Marco Scutaro does not reprise his walk off HR

Marco Scutaro was Toronto's last hope to face Mariano Rivera. Scutaro in Oakland, April 15, 2007 hit a walk-off homerun against Rivera to win the game for his team. Tonight, he just got a ground out, game over.

• The April 15, 2007 loss and another subsequent one by Rivera were taken as proof that he was crumbling in shame and disgrace. A picture of Rivera alone on the mound, looking at the gound, with headline that invited discussion of the end of his career, ran on the front of ESPN's web page for a week.

On April 25, 2007, Bob Nightengale in USA Today ran an article about nothing but the "save stat," as if that's the sole determinate of a late inning reliever's success. "Opportunities," easy or "cheap saves," -or, God forbid, WINS--weren't mentioned. It was about how Rivera hadn't logged a save so far and what that meant.

• Nightengale sought expert opinions all across the league for analysis of this "save" business. As further proof of the singular status of the "save," neither Nightengale nor any of his experts mentioned
• that Rivera had actually earned a "Win" earlier that month...

The "win" stat is not what the BBWAA wants you to think about (nor the scary "loss%" stat) in any upcoming judgments about so-called "closers." Just the "save." (Except when Rivera has more saves, then they don't like it--he's just on a team of "rich guys getting it done.") In Nightengale's article, someone in the employ of Gannett placed a picture of a lone Rivera walking head down, body slumped, into a dugout, facing a crowd of cheering opposing fans.

• In contrast, another pitcher, ESPN's favorite, lost the season for his team last year. Shortly after that game, he had surgery. Last night, ESPN television's opening shot of the season opener for that team was not a picture of the pitcher standing alone in disgrace. It was a live close-up of the guy with a

big graphic trumpeting... the "total save stat....all-time."

• As international celebrity Sheldon Ocker was quoted in the NY Times, 11/9/05 when he left Mariano Rivera off his Cy Young ballot:

"''For him to get anybody's attention

• outside of New York now,

• he'd probably have to save 65 games.'' "

From 11/9/05 article by NY Times' Tyler Kepner.

• "Outside of New York?" Why the mention of geography? Note he's saying they could all be 1 out saves with a 3 run lead, the "save" would be all that mattered.
• Not that Rivera saved or won 6 1-run games that September, pitching 6 out of 8 days in a brutal pennant race in which the Yankees were behind at the beginning of the month.

(I'm just noting what they say and do about the "total save stat." If it bothers you complain to them).

• P.S. Bartolo Colon is quoted in the 11/05 NY Times article --ALSO saying maybe Mo didn't have enough "saves:"

"''Mariano had a great year, but because there were other pitchers that had more saves than Mariano, that might have changed things a little bit,'' Colón said."

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