“It’s just a man who has retired talking to another man who’s thinking about retiring, and just telling him my feelings on it. It’s not me lobbying him to come back, because as I've said along, I would never want a player to come back if he didn't want to come back. I’ll just talk to him, because I want to make sure that his heart is right when he decides it’s time.”
Those were some of Joe's very candid words to the media after last night's game about his feelings on Mariano Rivera's retirement. Joe, you sly devil. I see what you're doing there. Of course you aren't lobbying Mo to come back. Why would you want to lobby the greatest relief pitcher of all time, greatest athlete at doing 1 thing in the history of organized sports, the most beloved Yankee since Mickey Mantle, and arguably the all-around best teammate and person in sports to come back for another year when he's clearly still got it? Nobody would want that.
In all seriousness, I like that Joe was that open and honest about the situation with Mo last night. He said what he felt and even though he didn't come out and admit it, Joe obviously doesn't want Mo to retire and wants Mo around next year. It's a feeling that everybody else in that clubhouse surely shares and a feeling that we all as Yankee fans share, and good on Joe for expressing it.
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