LIFE WITHOUT MARIANO? DON'T BET ON IT

"Cashman says closer Mariano Rivera informed him earlier this week that he is unsure if he will play again or retire."

That alert came from ESPN.   Yeah, it shocked me too. I know that it's October and we have a winter to get through, but you have wonder if Mariano is in fact dead serious or if he just feels this way right now.

I was positive that Mariano had unfinished business and I still believe that. No one wants to go into retirement coming off a ACL injury after being named the greatest closer ever, do they? You kind of want to go out with style. I was looking forward to all of baseball giving Mo a standing ovation from stadium to stadium in 2013. I think that can still be arranged, if he comes back.

I'm assuming he's coming back next year and I won't take No for an answer. Why? Because it's about the fight, it's about the heart... it's the Yankee way.  Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada... and even Bernie Williams know what the Yankee pinstripes are all about and I believe in my heart that Mariano is not finished. Plus, this is a situation where you have to be smart if you're Brian Cashman.  Do you push to get Mariano back for 1 more season, or do you let him slide and then push to keep Rafael Soriano so he doesn't opt-out and go somewhere else?

Anyway, here is the report on Mariano today, read HERE.  Here's a quote from the article:

"During his end-of-season news conference Wednesday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi hinted that Rivera may not return.

'From watching how he rehabbed and everything that he was going through, picked up a baseball sooner than he was supposed to and got his hand smacked a little bit, that would tell me that Mo probably wants to play,' Girardi said. 'But in saying that, it's a decision that I think he'll sit down with his family, evaluate where he is maybe a little bit later in this process and how he feels and how his arm feels, to feel like you think you can compete at the same level he's always competed at. But I don't think that you push a rehab like he pushed it unless you think that you possibly have some interest in coming back.'"

So... what do you think? Comment.

 Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.