Chocolate Milk Gets a Pitch from Yankee Mariano Rivera When it was a New York Yankee's game day, one of their leading pitchers, Mari - ano Rivera had a routine. He always consumed a big jar of chocolate milk.

The professional baseball player shared his love for milk recently with a group of 80 New York children. Dubbed the New York Yankee campers, Mariano said, "you need chocolate milk in your body." Appearing on behalf of the Refuel With Choco - late Milk campaign, Rivera spoke about how vital chocolate milk was in his daily routine throughout his career.

The five-time World Series champion and 13-time MLB All-Star said, "I love choco - late milk. It was part of my game day routine. Muscles can get sore after pitching. So, I would get a glass jar of milk and pour chocolate into it. I would stir it and stir it and stir it until there was no chocolate left on the bottom and then drink it."

Rivera attributed his 19-year MLB career to healthy eating. "It's truly important for athletes to eat healthy," he said. "Healthy nutrition will take you further ... if you eat great, you could play 19 years like I did."

Rivera recently became the only player to be unanimously voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He encouraged the campers to drink milk "so your bones get strong and grow. Milk is very important for you guys. I want you to understand the importance of drink - ing milk. Milk helps you grow, and it helps you be better!"

Thanks for the shout-out for chocolate milk, Mr. Rivera. The dairy industry appreciates the pitch! www.ipssires.com