Mariano Rivera Jr. takes to the field

(NY Post): ""It's quite surprising because he's not a very big kid, but he has a very live arm.""...said Coach Salerno of Rivera Jr.

• "No. 42 isn't an option because. As Mariano Rivera Jr.'s coach points out, the team's numbers only go up to 30. Rivera Jr., who wears No. 2, is forced to go with what's available.

"And what's going to fit a slightly built young man," Rich Salerno said.

• Salerno is the junior varsity baseball coach for Iona Prep, and 16-year-old sophomore Rivera Jr. -- son of the Yankees' superstar closer, who wears No. 42 -- plays the corner outfield positions and also is a reliever.

• "We don't usually call them closers," Salerno said.

Salerno gushed about Rivera Jr. as a person and said he expects Rivera Jr. will be on the varsity squad next season.

• "Every time I get a chance to see him play, I go," Mariano said.

It can't be easy to play baseball when your dad is a legend. We saw Patrick Ewing Jr. unsuccessfully try to make the Knicks' roster. Rivera admits it probably is difficult for Rivera Jr....

• "I think being a 16-year-old kid, it's got to wear on you," Salerno said." But he handles it well. He really does handle it well."...

• Salerno says he calls him Mariano, but admitted the other coaches call him "Mo," and so do several other players.

Salerno has known Rivera Jr. for years because he is president of a youth baseball program that Mariano Jr. has taken part in. One of Rivera's other sons, Jafet, is also a member.

• "Great kid. Very respectful," Salerno says of Mariano Jr. "He's a super kid. Understands who he is, knows who he is. Very unpretentious. Acts like a normal kid.""...from NY Post, 5/23/09, "Mo of the Same, A Rising Son at Iona Prep," by Mark Hale

(I wonder if he could be ready by this afternoon?....)

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