The legendary, record-breaking Hall of Fame pitcher tells his inspiring story Mariano Rivera never dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He didn't grow up collecting baseball cards, playing Little League, or cheering on his home team at the World Series. He had never heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle. One day, that all changed. From a childhood playing pickup games in Panama to an epic career with the New York Yankees, Mariano's rise to greatness has been anything but ordinary. He's the guy on the mound who doesn't hear the crowd, just the sound of the ump calling, Strike! The teammate you can rely on, even when the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Whether you know him as Mo or as the Sandman, Mariano is The Closer, and this is his story. Full of tips for young athletes and tales from the Yankee clubhouse, The Closer: Young Readers Edition is an inspiring story of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication that have defined the life of a baseball legend.

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.
Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic. What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time.
With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings.
In "The Closer, "Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time -- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam.
When Rivera retired, the whole world watched -- and cheered. In "The Closer, "we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.

While he is listed along with Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, and DiMaggio as a top-five Yankee of all time, Rivera is also a man of God and family whose contributions to charity and community ensure a meaningful life long after his time as The Closer is over. He is the man who has intimidated thousands of batters by merely opening a bullpen door. Now he will tell his story for the first time: the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States, and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The 12-time All-Star will discuss what it's like to run up to that mound with the game--or the season--squarely on his shoulders.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 7th Pacific Rim Symposium on Image and Video Technology, PSIVT 2015, held in Auckland, New Zealand, in November 2015. The total of 61 revised papers was carefully reviewed and selected from 133 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on color and motion, image/video coding and transmission, computational photography and arts, computer vision and applications, image segmentation and classification, video surveillance, biomedical image processing and analysis, object and pattern recognition, computer vision and pattern recognition, image/video processing and analysis, and pattern recognition.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 6th Pacific Rim Symposium on Image and Video Technology, PSIVT 2013, held in Guanajuato, Mexico in October/November 2013. The total of 43 revised papers was carefully reviewed and selected from 90 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on image/video processing and analysis, image/video retrieval and scene understanding, applications of image and video technology, biomedical image processing and analysis, biometrics and image forensics, computational photography and arts, computer and robot vision, pattern recognition and video surveillance."

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.
Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic. What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time.
With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings.
In "The Closer, "Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time -- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam.
When Rivera retired, the whole world watched -- and cheered. In "The Closer, "we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.

Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio...Rivera. A top-five Yankee of all time, Mariano Rivera is the man who has intimidated thousands of batters by merely opening a bullpen door. Now, in an edition for young readers, he will tell his story for the first time: from a childhood in Panama, to the championships, the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The 12 time All-Star will discuss what it's like to run up to that mound with the game - or the season - squarely on his shoulders.