NEW YORK — The great ones get the stage to themselves. Mariano Rivera was held in the bullpen out in right-center field until Neil Diamond had sung the final words of "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the eighth inning during Tuesday night's All-Star game. And then the opening notes of Metallica's "Enter Sandman"— his Yankee Stadium theme song but unfamiliar on the road — rang out over the public-address system as the greatest reliever of all-time jogged toward the mound. The record crowd of 45,186 gathered at Citi Field on this humid summer night rose and cheered, knowing this was a moment people will remember much more than the American League's 3-0 victory. Quiet, reserved and...
↧