Mo Pitches In

Mariano Rivera may not be ready to throw his nasty cutter to big league hitters yet, but that didn't stop him from sharing his knowledge and skills with some area youngsters. Rivera met up with 150 kids in Ridgefield, CT. to give pointers, discuss the game, and sign autographs.

“The game doesn’t start when the game starts,” Rivera said, seemingly summoning some of Yankee legend Yogi Berra’s wit. “The game starts when you get there. If the game starts a seven o’clock ... and you have to be there at three o’clock, the game starts at three o’clock.”

“All you do is bring along your experience; you bring it and pass it to the kids,” Rivera said. “With teaching, you have to have the ability, you have to have the patience and you have to put in the quality time with the kids,” he said, adding that he loves teaching.

The kids worked on their mechanics, throwing into a padded wall as Rivera watched. The Hall-of-Fame to be closer gave the kids one last piece of encouragement.

“When I’m fat and old and sitting on my couch, I want to see you guys and say, Hey, I taught that kid how to pitch,” he said.

Source: The Ridgefield Press