Two Mo' Saves

Nick Creegan

Love him or hate him, Mariano Rivera is the best closer to ever step foot on the mound.

Period.

The 41-year-old Yankees star picked up his milestone 600th saves on Tuesday.  Rivera needs two more saves to pass Trevor Hoffman, the current record-holder, for most in Major League history. The closest active pitcher to Rivera and Hoffman is Francisco Cordero, who is in his 12th season and has only 323 saves.

Not even close.

Sure, Rivera’s 600th save wasn’t as climatic or as publicized as Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit, but it should have been. For

Rivera has been the most consistent and most dominant closer of the past decade. Since he took his permanent position as the Yankees closer in 1997, he has averaged four blown saves a season; meanwhile, he's averaged 40 saves per season. Rivera has only allowed 65 home runs in the 1,207 innings he has pitched. That means there was a home run for only 5.4 percent of the innings in which Mo was on the mound. These kinds of stats have given him the satisfaction of being selected as the closing American League pitcher in the All-Star Game 12 out of the 17 seasons he’s been in the league.

I don’t want to take anything away from Hoffman, but he floated around the league before he reached 600 saves.  The most satisfying Rivera statistic of them all is that he did his closing all in one uniform. He has been a part of the "Pinstripe Dynasty" since he first came out of the bullpen. That says a lot, especially since the late George Steinbrenner’s favorite slogan was “You’re fired!”  Rivera’s consistency and championship poise has kept him a gem in the eyes of his bosses as well as fans.

But he cemented his spot in the Hall of Fame way before he reached 600 saves. He has a career ERA of 2.22 in the regular season and a 0.71 ERA for the postseason. Those are numbers that will never be seen again. What's amazing about Rivera's dominance is that he did it all with just one devastating pitch -- the cutter. Is Rivera's cutter the best pitch in baseball history?

Yes.

Save 602 will most likely come this weekend in Toronto against the Blue Jays. It would be more fitting, though, to see save No. 602 in the Bronx, see at New Yankee Stadium with Jorge Posada behind the plate.

But the way Mo is throwing, save No. 700 doesn't seem impossible. Fans should have plenty of chances to see more saves as Rivera marches toward 700.

Don't Call it a Comeback !

Nick Creegan

Is it Sunday yet?

Plaxico Burress has been waiting for that question to be answered for 34 months — 20 of which were spent in prison because of a gun charge. His return couldn't have been on a bigger stage.

Thousands of fans packed into New Meadowlands Stadium for the NFL season opener against the Cowboys, which commemorated the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This was more than just a football game, more than Rex Ryan getting a win over his twin Rob; Burress and the Jets had to win this for the city.

Going into the fourth quarter, the chances of a comeback win for Burress and the Jets looked dim, especially because the Cowboys had never lost a game leading by 14; in fact they were 242-0-1 in game-time situations like that. Shaun Greene was nowhere to be found, running for only 19 yards the first three quarters, and the Cowboys defense had their way so far. On third and three with only 12 minutes left, Burress reached deep inside and set the tone for another “Miracle at the Meadowlands.”

Burress gave Mark Sanchez a reason to count on him when he needed to by dazzling into the end zone on a 24-yard connection. After his first touchdown as a New York Jet, Burress handed the ball to his four year old son in the stands and gave the Jets the momentum to pull out this unbelievable comeback. Burress ended up leading the Jets wide receivers with 72 yards and One TD. Burress will definitely be a difference-maker in games to come.

This was a very emotional win for Burress, and I see this momentum carrying on into future weeks with him only getting better. Don't be surprised if after his long awaited comeback from prison, he earns the Comeback player of the Year Award.

Sound familiar?

What Hangover ?

Nick Creegan

While Rick Reilly was busy consuming foreign objects out of an overjoyed Texans fan’s carpet, thousands of relieved Americans were tuned in to a long-waited — emphasis on the long — kickoff to the NFL season.

Thursday night, Aaron Rodgers reminded everyone that he is not Zack Galifianakis and the Packers are not a part of the “Wolf Pack.” In other words, no “hangover” folks!

Rodgers & Co. picked apart defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ scheme from the beginning, and it almost seemed unfair at times. After two Packers possessions, Rodgers was 9 for 10 and threw for two touchdowns. This guy is looking like a monster! The Pack was 4 for 4 in the red zone and 8-12 on third down. They did their thing on offense, and they look even better now than they did last year in the Super Bowl!

Think about it, Charles Woodson, Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant -- even though he isn’t looking like himself -- are all back ready to win one for them! Yes, these guys have a ring, but they still have a hunger to attain one while playing on the field instead of cheering from the sideline.

There is also some new exciting talent in the locker room, especially from Randall Cobb. He came out of Kentucky and is proving to be a future offensive and special teams threat. Not only did he score with a 32-yard catch, Cobb decided to put the icing on his own cake by disobeying his coach and running the ball out the end zone, tying the NFL record with 108 kickoff return for a touchdown. I think you should rethink your rule, Coach. This return kept people entertained and maybe even caused Roger Goodell breathe easier knowing that there is still an opportunity for an exciting return even with the new 35-yard line kickoff rule.

What I will say about the Saints is that even though their defense seemed somewhat impotent, Drew Brees still produced-MVP quality numbers . He threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns of his own. If the Saints had converted on some short-yard situations and didn’t turn the ball over, the game could have easily gone their way. Heck, Brees threw equally as well as Rodgers, if not better.

Coach Sean Payton, with all due respect, please don’t try to run it up the gut to win the game with Mark Ingram when you could have put the responsibility in Brees’ hands to complete a bootleg for a TD. Yes, Ingram is a Heisman winner who is very capable of being a star, but he is not a power back.

But this NFC showdown that opened the 2011 season was exciting. Regardless of how lethargic the defenses seemed, there's a high possibility that the game was a preview of what the NFC championship game will look like.

To all you Fantasy Football fiends out there, make sure you pick up Cobb if you haven’t already done so. Also, remember that Marques Colston is out for four weeks with a broken collarbone, and Lance Moore is banged up. So watch out for Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson to be getting a lot of looks from Brees in the next few weeks.