"The man who he was impressed me the most," said Girardi, who sat in one of the white chairs surrounding Rivera's podium during the celebration. "Mo burst onto the scene in 1996 and really never ever had a rough year. But he never changed. He never changed who he was. He got older, but he never changed. He was extremely humble and was always there for people, (in) what he did for the guys in the bullpen and what he's done in the community."