1 Mo Rivera Becomes Baseball’s Greatest Closer Mariano Mo Rivera was born in Panama in 1969 His father was a fisherman Rivera and his friends played baseball on the beach when the tide was low They made their own gear Carboard milk cartons became gloves Tree branches became bats Baseballs were taped-up wads of used fishing nets 4 After high school Rivera wanted to play baseball He made the Panama Oeste team in 1990 He was a shortstop but the team needed a pitcher Rivera volunteered A scout for the New York Yankees saw him play Rivera moved to the United States and played in the minor leagues He became a relief pitcher taking over for other pitchers in the middle of a game
Rivera pitched his first major league game in May 1995 The Yankees lost 10-0 They sent him back to the minors A month later his fastball reached 95 miles per hour He returned to the majors Rivera played 19 seasons in MLB Major League Baseball He could turn a losing game into a winning one His cool head and positive attitude made him one of the best relief pitchers ever to play the game He’s the only one to be named MVP Most Valuable Player of a World Series a League Championship Series and an All-Star Game Rivera retired in 2013 1,111 Mo Rivera’s major league pitching appearances a record among right-handed pitchers Rivera grew up in Panama He started as a shortstop but switched to pitching He spent 19 years playing for the Yankees in MLB RETIRING A HISTORIC NUMBER Mariano Rivera was the last player to wear the number 42 on his uniform This had been baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s number When Rivera retired in September 2013 the Yankees officially retired the number 5
2 6 Hakeem Olajuwon Finds the Dream in Houston Hakeem Olajuwon was born Olajuwon 34 makes a shot in the NBA playoffs in 1988 in 1963 in Nigeria He grew up playing table tennis soccer and handball At 15 he picked up basketball Olajuwon didn’t know the rules But he was seven feet tall The coach told him to just stand there and block everything Olajuwon earned a spot on the University of Houston team He moved to Texas in 1981 He FAITH AND BASKETBALL Hakeem Olajuwon credits his faith for his success A devout Muslim he prayed regularly He went to the mosque every Friday even on the road He fasted during Ramadan He saw this as a time to focus on discipline and self-control He brought those skills onto the court
3,830 The NBA record for blocked shots still held by Hakeem Olajuwon Olajuwon was born and raised in Nigeria He was a key player in the NBA for 18 years He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame worked with NBA National Basketball Association star Moses Malone Olajuwon helped the Cougars make it to the NCAA Final Four three years in a row Olajuwon was drafted onto the Houston Rockets He worked on a different skill each summer He developed the Dream Shake This mix of head fakes spins and jump shots stumped defenders In April 1993 Olajuwon became an American citizen In 1994 and 1995 the Rockets won the NBA championship Olajuwon earned the MVP title both years In 1996 he won Olympic gold with the American men’s basketball team Olajuwon retired in 2002 The Rockets retired his No 34 jersey that year In 2008 Olajuwon entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame He was admired for his skills He was also respected for his character 7
