Amongst Arod's 'friends and tycoons'--Kepner, NY Times

• NY Times' Tyler Kepner: Arod also credits someone not from Omaha...

"When it seemed as if Alex Rodriguez would become an ex-Yankee, and he was seeking counsel from all manner of friends and tycoons, Mariano Rivera was a voice of reason. Rivera spoke regularly to Rodriguez, urging him to broker a peace with the Yankees and show them he wanted to return despite opting out of his contract.

• Rodriguez, who won his third American League Most Valuable Player award yesterday, took Rivera’s advice. Now that he is close to completing a 10-year, $275 million contract, Rodriguez is excited that the Yankees have all but completed their three-year, $45 million deal for Rivera, who has told the Yankees that he will accept.

“Mariano is obviously somebody we can’t live without, because he’s one of a kind and he’s so unique in what he does for us,” Rodriguez said.

• “And he’s such an unbelievable force in our clubhouse. In many ways, he’s the voice for a lot of people in there. He’s very, very special, and a very, very close friend of mine.”"

From NY Times article by Tyler Kepner, "Rodriguez is MVP--Rivera Says He'll Re-Sign," 11/20/07

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