Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Joe Posnanski, over at his newish SI.com digs, dishes on a new way of looking at relievers, using Bill James' work as a basis. You should go have a read because, well, most things from Joe Pos are worth reading (even if they are less Pos-like than his blog).

But, to quote The Who: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss:

Here goes nothing: these were the best closers in 2008 (20 or more save opportunities):

1. Mariano Rivera, Yankees
...I'm fascinated by the guy's ability to get people out for a decade and more with, essentially, one pitch. Plus, I have this theory that I'm working on that Rivera has been even more valuable than his reputation, but for a very odd reason.
......
See, we all know that nothing sucks the life out of a fan base more than the local heroes blowing a late lead. I don't know if it has a measurable effect on the team -- I haven't studied it -- but it definitely seems to have an effect on the general atmosphere, the energy level, the manager's enthusiasm, the talk radio tenor and so on. These things are multiplied in New York. And basically, in the case of Mariano, one guy has more or less eliminated that negativity from the equation.

Yep, Mo is still #1. Sure K-Rod got more opportunities and is ridiculously expressive/silly-looking. Papelbon's an animal and, to me, the heir apparent to Mo's throne. But Mo still holds court. For that, I am thankful!