The Closer: Young Readers Edition

by Mariano Rivera, Wayne Coffey (With), Sue Corbett (With)

Overview

Mariano Rivera never dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He didn't grow up collecting baseball cards, playing Little League, or cheering on his home team at the World Series. He had never heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle.
One day, that all changed.
From a childhood playing pickup games in Panama to an epic career with the New York Yankees, Mariano's rise to greatness has been anything but ordinary. He's the guy on the mound who doesn't hear the crowd, just the sound of the ump calling, Strike! The teammate you can rely on, even when the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Whether you know him as Mo or as the Sandman, Mariano is The Closer, and this is his story.
Full of tips for young athletes and tales from the Yankee clubhouse, The Closer: Young Readers Edition is an inspiring story of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication that have defined the life of a baseball legend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316284141
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/02/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

MARIANO RIVERA was a New York Yankee for nineteen seasons. He is Major League Baseball's all-time saves and postseason ERA leader, a thirteen-time All-Star, and a five-time world champion. He and his wife, Clara, have three sons and live in New York.

WAYNE COFFEY is one of the country's most acclaimed sports journalists. A writer for the New York Daily News, he cowrote R. A. Dickey's bestsellingWherever I Wind Up and is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Boys of Winter, among other books. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and children.
SUE CORBETT is the author of several books for children, including Free Baseball and The Last Newspaper Boy in America. She is also a regular contributor to Publishers Weekly and Peoplemagazine. She lives in Virginia with her family.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

1 A Fisherman's Son 7

Notes from Mo: Beisbol School 21

2 A Childhood on the Beach 24

Notes from Mo: My Country 32

3 My First job 34

4 Two Buses, Nine Pitches 49

5 The New World 58

6 The Anonymous Phenom 65

7 Climbing the Ladder 71

8 The Famous Phenom 75

Notes from Mo: Finding My Faith 85

9 The Call 87

Notes from Mo: The House That Ruth Built 99

10 Back in the Bigs 101

11 World-Class 106

Notes from Mo: Thanks, Jeff! 115

12 The Cutter 117

Notes from Mo: Learning from Mistakes 125

13 Shades of'27 127

Notes from Mo: Just Say No to Performance Enhancing Drugs 137

14 Enter Sandman 139

Notes from Mo: My Heavy Metal Marching Music 146

15 The Subway Series Returns 148

Notes from Mo: "A Synonym for Civil War" 166

16 A New Reason to win 168

17 The Trophy 188

18 The Curse of the Bambino 198

Notes from Mo: The Steal of the Century 211

19 Fish Bait 214

20 Curse Reversed 219

21 The Numbers Game 228

Notes from Mo: A Save Opportunity 248

22 Closing Time 249

Notes from Mo: Replacing a Legend 258

23 New Digs, Old Feelings 260

24 No.42 270

25 Wounded Knee 285

Notes from Mo: Why I Pray 295

26 Exit Sandman 297

Glossary 317

Editorial Reviews

"A must for young baseball fans."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Few may have noticed the small boy growing up in a small Panamanian fishing village who played baseball on the beach using branches for bats and milk cartons for gloves. In fact, Mariano Rivera barely considered sports as professional pathways, primarily interested in a job as a mechanic. Dramatically, that story changed when he joined a local amateur league—the Panama Oeste. What follows is how he became Major League Baseball’s most valuable and recognized “closer”—a relief pitcher specializing in the final moments of a game. Told from an intimate, first person, present-tense perspective, Rivera recounts descriptions of his childhood, living in poverty, to his various adventures in both the minor and major leagues. He uses the language of baseball, which may appeal strongly to young readers fascinated with the sport. Even those not familiar with the “Sandman,” as he was sometimes called, may enjoy the incredible story of this almost certain future Hall of Famer. Even more interesting, in some respects, is the spiritual journey that Rivera describes in a very unabashed manner. Chapter sections are bite-sized, and keep young readers from feeling overwhelmed by the length of the book. Certainly, this would make a great gift to any aspiring, young baseball player. Reviewer: Remy Dou; Ages 13 up.

Children's Literature - Remy Dou

12/01/2014
Gr 5–8—In this autobiography, Rivera describes how he went from a poor boy in a humble fishing village in Panama to one of the greatest New York Yankee baseball heroes. A ninth-grade high school dropout who worked on his father's fishing boat, Rivera played pickup baseball with improvised bats, balls, and gloves because there was no money for sports equipment. When he joined a local team, his outstanding pitching skill was discovered by professional baseball scouts, and eventually he was hired by the Yankees as a closing pitcher—a career that spanned 18 years. Rivera discusses his marriage to childhood sweetheart, Clara; his heartfelt love for his children and friends; his dedication to the game despite loss and injury; and the deep Christian faith that guided him through it all. Baseball fans will appreciate and enjoy relevant play-by-play details of significant games and championship competitions. This edition closely follows the original version written for adults, including more toned down spiritual aspects and the same appealing eight-page color photo insert. A must for young baseball fans, especially those who follow the Yankees, and those who enjoyed R.A. Dickey's Throwing Strikes (Dial, 2013).—Diane P. Tuccillo, Poudre River Public Library District, CO

School Library Journal

2014-09-04
Baseball's all-time save leader tells his story.With the assistance of seasoned sportswriter Coffey and veteran's children's author Corbett, Rivera shares with young readers the remarkable tale of how a gangly Panamanian fisherman came to be one of the most famous pitchers in baseball history. Having grown up in a two-room house with no phone and dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, this humble fisherman's son lacked his own glove and cleats when the Yankees signed him in 1990, at age 20, to be a pitcher. What Rivera exhibited at his audition for the Yankees and would be known for throughout his nearly 20-year career was not a dazzling variety of pitches but steely control and reserve in pressure situations. The children's edition of this straight-laced family man's life focuses on reminiscences of playing in the minor leagues, the World Series and the hardship of life on the road. It pares down some of the adult version's (2014) more extended comments on other players' conduct and steroid usage, as well as some of the proselytizing from the devout closer. His voice, though filtered through two co-authors, is endearing and often funny. Though a bit scrubbed, Rivera's account offers engaging insight into the thrills and trials of getting the last out of the season. (photos, "Notes from Mo," glossary) (Memoir. 10-16)

Kirkus Reviews