to reflect on everything that is going on in my own life.

    Read More

  • Calico Joe

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    On a scale of one to ten, this book would be an eight since the ending was somewhat slower than the rest of the book. The book is relevant to society today because it explains the difficulties families can face when one member is self absorbed. Warren’s actions caused Paul and many Cubs fans to hate him. Paul could hardly say his name in Calico Rock since he was afraid of what might happen. The book is different from today’s society, however, since baseball records are difficult to break. Many records that stand today are old and new stars to baseball usually do not enter their prime as a rookie. The book can relate well to readers who play sports and understand the game of baseball. Baseball statistics and home runs may bore other people since they have no interest in the subject. All in all, Grisham wrote a great book about baseball and family issues.

    Read More

  • The Art Of Fielding Analysis

    1463 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding focuses on Henry, a small town boy that learns the value of life through the sport of baseball. Henry comes from humble beginnings of small town America, but suffers from a case of perfectionism – he will not stop short of achieving total perfection and this will eventually lead to his demise. He meets Mike Schwartz, a college baseball player that convinces him that college baseball is his future. Henry’s curiosity gets the best of him as he stumbles into the dark, cutthroat, and competitive world of college athletics. Once he steps foot in this world, Henry’s hunger for perfection is amplified. He sees the real world of athletics and

    Read More

  • Fences, by August Wilson

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Should a neglected, discriminated, and misplaced black man living in the mid 1900s possessing a spectacular, yet unfulfilled talent for baseball be satisfied or miserable? The play Fences, written by August Wilson, answers this question by depicting the challenging journey of the main character, Troy Maxon. Troy, an exceptional baseball player during his youth, cannot break the color barrier and is kept from playing in the big leagues. That being his major life setback, Troy has a pessimistic view of the world. His attitude is unpleasant, but not without justification.

    Read More

  • Advantage And Disadvantages Of A Closing Breach

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    A pitcher that is brought into the game with one to two innings remaining is known as the closer. A closing pitcher might not be expected to pitch as many innings as the others, but their job is arguably the most important. The closer is expected to throw, at the most two innings, without allowing the opposing team to score. Because of the limited amount of time left in the game, if the closing pitcher allows the team to score it could result in their team losing the game. To ensure that a closer is able to do everything possible to keep the score the same means that they must have control over their pitches. A closing pitcher is similar to a starter and reliever when considering the number of pitches that they are able to throw. In contrast, a closing pitcher is not as consistent compared to the pitchers before them. A closing pitcher will only have full control of the fastball, but sometimes this pitch is the only one that is needed. When a closing pitcher is in the game for a couple of innings it limits the opposing team to how many batters come to the plate. A pitcher usually faces each batter more than once, but a closing pitcher will normally pitch to each batter once. This gives the closing pitcher an advantage over their batter. While a batter is expecting a specific pitch to be thrown and does not get it, the pitcher keeps them off balance long enough to get them out and face the next batter. After throwing two innings and keeping the score the same, a closing pitcher will have not only completed his task but also finished the

    Read More

  • Book Review of Eight Men Out The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series by Eliot Asinof

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    Book Review of Eight Men Out The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series by Eliot Asinof

    Read More

  • How Does Derek Jeter Use Figurative Language

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story, Derek jeter is saying “We’re not just talking about baseball here- we’re talking about life, about realizing goals, and about living dreams, no matter what they are.” (Jeter, 61). For example, Jeter uses colloquial language to introduce two central ideas, goals, and dreams. Also Jeter asked direct questions to the reader. “What would you love to do? What are you good at? What would you like to do for the rest of your life?” (Jeter 61). Jeter used this strategy to let these reader to think about it when they grow up. in addition, jeter also used writing strategies to tell readers

    Read More

More about A Brief Summary Of Mariano Rivera's The Closer

Open Document