Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera Hints at Retirement, But Won’t Say When

New York Yankees' Jorge Posada, right, presents teammate Mariano Rivera, right, with a fireman's helmet to commemorate his record 602 saves before the first game of a baseball doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

After years of tip-toeing around the issue, Mariano Rivera on Monday made his strongest statements yet that this will be his final season on the mound.

While the Yankees closer refused to come out and say he was retiring at the end of the year, he made it clear he knows what he is going to do.

“I made my decision already,” the 42-year-old Rivera said in front of his locker at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa, Fla. “But I’m not ready to tell you yet.”

Full story: Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera Hints at Retirement, But Won’t Say When