Lupica: Mariano Rivera is good.

Of course, Lupica is one of the few people in the Universe who has suggested on numerous occasions that Papelbon is better.

So, yeah.

Lupica is a liar and a hypocrite.


"He struggles in one or two games early in the season, and people start saying he's done. Then he pitches the way he pitched this season and he's back to being as great as ever."

Right.

The "people" who start saying he's done.

People such as Mike Lupica.

"Sometimes you think: If he doesn't give up the home run to Sandy Alomar in Game 4 of the ALDS in 1997 … if he gets out of it against the Diamondbacks somehow … if he doesn't walk Kevin Millar to start the bottom of the ninth in Game 4 in '04 … then maybe he has won seven World Series already with the Yankees.

Well, since 4 + 3 = 7, then he'd probably have won 7 World Series with the Yankees.

Of course, in 1997, the Yankees would have still have had to win two more rounds. But I'll give them the victory over the Cardinals in 2004 ... though it's a bit dismissive of a team that won 105 games in the regular season.

So, what's your point? Did you just want to prove you can perform simple arithmetic?


I mean, that's how the playoffs work in baseball. If you win every series, you win the World Series and you're the champion. If you lose, then you're not the champion.

If Rocker, Benitez, Hoffman, and Wohlers could have closed out their games, then maybe Mariano has zero rings.