What's in Mariano's trophy garage? A handy farewell tour tracker
Following Chipper Jones' lead from a year ago, Mariano Rivera announced during Spring Training that 2013 will be his final season in the Majors. Such an announcement prevents six months of distracting speculation and, more importantly, allows teams around the league to honor Rivera with various tokens of affection. Because nothing says "Thanks for dominating us these last two decades!" like a commemorative surfboard. ?
Check back for regular updates on the swag Mo is stockpiling, with each gift rated on a scale of 0 to 5 Entering Sandmen.
Boston Red Sox: Almost half of Fenway Park
Date: September 16
What Mo got: A standing ovation, a performance of Enter Sandman by the Boston Cello Quartet, a video roast from the '04 Red Sox, a painting of Rivera at Fenway Park in '05, the Green Monster's No. 42 placard, a vintage No. 42 Fenway Park seat, a pitching rubber from the visiting bullpen and a donation from the Red Sox Foundation.
Who gave it to him: The entire Red Sox roster, led by David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Koji Uehara.
Rating: 4.5 Entering Sandmen
Baltimore Orioles: A bronze broken bat
Date: September 12
What Mo got: A bronze sculpture of a baseball breaking a bat, complete with plaque and inscription.
Who gave it to him: Buck Showalter
Rating: 2.5 Entering Sandmen
Tampa Bay Rays: A real-life sandman
Date: August 23
What Mo got: A sand sculpture of his face superimposed in the New York City skyline.
Who gave it to him: Well, he couldn't really take this one home ...
Rating: 4 Entering Sandmen
Chicago White Sox: Assorted wall art
Date: August 6
What Mo got: A framed scorecard from Rivera's first game against the White Sox, a collage of his appearance a week after September 11 and a $4,200 donation to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
Who gave it to him: Robin Ventura along with several White Sox employees and fans
Rating: 2.5 Entering Sandmen
San Diego Padres: A bunch of sweet bikes
Date: August 2
What Mo got: Five Yankees-themed beach cruisers -- one each for Mariano, his wife and their three children.
Who gave it to him: Trevor Hoffman
What is says: "Take it from someone who spends a lot of time at the beach these days, Mo: You will not use that surfboard. Nice thought by the A's -- if a bit unoriginal -- but Chipper tells me shredding 15-footers is WAY harder than it looks from the shore. Also, sharks. They're out there and they don't care how many saves you have. Stay safe on the sand, amigo, and feel free to bring the whole family along for a ride."
Rating: 4 Entering Sandmen
Los Angeles Dodgers: Fishing tackle
Date: July 31
What Mo got: A custom deep-sea fishing rod, a $10,000 donaton to the Mariano Rivera foundation and a special message from Rachel Robinson.
Who gave it to him: Don Mattingly and Magic Johnson along with Mark Walter and Bobby Patton from Guggenheim Partners.
What it says: "Call me Mariano. Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me at sea, I thought I would pitch a little. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off-then, I account it high time to get to mound as soon as I can."
Rating: 3.5 Entering Sandmen
Texas Rangers: Cowboy duds
Date: July 25
What Mo got: A 15-gallon cowboy hat, customized cowboy boots and a $5,000 donation to the Mariano Rivera Foundation
Who gave it to him: Nolan Ryan, John Wetteland, Rangers Senior EVP Jim Sundberg and VP of Community Outreach Karin Morris
What it says: "Howdy, pardner. We've both seen enough Spring Training sunrises to know it's the rare bullpen sheriff who rides into the sunset on his own accord. Some shuffle off into the twilight, quiet as a tumbleweed rolling down a warning track. Most go out blazin' both barrels in a hail of homers. But it takes a real cowboy to turn tail on this here boomtown while the gettin's still good. Happy trails, Mo."
Rating: 3 Entering Sandmen
Minnesota Twins: The Chair of Broken Dreams
Date: July 2
What Mo got: A rocking chair made of broken bats and a $10,000 check to the Mariano Rivera Foundation.
Who gave it to him: Ron Gardenhire, Justin Morneau and Glen Perkins
What it says: "Baseball Gods, come to us in our darkness. We offer you this $10,000 novelty check. Take it and cast your light upon us because the night is dark and full of cutters. After a long All-Star break, darkness will fall heavy on the American League. Stars will hit the disabled list. The cool breeze of fall will sweep over pennant races and the Yankees will rise in the East. In the ancient books, it is written that a closer will draw a chair of bats from the infield, and that chair shall be Broken Dreams. Mariano Rivera, warrior of light, your chair awaits you. Baseball Gods cast your light upon us. For the night is dark and full of cutters."
Rating: 4.5 Entering Sandmen
Los Angeles Angels: An artist's rendering
Date: June 15
What Mo got: An original six-foot oil paiting of Rivera in mid-windup
Who gave it to him: Albert Pujols and Arte Moreno
What is says: "We totally understand your need for discretion, Mariano. A-Rod's artwork secret got out and now he'll never find work as an interior decorator. So we present you with this $40 print in front of 40,000 fans. The real deal is waiting in the clubhouse, exactly as requested -- your head, horse body, oil-on-canvas. Now let's call it even for May 23, 1995."
Rating: 3.5 Entering Sandmen
Oakland Athletics: A surfboard and a drink
Date: June 13
What Mo got: A check for $10,042 to the Mariano Rivera Foundation, an engraved bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley's Groth Vineyards, a custom commemorative surfboard and a game-losing hit.
