Mariano Rivera Surprises Longtime A's Employee

In his last season, Mariano Rivera (as has been previously reported) is doing a completely Mariano Rivera like thing: Showing his appreciation for someone behind the scenes at every ballpark. The latest from the Yanks' closer came in Oakland where he surprised Athletics employee Julie Vasconcellos in the mailroom, where she has worked for 25 years, according to the Associated Press.

Rivera disguised himself as a pizza delivery man to surprise Vasconcellos. "Twenty-five years, Julie, that’s great!" he told her. "You’re special, Julie, that’s what it is. People here love you.’’

Vasconcellos, according to the report, was brought to tears. Rivera also signed a ball and posed for pictures with her.

"Whew, this is really something," Vasconcellos told the AP. "In grammar school, we could only get the Yankees on our PA system. I grew up here, but there was no Oakland team yet."

Vasconcellos said that she too hoped to retire soon.