Mariano Rivera

"Someone climbs a tree, locates the straightest branches that you can find, says Rivera, and fashions a bat. Baseball gloves? The boys tear off sides of a cardboard box and mold a mitt around their tiny hands. Turns out the box is an integral resource during the Puerto Caimito baseball season, especially for the catcher "(Christian Red). Mariano Rivera started playing baseball with only milk cartons for gloves, tree branches as bats, and tape-tattered baseballs for throwing. In years to come, he would be playing for the Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees.  Mariano Rivera was born on November 29, 1946, in Panama City, Panama. He grew up living on the streets of Panama with his three siblings. Rivera first began fishing with his dad to earn money. He soon quit fishing and set out to become a baseball player. He first went out to play for the panama Oeste team at age twenty. After his season was over, Herb Raybourn a Yankee scout, signed a contract after seeing lots of potential. Rivera, not knowing a word of English, would depart to the United States to play for the New York Yankees. He retired after seventeen seasons mostly as a closing pitcher. A hero must possess determination and strength. Determination is defined having a firmness of purpose. To not give up on their goal even if times are very harsh. You keep going and not giving up. Strength means that one has power to overcome many things and have courage or the state of being strong. In this case, Mariano Rivera is a hero because he was determined to be a great baseball player and had strength to overcome his weaknesses and reach his full potential. 

 Rivera's determination and talent led him to be successful in his baseball career. Within a few years when his Panama season ended "After demonstrating considerable skill in this position, Rivera was informed in 1995 that he had been accepted to the major leagues as a member of the New York Yankees "(Gale). Rivera had lots of potential and worked hard to be accepted in the major leagues as a player for the New York Yankees. He did not give up and was determined to work hard. Long before he played for the Panama Oeste team, ".Rivera played baseball on the streets of Panama City with a cardboard glove till age ten. He showed enough talent playing with the Panama Oeste team to sign with the New York Yankees in 1990 "(Arbena). Rivera first started playing baseball with a cardboard glove until he turned ten.  Mariano started playing baseball with only a cardboard glove and was very poor. He was determined to play baseball, and finally signed with the New York Yankees. Mariano Rivera showed enough talent and skill to begin playing for the Yankees without giving up, therefore he is a hero.

Mariano showed enough strength to be extremely successful in his baseball career. As Arbena says, "After his Major League debut as a Yankee in 1995, he moved from starter to set-up man to closer by 1997. Since then, relying on his dominant cut fastball, he has established himself in many minds as the greatest closer in Major League history and the best pitcher in the history of postseason baseball." (Arbena). Since his welcoming into the Yankees, he used his strength and worked hard with his pitches. He became known for his cut fastball and moved up from his position. Even though he did do exceptionally well, ".Rivera pitched a home run against the Cleveland Indians in game four of the World Series. This allowed his opponents to pull ahead and eventually win the championship. However, the Yankees recovered the next season and secured the next three World Series titles--in 1998, 1999, and 2000--with Rivera as the closing pitcher in the final games of all three "(Gale). Even though Rivera led the Cleveland Indians to victory, he still had strength in him, and led his team to winning the World Series three times in a row. He worked hard on his pitching after that disappointing World Series, and gave him the spot of being a closer. Rivera had strength to overcome his weaknesses and to work hard to move up on his position.

Mariano Rivera is a hero because he was determined to work hard and be a great baseball while in the same time, had strength to do it and overcome his flaws. He did not give up even when times looked bad. He tried his hardest to work hard to achieve his dreams and used all his will to be the best. Mariano Rivera is an inspiration to me and others because he grew up with very little during his childhood and worked hard to achieve his dream. As Rivera said, "Oh man. I didn't have much. Basically I didn't have anything. But what we had, I was happy. I tell you what - if I can do it all over again, I wouldn't change it. I'd do it exactly the same way we did it back then." He became very successful and led the Yankees to many victories because he had lots of strength. He became one of the greatest closers in baseball history starting with nothing but makeshift equipment and very little experience he had.    

Works Cited

Arbena, Joseph L. "Rivera, Mariano (1969-)." Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Ed. Jay Kinsbruner and Erick D. Langer. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008. 568. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 May 2014.

"Mariano Rivera." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Biography in Context. Web 5 May 2014.

Red, Christian. "Modern Yankee Heroes: From Humble Beginnings, Mariano Rivera Becomes Greatest Closer in MLB History." NY Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/modern-yankee-heroes-humble-beginnings-mariano-rivera-greatest-closer-mlb-history-article-1.163024.

Source: Loveday, Veronica. "Mariano Rivera." Great Athletes Of Our Times (2011): 52. Middle Search Plus.Web. 5 May 2014.

Martelli, A.J. "Mariano Rivera: A Bio of the Greatest Closer in Baseball."Bleacher Report. Senior Analyst, Mar.-Apr. 2009. Web. 02 May 2014. .