Who gave it to him: Bob Melvin and A's president Michael Crowley
What it says: "Eighteen years is, like, a hella long time. Dude, we just looked it up and you've been putting the team first since This is How We Do It was America's No. 1 song. Man, that is a rad, rad tune. What ever happened to Montell? Seriously, we gotta find where that dude is at these days because Get it on Tonight was soooo dope. For real, nobody vibes like that anymore. But actually seriously, Mo, bro, come November, there should only be one item on Mariano Rivera's to-do list: Leisure. It's time to do Mo. You wanna shred righteous heavies? Do you. You wanna crush 1,500 millilters of Cab Sav? Do you. You wanna deposit a five-foot check at your local bank branch? Do. You. Mo. Bro."
Rating: 4 Entering Sandmen
Seattle Mariners: Another novelty check
Date: June 6
What Mo got: A check for $5,000 from the Mariners Care Foundation to the Mariano Rivera Foundation.
Who gave it to him: Edgar Martinez
What it says: "Six hundred saves, 12 All-Star games, five rings ... we get it, Mariano: You've had a tremendous career. But let's not be so positive all the time! Let's also remember that Edgar Martinez, Mariners icon, straight up owned you. Edgar hit .579 in 23 career plate appearances against the so-called "Sandman." Nobody else who who faced you more than five times can top that average. Gar is also one of only four players to take you deep twice. Yeah, both homers came back in 1995, BUT STILL: Five-seventy-nine. You can have this check for five grand, Mo. You'll just have to face Mr. Martinez one more time to get it."
Rating: 1.5 Entering Sandmen
New York Mets: Firefighting equipment
Date: May 28
What Mo got: A mounted hose nozzle from a FDNY truck, an authentic FDNY call box, a ceremonial first pitch and a blown save.
Who gave it to him: Jeff Wilpon and New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano
What it says: "Late-inning relievers were called firemen in the days when men were men and mustaches were mustaches because they smothered five-alarm rallies under a blanket of oxygen-depriving screwballs. Today's "closer" gig is more like a Central Park kitty rescue -- up the ladder for three outs and a handshake parade -- but we aren't nostalgic for the bucket-brigade days. Use this authentic call box like Joe Girardi uses you in the eighth inning: for emergencies only."
Rating: 3.5 Entering Sandmen
Cleveland Indians: A gold record
Date: May 13
What Mo got: A gold record of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, emblazoned with a plaque recognizing Rivera's career
Who gave it to him: Mark Shapiro and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame CEO Frank Harris
What it says: "We go way back with Mariano, so let's get him a gift that has deep and lasting meaning. Enter Sandman has been his entrance music since 1999 so he must really care about that song, right? Let me just peruse this MLB.com story from 2011. Ah, a quote: 'I never said that I didn't like it, but I didn't care about the song. I didn't pick the song. I don't pay attention to the music. When I go in there, I'm going to business. I have a job to do, that's it.' Uh, well, he must at least consider it a part of his identity, no? Oh neat, another quote! 'It's not part of my identity. People identify it [with me], but that's it. I wouldn't say that's my identity. To tell you the truth, I have to do one thing. I go out there and pitch.' ... Hey, you guys didn't place that order with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet, did you? Oh, you did ..."
Rating: 3.5 Entering Sandmen
Kansas City Royals: A non-novelty check
Date: May 12
What Mo got: An undisclosed but "sizable" donation to the Mariano Rivera Foundation, earmarked for renovating a church in New Rochelle, NY.
Who gave it to him: George Brett and Dayton Moore
What it says: "Wait, Mariano is coming this weekend? We totally thought that was next weekend and now the rad juicer-blender combo we ordered won't be here in time. Fruit-infused protein shakes were going to change his life! Quick, what did the Rockies get him? Foundation donation -- yeah, OK, we can work with that. Wait, they had a DINOSAUR present it on the field? Tell George Brett he needs to get Spielberg on the phone, STAT."
Rating: 1.5 Entering Sandmen
Colorado Rockies: A novelty check
Date: May 8
What Mo got: A $5,000 donation to the Mariano Rivera Foundation, presented in the form of a check for giants.
Who gave it to him: Todd Helton and Dinger
What it says: "Not only do we support your efforts to provide computer education for underprivileged students in Panama, but we also assume you own a vehicle large enough to transport 15 square feet of cardboard to your preferred financial institution. We didn't have much of a professional rivalry -- you only faced 18 Rockies batters in your career and never pitched at Coors Field before this series -- so our gift is presented by a man wearing a purple dinosaur costume."
Rating: 2 Entering Sandmen
Detroit Tigers: A plaque and some dirt
Date: April 7
What Mo got: A commemorative case containing two photographs of Rivera pitching against the Tigers, samples of the "unique clay and soil mixture" from the mounds at Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park and a plaque saluting the closer's illustrious 19-year career.
Who gave it to him: Jim Leyland
What it says: "Congratulations on reaching the pinnacle of worldwide sport by stepping on the dirt of our current and former stadia. In case you're suffering from either short-term or long-term memory loss, we've provided photo evidence of you pitching in both of those locations. Also, look at how special our dirt is! It's a top-secret special formula, definitely not the same unfertilized potting soil you can purchase at any home-and-garden store and a high-fiber alternative to croutons on your next Caesar salad."
Rating: 2.5 Entering Sandmen