FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed “Mo” and “Sandman“, he spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and served as the Yankees’ closer for 17 seasons. A thirteen-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB’s career leader in saves (652) and games finished (952). Rivera won five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Delivery Man of the Year Awards, and he finished in the top three in voting for the AL Cy Young Award four times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2019 in his first year of eligibility, and was the first player ever to be elected unanimously by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

Raised in the modest Panamanian fishing village of Puerto Caimito, Rivera was an amateur player until he was signed by the Yankees organization in 1990. He debuted in the major leagues in 1995 as a starting pitcher, before permanently converting to a relief pitcher late in his rookie year. After a breakthrough season in 1996 as a setup man, he became the Yankees’ closer in 1997. In the following seasons, he established himself as one of baseball’s top relievers, leading the major leagues in saves in 1999, 2001, and 2004. Rivera primarily threw a sharp-moving, mid-90s mile-per-hour cut fastball that frequently broke hitters’ bats and earned a reputation as one of the league’s toughest pitches to hit. With his presence at the end of games, signaled by his foreboding entrance song “Enter Sandman“, Rivera was a key contributor to the Yankees’ success in the late 1990s and early 2000s. An accomplished postseason performer, he was named the 1999 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the 2003 AL Championship Series MVP, and he holds several postseason records, including lowest earned run average (ERA) (0.70) and most saves (42).

Rivera is regarded as one of the most dominant relievers in major league history. Pitching with a longevity and consistency uncommon to the closer role, he saved at least 25 games in 15 consecutive seasons and posted an ERA under 2.00 in 11 seasons, both of which are records. His career 2.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP are the lowest in the live-ball era among qualified pitchers. Fellow players credit him with popularizing the cut fastball across the major leagues. Along with his signature pitch, Rivera was known for his precise control, smooth pitching motion, and composure on the field. In 2013, the Yankees retired his uniform number 42; he was the last major league player to wear the number full-time, following its league-wide retirement in honor of Jackie Robinson. In 2014, MLB named its AL Reliever of the Year Award in Rivera’s honor. A devout Christian, he has been involved in charitable causes and the religious community through the Mariano Rivera Foundation. For his philanthropy, Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, in September 2019.

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Question of the Day

What is the speed of the Earth’s rotation?

At the equator, the circumference of the Earth is 40,070 kilometers, and the day is 24 hours long so the speed is 1670 kilometers/hour ( 1070 miles/hr). This decreases by the cosine of your latitude so that at a latitude of 45 degrees, cos(45) = .707 and the speed is .707 x 1670 = 1180 kilometers/hr. You can use this formula to find the speed of rotation at any latitude.

Advice of the Day

Once daffodils and tulips have gone by, add bonemeal to the soil for next year’s blooms.

Home Hint of the Day

The one tool that every person stripping paint should have is a Hyde molding scraper; it can be resharpened and the blades are interchangeable. The teardrop blade will get you into the few places that the triangle blade won’t reach.

Word of the Day

Whangdoodle

An imaginary creature, or an undefined character.

Puzzle of the Day

Why should you never tell a joke to an egg?

Because it might crack up.

Born

• Ralph Waldo Emerson (poet) – 1803
• Bill Bojangles” Robinson” (tap dancer) – 1878
• Frank Oz (puppeteer, director) – 1944
• Mike Myers (actor) – 1963
• Demetri Martin (comedian) – 1973
• Aly Raisman (Olympic gymnast) – 1994

Died

• Rosa Bonheur (painter, sculptor) – 1899
• Ismail Merchant (filmmaker) – 2005
• Charles Nelson Reilly (actor) – 2007

Events

• First formal meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, which, in the next few months, ended up writing a new constitution for the United States instead of revising the Articles of Confederation– 1787
• Father Stephen Badin became first Catholic priest ordained in the U.S.– 1793
• Grace Annie Lockhart became the first woman in the British Empire to receive a bachelor’s degree in science and English literature. She graduated from Mount Allison College (now University) in Sackville, New Brunswick– 1875
• At Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Babe Ruth hit the 714th, and last, home run of his career– 1935
• Andrew Moyer patented method for mass production of penicillin– 1948
• New York City’s Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was formally opened to traffic– 1950
• The first shave in space took place on Apollo 10– 1969
• Star Wars was released in theaters– 1977
• Daniel Goodwin climbed Chicago’s Sears Tower using suction cups– 1981
• Nearly 5.5 million people joined hands to form a human chain across the U.S. The event, Hands Across America, was designed to raise funds for the poor and homeless– 1986
• Gary Stewart of California set the record for consecutive pogo jumps at 177,737 in 20 hours, 20 minutes– 1990
• Jay Leno officially replaced Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show– 1992
• New York Yankees Mariano Rivera became the first major league pitcher to make 1,000 appearances with the same team– 2011

Weather

• Tornado destroyed Udall, Kansas. 83 people died– 1955
• A tornado tore through Blackwell, Oklahoma. One survivor claimed that it had an orange, glowing light in its center.– 1955
• Record high temperatures gripped the Southwest, as Arizona had its 17th consecutive day of temperatures over 100 degrees F– 1958

COURTESY www.almanac.com