"When Dick Vitale heard prior to Thanksgiving that Mariano Rivera was headed for vocal cord surgery, he attempted to reach out to baseball's all-time closer.

Having undergone surgery on his vocal cord in 2007, the college basketball television announcer and Yankees fan wanted to recommend the doctor that operated on him.

"I had Dr. Steven Zeitels in Boston,'' Vitale told The Post. "He did mine, Steven Tyler, Adele and James Taylor. He is the Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter of his profession.''

Rivera, who was operated on Friday in New York, and Vitale had different deals, but Vitale offered post-surgery advice for Rivera."