headline practice

To practice writing to specification, write three different headlines for the following story fragment. Make the first headline eight words and the second exactly six words. For the third headline, write a two-part headline separated by a colon.

The story fragment: 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera is not ready to hang up his spikes for good.

"I am coming back," Rivera said Friday afternoon in the New York Yankees' clubhouse.
"Put it down. Write it down in big letters. I'm not going down like this. God willing and given the strength, I'm coming back."

Rivera's announcement was the second surprise he has delivered over the past two days, the first being his stumble and crumble to the turf while shagging flies before Thursday night's Yankees-Royals game, a mishap that resulted in a season-ending knee injury.

But this surprise was of the happier variety, and Rivera, who was emotionally distraught speaking of the injury in the clubhouse on Thursday night, was practically giddy a day later.

Asked, half-seriously, if he planned to come back with the Yankees, Rivera said, "Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. They will want the old goat."

GOAT, of course, is the acronym for Greatest of All Time, a title Rivera carries among his particular class of ballplayer, the closer.

And Rivera's decision to attempt, at 42, to continue a career that already has accrued just about every accolade that can be bestowed upon a ballplayer, seemed to energize the 18-year veteran.

"Miracles happen, guys," he said. "I'm OK. I'm a positive man. Everything is good. I feel sorry that I let down my teammates but besides that, I'm OK, and the team will be OK, too."

Headlines:

1. Yankees' Rivera Vows Return After Knee Injury 

2. Knee Injury Won't Sideline Yankees' Rivera

3. Yankees' Rivera Ends Season with Knee Injury: Despite Age, He Vows Return

P.S. Go Royals!