Baseball's Best 42: Jackie Robinson or Mariano Rivera?

2008-09-10T07:13:05-04:00

2008-05-05T09:24:00-04:00

2008-09-10T06:39:49-04:00

2008-05-07T16:27:47-04:00

housebuilder56

Alexandria 424002

Mo will be an uncontested first ballot selection to the Hall. He has consistently been the biggest weapon in the Yankees arsenal since he got there. Through the years he has been almost unhittable. Not taking anything away from J. Robinson but this is a no brainer 1702806

2008-05-07T16:01:00-04:00

rpbaseball

Kennesaw 423980

"Among active players, there's not a more obvious first-ballot Hall of Famer." I shouldn't be surprised anymore by such statements made from today's employed baseball writers, but I still am. Riveria should be regarded the best specialist in the game during his tenure. But, he doesn't compare on any scale to an every day player the caliber of Jackie Robinson or many others; playing or pitching multiple innings per game, on the field and with the bat. You can compare how many World Championships they played in or their team won all day and all night. Its an all too easy cop out when you cannot think of anything else to set players apart. No one player is responsible for a team winning a championship. Riveria has never done a thing to actually put his team in the position of winning a game for its first 7 or 8 innings. He's the best at what he does, pitches well for one inning. Most obvious first ballot Hall of Famer among active pitchers - Greg Maddux says hello. Besides all his other accomplishments (well documented), his 4858.1 innings, 109 CGs dwarfs that of Riveria's 966 and 0. How many times has Riveria had to face the same complete lineup two or three times a game? Riveria has excelled at his job for much longer than most and is the best one inning specialist to date. But, it hardly compares to that of the 22 yr veteran starter they call Maddog! He may not dominate like he once did, but let's see how Riveria holds up for another 10 seasons or 3892.1 innings (which at his avg innings per season, that's roughly 49 more years). I don't think he'll make it. 1702567

2008-05-07T15:30:53-04:00

Big Three

Cresskill 423897

Nobody can take Mariano???s greatness away from him; one of the greatest closers the game???s ever seen. But, a closer who pitches one inning. And yes, Robinson only played 10 seasons, but is one of those players where the stats only tell half the story. Sandy Koufax, widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time, spent only 12 years in the bigs, and of those 12, only 5 were HOF years. Look up the yearly statistics. From 1949 ??? 1954, Jackie Robinson was in the top 10 in almost every offensive category in the National League, and most of them, in the top 5. Who would I rather have had on my team? Jackie Robinson! 1702168

2008-05-07T15:26:22-04:00

Craig Bailey

Reno 423918

Enough with the potically correct stuff. As far as on the field accomplishments no one comes close to Riveria, lets leave it at that..... 1702124

2008-05-07T15:24:44-04:00

Craig Bailey

Reno 423918

Enough with the potically correct stuff, lets judge this on substance and with that no one can tough Rivera on on his accomplishments. Lets just live with that.... 1702091

2008-05-07T14:23:31-04:00

Jedmund

Chicago 85750

Rivera is a heck of player, his numbers are outstanding, but that is the extent of the comparison. Just numbers..the context of playing baseball needs to be completely understood. A closer is considered great because of the pressure associate with that ninth inning drama ( saves as a number is a rather new stat) Yet on any giving day, that closer has people supporting him, his teammates, fans, etc....What Robinson did beyond the numbers was play in an era, were even some of his teammates didn't want him on the team, were opposing teams took shots at him, sliding in to second bases with there spikes aimed at hurting him, and those are just within the frame of the game, I won't get into the racial remarks, double standards, etc that he had to encounter. So if Rivera is considered great because he is a closer, and he deals with pressure, that can't really be defined, then Robinson clearly gets the nod for all the pressure he really dealt with, that he really had to overcome and put up numbers as an every day player then he doesn't have to apologize for and in his era, puts him in the HOF without considering all that he really had to deal. A great baseball player should change the game, as he did. They leave a mark on the game, that substains for the life of the game. Rivera numbers will one day be surpassed, Robinson impact as a player and person will never be surpassed. 1701602

2008-05-07T12:54:00-04:00

The Dizzle

Laurel 167201

As much as i understand the argument, Mariano is a closer not an everyday player, therefore, if you can make an argument for the everyday player than he wins. Secondly, every one is naming active pitchers as a counter point for his first-ballot claim. I do believe KGJ is arguably one of the ten greatest players ever and Rivera is definately not on his level. And to further defeat his claim what number did I see junior wearing earlier this year, No. 42. Every active player just about has now worn 42 for at least one game so there is no limit to the players eligible for this ranking. 1700601

2008-05-07T12:00:17-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/921/37/thumb/spiny-norman-59306.jpg 3980 NY

Spiny Norman

92437

Angie, because we have to quantify everything in our lives now to hold our meager attention spans 1699789

2008-05-07T11:57:31-04:00

abetterwaytogo

Bellingham 423812

Are you on crack? Sweet jebus this guy endured more than we could ever possibly imagine. Maybe if he hadn't had to put up with so much, his numbers would be off the charts. We are talking about a man who transcends the sport. I don't care if there was a no. 42 who hit 3,000 homers, this man broke the color barrier. 1699841

2008-05-07T11:36:40-04:00

Angie

West Haven 6959

Why is it that now a good player has to rank somewhere on the all-time list? Our asinine tendency to rank across position, era, and myriad other categories, to find "the greatest of all time" makes me nuts. We heard it with Lebron and every other athlete who happens to impress us... what ever happened to the days when we just said "wow," admired the player, and left it at that. Rivera is great. Robinson is great. Leave it at that. Anything further is a waste of time. 1699474

SI.com's Bryan Graham <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/05/02/robinson.rivera/index.html">argues that Yankees reliever</a> Mariano Rivera should be the choice at number 42 over Jackie Robinson on the list of baseball's best players by uniform number. Tell us what you think here. 2212

The SI Staff

New York City 21244