Mariano Rivera’s retirement decision has been made, but the 43-year-old Yankee doesn’t plan on revealing that decision yet.
Rivera is expected to retire after the 2013 season. He stated on Wednesday that he has already made his decision and will be making the announcement before the season starts.
USA Today reports that Rivera stated:
“I won’t give it up until I’m ready for that. I will tell you guys when it is the right moment … You guys have been patient enough. Another day, or week, it won’t hurt.”
Mariano Rivera suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on May 3. He hasn’t reported any pain during his first workout with the Yankees this season, but he will likely keep a light knee brace on this season.
The baseball player added that he never once considered retirement during the rehabilitation process. He added:
“I don’t think that way. I’m a positive man. So I always think positive. Many time I had a lot of soreness, pain, but it never went through my mind that I don’t want to do it again.”
Newsday notes that Mariano Rivera’s response to his retirement decision was one that lends itself to many questions, though his recovery process was the most prominent topic of the day. He rated his knee a “nine” out of 10 during the day, adding, “Everything is great. I’ll be a 10 when I finish.”
Rivera went through every drill on Wednesday, including throwing in the bullpen. Rivera started training earlier than he has in past seasons, mostly because of his knee injury. He explained that his injury will likely require more preseason work. Rivera added:
“I need to do this and be on the field as much as I can, stay on my feet and my knees and do what I need to do. Rehab, it was great. But there’s some things you can do on the field that you can’t do in rehab.”
What do you think Mariano Rivera’s retirement decision is? Will he be done at the end of this season, or will he continue on to 2014?
[Image by Chris connelly (Flickr: Mariano Rivera) [ CC-BY-2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons ]
