Mariano Rivera wants to save young people from a highly contagious virus: youthful folly.
The greatest closer of all time threw his best pitch to millennials on The Michael Kay Show, urging them to "reflect and pray" during the coronavirus pandemic instead of party with their friends.
Rivera told Kay he called in to "bring some awareness and bring some sense to the millennials."
"Millennials believe that they're invincible, you know, and they need to be aware that they can transmit the virus to a lot of their families and friends. People they love."
The Yankees legend was dismayed by the viral footage of young spring breakers practicing all kinds of unrighteousness across Florida beaches, none of it from the Centers for Disease Control's recommended six-foot social distance.
"They have to take this thing serious ... because it is serious," Rivera said. "There's no time to be playing around. There's no time to (be) partying, there's no time to be on the beach."
Instead, Rivera told millennials to "reflect ... pray and stay home." Rivera's home lockdown routine includes the aforementioned prayer, reading his Bible, spending time with his family, and hitting the links at the golf course outside his house.
"I've been playing golf, I mean, I have a course ... behind me," said Rivera, who assured listeners that not enough people are there to interfere with healthy social distancing.
Kay brought the 50-year-old retired superstar on his program in the hopes that millennials _ who can be as old as 40 _ snubbing CDC guidelines and government 'stay-at-home' orders would heed the wisdom of an athlete they used to root for on TV. "They grew up with you. Maybe they'll listen to you," Kay told Rivera. Again, a 10-year-old who rooted for Rivera's 1999 World Series team is 30 now.
Rivera agreed. "That's why I reached out to you guys," he told Kay and his co-hosts, Peter Rosenberg and Don La Greca. "We need to spread the message. We need to do more. We need to do whatever it takes."
The Yankee great also lamented the impact of the coronavirus on the baseball season, which is suspended until at least mid-May. Kay floated the idea of a hypothetical 60-game season, which Rivera rejected.
"I don't think you can play a 60-game season and call yourself a champion," Rivera said. "Anything can happen in 60 days."
