The Two Great Closers

Mariano Rivera is a calm, humble man. He is a 5x World Champion, a 12x All-Star, and one of only two pitchers in MLB history to amount 600 career saves. His 608 saves is 7 ahead of Trevor Hoffman for most all-time, and Hoffman has long since retired, paving the way for Rivera to increase this cushion the longer he plays. To add to his already startling resume, Rivera is also the postseason pitching career leader for games played, saves (42), and ERA (minimum 50 IP, 0.70). It's rather safe to say that Mo has been there, and done that. What's also extraordinary is that Rivera has made his living with essentially two pitches: a fastball, and a cutter. The cutter is his signature pitch, and when you think of a cutter, you think of Rivera. He's sawn off endless amounts of opposing bats, and made so many batters look foolish on a pitch they are certain is coming that you wonder when they'll figure him out. Rivera has been the stalwart of the New York Yankees bullpen since 1996, and he's climbed the charts of the greatest pitchers of all-time while wearing those pinstripes. Needless to say, Rivera has plenty of reasons to not be humble.

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

On the other side of this spectrum you have Kobe Bryant. A man of such dedication and tireless work put into his craft that he doesn't feel the need for humbleness. Drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, Kobe has spent his entire career in Los Angeles wearing the purple and gold after a draft day trade. Since the first time Kobe put on that jersey, onlookers knew they were witnessing something special. In the 17 years that Kobe has been among the NBA elite, he has won 5 NBA titles, to go along with his 15 All Star appearances and MVP award. Last season he became the Lakers all-time leading scorer in a franchise full of superstars, and this year he became just the 5th player to reach the 30,000 point plateau in NBA history. Kobe Bean Bryant is a legend in the basketball world, and he knows it because he worked his tail off to get to this point, and he's not going to let anyone try to humble him.

There you have it, two 5x World Champions who are on the top of the world in terms of mastering their craft. They've spent countless hours that have lead them to the pinnacle of their careers, and it's worth noting that despite never sharing the same playing surface, these two superstar athletes share so much in common. They are feasibly two of the greatest closers in their respective sports, and it's hard to dispute that. Rivera's only job is to close games when the Yankees have been staked to a lead of 3 runs or less entering the 9th, and sometimes 8th, inning. He's closed out the game 608 times in the regular season, and has failed to close it out only 73 times. That's a remarkable success rate, and one that has been rivaled by no one in the immense history of the game of baseball. They say being the closer of a baseball team is a job that demands a certain type of bravado and gutsiness, and Rivera has taken that role and redefined it. Closers will forever be compared to Mo, and that's just downright unfair.

Courtesy of Tumblr

Kobe, on the other hand, is a closer by default. When the game is on the line, or the game is tight, #24 is called to action. Not only does Kobe want the ball in his hands in crunch time, but he demands it. Many have claimed that Kobe is a ball-hog and he doesn't pass up the rock when sometimes he should. But the fact of the matter is that Bryant is the second greatest shooting guard to ever play the game, settled only behind one Michael Jordan in this ranking. To not give him the ball, especially when the time and scenario begs for it, is just silly. It's simple knowledge that you'd rather live and die by the hands of your best player and best shooter, than to trust a role player who might find the moment too big for him. If it's the fourth quarter or overtime, I'm putting the ball in Kobe's hands 100 times out of 100. He's proven time and time again that no moment is too big for him, and he's as cold-blooded as they come. It's a facet of his game that is so reveled that people have continually criticized players like LeBron James for passing the ball away down the stretch, rather than putting the onus on themselves and going to work. People also contend that Kobe's regular season success rate of 31% on shots taken to tie or win the game is far too poor to make him "clutch". However, no one has the ability to create his own shot like Kobe when in times of need, and no one is as fearless in putting up those shots as he is. The reality of it is, if he doesn't take those shots, who's going to? It's fair to say that Kobe's reputation as clutch is a byproduct of the name he has made for himself, but he had to do something to earn that reputation in the first place, and being gutsy enough to take and make these shots has helped that.

Two incredible athletes who have earned their careers by becoming the best at what they do, but are two wildly different individuals. One is a man who plays with such an edge, and such intensity that he often barks at his coaches and teammates to get their attention. One who would attack on command simply to get his team a win, or hit that clutch bucket to put his team ahead. The other, a quiet man who has perfected his job with such pristine that he almost gets better with age. Dominating the competition with such class and respect for his opponents, that even arch-rivals and nemeses of the Yankees can't help but feel affection for the only man still wearing number 42 in the big leagues. Two men who will certainly be forever enshrined in their respective sports Hall of Fame in the coming years, and will be forever remembered for being two of the greatest to ever do it.