Don't count Rivera out yet

[BuckFoston]

BOSTON - The season is a little more than a week old, and the Yankees and Red Sox have already squared off four times.

Talk about hitting the ground running.

The New York-Boston rivalry is clearly the hottest thing in sports, eclipsing everything from Tiger Woods' latest Major triumph to LeBron James' quest for the NBA playoffs.

The only thing bad about Yankees-Red Sox? After Thursday's game, the two teams won't meet again for 43 days. After six of these battles in 10 days, everything else seems like a bit of a letdown.

While we wait for Jaret Wright's rivalry debut and the return of Curt Schilling, let's do our best to clean out the ol' mailbox.

The Red Sox seem to have figured out Mariano Rivera's inside cut fastball. Is it possible that Rivera could develop a new pitch or strategy in order to regain his dominance against them?
-- Brian B., Montgomery, IL

It's hard to believe that Rivera will be able to perfect a new pitch at the age of 35, but that doesn't mean he isn't tinkering around with some.

Every spring, Rivera messes around with a changeup, and he has started to incorporate more two-seam fastballs into his repertoire in the past year or two. The problem with introducing new pitches into your game at his age is that for them to become true go-to-pitches, he would have to throw them a lot in games, and it's unlikely that he would throw a pitch in a big spot that isn't his best.

Despite Boston's recent success against Rivera, his cutter remains one of the best pitches in the business. I think he's got some fight left in him, so don't count him out this early in the year.

With Kevin Brown's durability issues and the quality of play that Tanyon Sturtze displayed in the fall, why not switch their roles?
-- Skylar A., New York City

I have had several readers ask me this exact question, which I find interesting. Sturtze's greatest success with the Yankees has come in a short-relief role, and Brown's physical history doesn't exactly lead me to believe that he would be effective pitching out of the bullpen on a consistent basis.

When Sturtze is asked to pitch several innings, he uses three or four pitches to try to keep hitters guessing. But when he is out there for an inning or two, when he doesn't have to worry about seeing the same guy twice, he is able to stick to his two best pitches - his fastball and splitter - and stay aggressive for a short period of time. If the Yankees can keep Sturtze in a short-relief role, he could have his finest season in the Majors.

As for Brown, if he can stay healthy, he has a history of being a very effective starter. That may be a big "if" to assume, but it's the team's best shot to get something productive out of the veteran right-hander.

After the Yankees, what team has won the most World Series?
-- Carlos I., Yonkers, NY

The Yankees' 26 World Series titles are far and away the most in baseball history, as are their 39 league championships.

Second place belongs to the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A's (formerly Kansas City and Philadelphia), who have each won the World Series nine times. St. Louis has won 20 league pennants, as have the San Francisco (previously New York) Giants, though that total ranks third behind the Los Angeles (previously Brooklyn) Dodgers, who have 22 pennants to their credit, but just six World Series crowns.

Have a question about the Yankees?
Mark FeinsandE-mail your query to MLB.com Yankees beat writer Mark Feinsand for possible inclusion in a future mailbag column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content.
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Question:

Where is Damian Rolls?
-- Cliff C., Syracuse, NY

After an impressive run in Spring Training, Rolls was sent to play for Triple-A Columbus this season. The infielder-outfielder didn't hit very well this spring, but he has gotten off to a nice start in the Clippers' first four games, batting .375 (6-for-16) with a home run and five runs scored.

Where can I find a complete list of retired Yankees uniform numbers?
-- Daniel M., Ohio

You're in luck, because I can give it to you right here.

• 1 - Billy Martin (retired in 1986) • 3 - Babe Ruth (retired in 1948) • 4 - Lou Gehrig (retired in 1939) • 5 - Joe DiMaggio (retired in 1952) • 7 - Mickey Mantle (retired in 1969) • 8 - Yogi Berra (retired in 1972) • 8 - Bill Dickey (retired in 1972) • 9 - Roger Maris (retired in 1984) • 10 - Phil Rizzuto (retired in 1985) • 15 - Thurman Munson (retired in 1979) • 16 - Whitey Ford (retired in 1974) • 23 - Don Mattingly (retired in 1997) • 32 - Elston Howard (retired in 1984) • 37 - Casey Stengel (retired in 1970) • 44 - Reggie Jackson (retired in 1993) • 49 - Ron Guidry (retired in 2003) http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=nyy

[RockSports17]

I'm getting worried about Mo, hopefully he turns it around.

[BuckFoston]

Man, Mo will turn it around. He has made himself one of the greatest closers in the game.

[RLA68]

I am glad that he got a save in game 2 of the Boston series in Boston.