By Alex Liao ’13, Sports Editor

I’ve been a Yankees’ fan ever since I can remember.  And over the years, as my lunch beverage choice has shifted from juice boxes to Arnold Palmers, I’ve seen nearly everything change for my beloved Bronx Bombers.  I’ve seen Tino Martinez replaced by Jason Giambi, and Jason Giambi replaced by Mark Teixeira.  I’ve seen Joe Girardi the catcher, and Joe Girardi the manager.  I’ve seen Bernie Williams become a bench player, I’ve seen Derek Jeter lose his range at shortstop, and I’ve seen Johnny Damon go from despised villain to admired hero.  But in all of my years of fandom, the one thing that I haven’t seen change is Mariano Rivera.

For fourteen years, this man has served as the closer of the Yankees and as the constant of the team and of my life.  In Kindergarten, Mariano was the Yankees’ shutdown 9^th inning man, and I would beg my mom to let me stay up past my bedtime so I could watch him close out games.  Fast forward to high school, and he was the same dominating finisher.  And while homework and extracurricular activities have prevented me from watching an entire 9 innings of Yankees baseball on a constant basis, I’ve often used the final inning as a study break, leaving my work to see if Mariano can seal the win for the Yanks.  And he nearly always does. In a game of unpredictability, he is the closest there is to a sure thing.  The same routine of preparation in the innings before his entrance.  The same song as he walks from the bullpen to the mound.  The same cut fastball that hitters haven’t been able to figure out for so long, I almost thought he’d be able to throw it forever.

Which is why I was devastated on May 3^rd when the news broke that a torn ACL had ended Mo’s season and possibly his career.  My fellow Yankees fans at Newark Academy, for whom Mariano has always been the closer, shared my emotion. “I obviously knew that he wouldn’t be able to play forever,” said former Sports Editor Ethan Andzejewski, “But it’s hard to imagine somebody else closing out a win for the Yankees”.  “He’s always been the guy,” added freshman Eric Liao ‘15, “This is just… weird”.

It’s an uncomfortable situation that parallels the current one at school.  The Class of 2012, who has been a positive presence in our institution for as long as I can remember, is about to graduate and depart 91 South Orange for bigger and better things.  It’s equally as hard to imagine NA without the seniors as the Yankees without Mariano.  And while the Class of 2013 will do a great job leading the school community next year, and David Robertson will fill Mariano’s roll honorably, it’s certainly going to feel strange in the fall when school is back in session and the Yankees are in the playoffs and neither the Class of 2012 or Mariano Rivera is there to provide the stability that I have become so accustomed to.