• New York Times, Monday, April 26, 2010 10:54 AM

Mariano Rivera is one of the most understated superstars in the history of American team sports, writes Harvey Araton, which makes him pitch-perfect for his role as a model for high-end Italian clothier Canali. He is the first athlete the company has ever used in its advertising.

"He reflects the positive attitude that we would like to deliver to our consumer," says Elisabetta Canali, the company's global communications director. "He is solid."

The way the relationship came about is perhaps typical of the workaday way Rivera goes about his business. Shopping in a store near his home in Westchester, N.Y., about five years ago, Rivera saw a Canali jacket he liked but it was not his size. He was directed to an executive in the company's New York office who was a Yankees fan, and the company has outfitted Rivera ever since, Araton relates.

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