Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors Mariano Rivera with 'Enter Sandman' gold record

Mariano Rivera may not have even clanged a cowbell on Metallica's Enter Sandman but that didn't stop the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from honoring the New York Yankees closer with a framed gold record of the song he's become so synonymous with.

In between games of a double-header Monday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Indians were both more than happy to present the legendary closer with a memento of the song that has signified his arrival in games at Yankee Stadium for nearly two decades.

It's hard not to think of Mo trotting out from the Yankees bullpen whenever you hear the metal band's ominous opening riffs — no matter where you are.

“I’ve got a gold record, brother,” Rivera said. “Without even singing, I have a gold record.”

The presentation was made by Indians team president Mark Shapiro and Greg Harris, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Progressive Field.

It was the latest in what figures to be a season-long procession of ceremonies honoring the all-time saves leader as he prepares to call it a career at the end of the season. Rivera already has a ton of pitching records and Baseball's Hall of Fame will be calling in about five years, but this gesture seemed to mean a lot to the popular player.

“I think it was well-done,” Rivera said. “Whoever thought of the idea of giving me a gold record with the song ‘Sandman,’ it was great. I appreciate that and I know it will have a special place in my house.”

Rivera was also presented with checks for his foundation in both Colorado and Kansas City during the road trip.

Heavy Metal's "Big Four" Replaces "Core Four" at Yankee Stadium

In what can only be described as the only time "Enter Sandman" blared through the bowels of Yankee Stadium and fans were not disappointed to see Mariano Rivera come trotting out of the bullpen; four of heavy-metal's most iconic bands took over the House That Jeter Built for a seven-hour headbanger's ball.

The speed-metal giants-- Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and headliners Metallica--  played in front of over 40,000 fans and there wasn't a fist not pumping or head of hair not flailing in the the whole crowd.

In front of a wall of amps, all four bands took to the stage and went loud and fast. A tribute to when music was born from aggression and not romance.

Anthrax-- die-hard Yankees fans-- kicked off the show at 4 p.m. under a blazing sun and it was a reunion and homecoming for the Queens and Bronx band members.  The only non-New Yorker in the band, returning lead-singer Joey Belladonna, reprised his role as a link to the bands finest years in the 80's.

Megadeth was the second act and lead-singer Dave Mustaine-- who just had neck surgery was less than 100 percent and he admitted it to the crowd.  Heed the warning Justin Tuck of the New York Giants.

Slayer lived up to its name and was the most fundamentally true to the genre-- with deafening guitars and beats faster than a Brett Gardner stolen base-- until the the night came to a climax with Metallica.

The most mainstream of the bunch, Metallica, may be the only band which could get cops, firemen, long-haired punks and biker gangs to rock as one.

The top-billed California quartet is the band which fills stadiums and the boys covered everything from the old, "Creeping Death," to the classics, "Master of Puppets."

While the other bands played one-hour sets, Metallica played twice as long and came out blazing with fireworks, videos and stage effects.

In a time when music tries to be controversial but ends up sounding fake, last night's night's self-proclaimed "Big Four" showed why they still draw new fans after thirty years.

The bolts and foundations of Yankee Stadium haven't been rocked that hard since the autumn of 2009.

For the New York Yankees, last night's show will be a tough act to follow but anytime you hear "Enter Sandman" in the Bronx, everything is alright.