Faith
According to a MLB.com article about Mariano Rivera at the 2006 All-Star game:
"When asked why he has been able to do what so many pitchers have struggled to do, Rivera immediately cited his faith.
"Everything that I have belongs to God," Rivera said. "That's my strength, my everything. Without God, I wouldn't be here. A lot of people ask me why I'm still closing, and that's my only answer."
Rivera also remarked a profound reason for accepting the loss of the 2001 World Series while he was on the mound, according to a Buster Olney ESPN article (cached):
"The victory parade that would have taken the Yankees up New York City's Canyon of Heroes for the fifth time in six years was canceled, so Enrique Wilson, the team's utility infielder, decided to change his flight home. He was supposed to return to the Dominican Republic on Nov. 12, eight days after the end of the World Series, but moved up his departure a few days. He was at home when he heard that American Airlines Flight 587 – the plane he was supposed to be on – had crashed in Belle Harbor, a neighborhood in Queens. Two hundred and sixty-five people were killed in an accident that shook a city still reeling from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"When Wilson saw Mariano Rivera in spring training the next year, the reliever expressed great relief that Wilson was still alive. If Rivera had held the lead against Arizona, Wilson would likely have been on Flight 587. "I am glad we lost the World Series," Rivera told Wilson, "because it means that I still have a friend." For Rivera, this was further confirmation that they were all subject to God's will."
And according to a 2003 Time Herald-Record article about Rivera's faith and his family:
"Mariano Rivera always planned to name his newborn son Jaziel. His wife, Clara, had found the name while reading the Bible and felt as if it leaped off the page and danced in front of her eyes."
...
"Six hours after Jaziel was delivered by Caesarean section, Clara began massive hemorrhaging, a development her obstetrician, Dr. Maritza Cruz, called "a scary situation."
...
"As a physician, I know things are black and white," Cruz said. "I have an analytical mind and I've been trained to see things that way. But, at a certain point, I also pray and ask God for help. Her recovery was an absolute miracle."
"Rivera believes that Clara's recovery was miraculous, too, another sign to him that God is always present. Before the 2000 season, Rivera disclosed that he would play for four more seasons before retiring to become an evangelical minister. He eventually signed a four-year, $39.99 million deal in 2001 and has amended his plans to continue playing as long as he can because it gives him a platform to spread God's message. As deeply religious as Rivera is, he acknowledged that Clara's ordeal had strengthened his faith even more."
"When asked why he has been able to do what so many pitchers have struggled to do, Rivera immediately cited his faith.
"Everything that I have belongs to God," Rivera said. "That's my strength, my everything. Without God, I wouldn't be here. A lot of people ask me why I'm still closing, and that's my only answer."
Rivera also remarked a profound reason for accepting the loss of the 2001 World Series while he was on the mound, according to a Buster Olney ESPN article (cached):
"The victory parade that would have taken the Yankees up New York City's Canyon of Heroes for the fifth time in six years was canceled, so Enrique Wilson, the team's utility infielder, decided to change his flight home. He was supposed to return to the Dominican Republic on Nov. 12, eight days after the end of the World Series, but moved up his departure a few days. He was at home when he heard that American Airlines Flight 587 – the plane he was supposed to be on – had crashed in Belle Harbor, a neighborhood in Queens. Two hundred and sixty-five people were killed in an accident that shook a city still reeling from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"When Wilson saw Mariano Rivera in spring training the next year, the reliever expressed great relief that Wilson was still alive. If Rivera had held the lead against Arizona, Wilson would likely have been on Flight 587. "I am glad we lost the World Series," Rivera told Wilson, "because it means that I still have a friend." For Rivera, this was further confirmation that they were all subject to God's will."
And according to a 2003 Time Herald-Record article about Rivera's faith and his family:
"Mariano Rivera always planned to name his newborn son Jaziel. His wife, Clara, had found the name while reading the Bible and felt as if it leaped off the page and danced in front of her eyes."
...
"Six hours after Jaziel was delivered by Caesarean section, Clara began massive hemorrhaging, a development her obstetrician, Dr. Maritza Cruz, called "a scary situation."
...
"As a physician, I know things are black and white," Cruz said. "I have an analytical mind and I've been trained to see things that way. But, at a certain point, I also pray and ask God for help. Her recovery was an absolute miracle."
"Rivera believes that Clara's recovery was miraculous, too, another sign to him that God is always present. Before the 2000 season, Rivera disclosed that he would play for four more seasons before retiring to become an evangelical minister. He eventually signed a four-year, $39.99 million deal in 2001 and has amended his plans to continue playing as long as he can because it gives him a platform to spread God's message. As deeply religious as Rivera is, he acknowledged that Clara's ordeal had strengthened his faith even more."
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MLB article on Tony Fernandez:
"The grind of a 162-game baseball season is hard on a ballplayer's body, but is perhaps even harder on his mind. With the inability to escape the black-and-white details of one's play, and the constant attention from fans and media, it is hard for a player to find some peace.
In the case of Blue Jays legend Tony Fernandez, however, he was able to escape from the stress of the ball diamond by turning to a higher power.
"It helped to put things in perspective," Fernandez said. "Many thought we were too religious, and that sports and religion do not mix. In my case, I think it really helped me, and I think many Christian athletes would agree with what I'm saying. It helped my career a lot, because sometimes it gets so hard to cope with the day-to-day pressure of the game."
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