Clint Eastwood hits grand slam, 'empty chair' expands to sports via NY Times story of empty post season chair of Yankee relief pitcher Mariano Rivera

"Eastwood to Soriano’s chair, “But can you do it now, under the postseason gun, like my main man over here, Panama Slim?”"...

10/6/12, "Soriano Fills Empty Chair in Yankees’ Bullpen," NY Times, Harvey Araton

"The chairs were nearly side by side in front of neighboring dressing stalls that just happened to be devoid of tenants but contained the kind of ancillary materials typically scattered about a baseball clubhouse.

On the injured Mariano Rivera’s seat was a copy of a just-published Yankees Magazine, a 2012 American League division series souvenir edition featuring on its glossy cover the returning hero Andy Pettitte....

Rafael Soriano’s chair was occupied by a rather large brown box, the contents of which couldn’t be known.

Obvious symbolism: it is postseason time, and heavy is the burden on Soriano, standing in for the greatest closer ever.

In the absence of the two pitchers — Rivera’s for obvious reasons and Soriano’s because he is not among the most loquacious clubhouse residents — you could imagine Clint Eastwood, in his latest Hollywood role as an octogenarian baseball scout, strutting right up for quite the fictionalized chat....

Eastwood to Soriano’s chair, “But can you do it now, under the postseason gun, like my main man over here, Panama Slim?”"...

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