Rivera closes out jeers -- and game

The mock cheers that have greeted Mariano Rivera this week every time he has shown his face in Fenway Park come as no surprise to Worcester's Tanyon Sturtze, who before he wore pinstripes lived among those who count tormenting Yankees a pastime second only to watching the Olde Towne Team win.

But as one who shares the same bullpen with Rivera, Sturtze is obliged to inform the legions who stood last night in feigned adoration of the Yankee closer that while they may be clever, it ain't working.

"I don't think it bothers him at all," said Sturtze, who held the Sox at bay for two scoreless innings before letting Tom Gordon and Rivera finish them off in a 5-2 win.

"I don't sit down and talk to him, but I play catch with him every day and he never says anything. Maybe he goes and says it to someone else in Spanish that I don't understand, but never to me.

"Mo's different, man. I don't think it was that important for him. Everything just rolls off of him so much. I think that's why he's such a great closer. Nothing ever bothers him.

"If I was Mariano, would it bother me? No way. How many rings does Mariano have, you know what I mean? He's already had all that success, and there's no better closer in the game."

There has been mounting evidence, in the eyes of those who parse these things, that Rivera, the most dominant closer of his generation, no longer enjoys the same hegemony over the Sox as he does everyone else. The two blown saves in the ALCS last October, coupled with two blown saves last week in the season-opening series in the Bronx, which included a game-tying home run by Jason Varitek followed a day later by a ghastly meltdown in which Rivera was shredded by the entire Sox order before Joe Torre mercifully lifted him, gave momentum to such speculation.

Since the start of the 2002 season, Rivera has barely saved more than half (9 of 16) of his regular-season save chances against the Sox. So when the Yankees were introduced here Monday, fans roared at the mention of Rivera's name. He smiled and lifted his arms in greeting. "If he was upset about it," Sturtze said, "I don't think he would have done that."

When the gate to the visitors' bullpen in right field opened last night in the middle of the ninth, and Rivera began jogging toward the infield, the crowd of 35,115 rose and cheered as one. In such circumstances, a proud man might flinch.

"No question," Torre said afterward. "You can't be cavalier in this game and pretend things don't bother you. The only thing you can do is have that inner confidence and hope you can turn it into that inner conceit, that you get that feeling back to make you dare people again."

For a closer of Rivera's pedigree, a three-run lead is like being ahead by two touchdowns. Second baseman Tony Womack helped him out with a diving grab of Mark Bellhorn's liner to open the inning, and Johnny Damon rolled out to second. Rivera, who threw as many balls (9) as strikes last night, a red flag that his command still isn't where he wants it to be, walked Trot Nixon, but Manny Ramirez rolled out to Womack to end the game.

Rivera, head bowed, accepted the congratulations of his catcher, Jorge Posada, then joined the conga line of handshakes. Was he inclined to tip his cap?

He shook his head. "It's becoming too much," he said. "I'm not that kind of guy."

Torre said afterward that he believed it was important that Rivera succeed here last night, even if it wasn't entirely pretty. "He was muscling the ball, trying to overthrow," said Torre, offering an explanation of why Rivera's velocity was down a few miles an hour last night. "It's like swinging the bat too hard. It's all about timing and rhythm. That's the human aspect of it."

Alex Rodriguez, who has his own Fenway demons to contend with, said the Yankees weren't concerned about Rivera. "You don't worry about Mo," he said, "but it was nice to see him have a clean inning."

There would be no salvos from Rivera toward the Sox fans. "They're good," he said. "I love 'em. I love to play against the Red Sox in Fenway. The fans let you know."

Someone asked him if he was surprised the crowd sounded happy to see him.

"I don't know if they were happy to see me," he corrected. "They're being sarcastic. That's OK with me. I know that deep in their minds, they worry about me."