Both Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia are hoping to play ball alongside Rivera Avenue.
Wednesday’s editions of The Post advocated changing River Avenue in The Bronx to Rivera Avenue as a tribute to the Yankees’ legendary and future Hall-of-Fame closer, who is retiring after this season. The campaign was fully backed by some of Rivera’s most noteworthy teammates.
“That would be awesome. I think it should be done,” Sabathia said. “It’s fitting.”
Added Rodriguez, “Any idea honoring Mo, I am 100 percent behind it. I love the guy.”
As Sabathia said, the re-naming would indeed be fitting. Rivera ranks as the finest reliever in baseball history, atop the all-time saves list with 652 after closing out the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto on Wednesday night. The 13-time All-Star, who will turn 44 in November, has pitched 19 seasons in the major leagues, earning five Top-five finishes in the Cy Young Award derby and leading the Yankees to five World Series championships.
Rivera himself weighed in on the renaming idea.
“That would be nice,” he said. “It’s not my decision. I drive on that road every night.”
Support for the idea has come from people outside of the Yankees organization as well. Multiple local politicians endorsed the change, while Twitter accounts @RiveraAveBronx and @161stRIVERAave are also pushing for the honor.
“It would be one of the greatest honors you could get,” Rivera’s set-up man, David Robertson, said. “Get your own street named after you outside of Yankee Stadium. That’s a cool send-off for Mo.”
“At some point, something’s going to happen for him … for all the stuff he’s done in his career,” fellow reliever Joba Chamberlain said.
Many cities around the country have named streets for athletes. There’s John Elway Drive in Denver, Michael Phelps Way in Towson, Md., Larry Bird Blvd in French Lick, Ind., and Pete Rose Way in Cincinnati, just to name a few. There’s also Stan Musial Drive in Springfield, Mo., an honor spearheaded by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which now resides on 3861 East Stan Musial Drive.
The Hall’s president and executive director, Gerald Andrews, said yesterday he met zero resistance to the idea. While the Cardinals have certainly employed other legendary players who merit the honor — Rogers Hornsby, Bob Gibson, etc. — Andrews said, “We didn’t find any opposition to utilizing [Musial’s] name over someone else whatsoever.”
Andrews also said in terms of the feedback he is aware of since the change, the reaction has “all been positive.”
“It’s a great gesture that someone wants to go about doing that [for Rivera],” Curtis Granderson said. “I think if anything were to happen, I’m sure Mariano would want a say in it. It may be something he doesn’t want. Leave his legacy inside the field where he made a name for himself.
“But who knows? You see streets and things like that named after people. Typically, though, it’s after that person is gone. You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself. Maybe down the line, it could be something they consider. See what they do inside first, I think, would be the way to roll. And then continue to keep the option open. Or you could do just like that section, from light to light. That might not be bad. Again, just later in life. Not right now.”
Additional reporting by Ken Davidoff
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/petitions/new-york-city-change-river-avenue-to-rivera-avenue-2