Sports Illustrated #1: May 18, 1998

This issue is from the greatest team in baseball history: the 1998 New York Yankees. Featured on this cover of the May 18, 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated are: Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez, and Mariano Rivera. This team went on to win 114-regular season games, 125-50 overall, and they swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series for their second title in three years and 24th overall. This was the first SI that I purchased with Rivera on the cover.

Check it Out:

Mariano Rivera's career has been a study of poetry in motion

Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated wrote a terrific piece that encompasses everything that makes him Mo.

Check out the link below:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/09/13/mariano.rivera/?xid=cnnbin

Congratulations on #600!!!

I wanted to start the blog off by saying that I've been a Yankees fan since 1993, when Donnie Baseball was the team's star and the Yankees were beginning to make their way out of the doldrums and into contention. I'm a fourth-generation Yankees fan and it all started when my great-grandfather (who's father immigrated to the United States from Sweden) gained respect for Lou Gehrig and his style of play. He even purchased Lou Gehrig's first biography, written in 1941, a first edition copy for my grandfather who was only eight at the time. My father bounced back and forth between the Athletics and the Yankees by following his favorite player of the era: Reggie Jackson. All three generations were watching on television during Game 6 of the 1977 World Series when Reggie became Mr. October. Three home consecutive home runs on the part of Reggie propelled the Yankees to their first World Series title since 1962, it was also four consecutive home runs/at-bats for Jackson counting his last at-bat of Game 5. I've been hooked ever since and I feel truly blessed that I could experience some of the highest highs and lowest lows.

One of those highs has been Mariano Rivera and his career with the Yankees. Rivera has been and will continue to be my all-time favorite player. Last night he reached a milestone that only one other relief pitcher had ever reached, he saved his 600th game.

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=nyy&content_id=19196267&topic_id=16992138

Mo is now only two saves away from becoming the all-time regular season saves leader. He has 42 postseason saves which may never be broken.