You would think that at some point people would stop doubting the Core Four of the New York Yankees: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. But even after the fantastic years they all had in 2009 and their important playoff contributions to the team's World Series title, the haters are still out in force.
There seems to be some hand-wringing about how the Yankees are so dependent on these four aging players, Jeter being the youngest at 35. Despite Brian Cashman's youth movement, there is no question that the Yanks need the Core Four to do well to win games. And if they proved anything last year it's that youth is a state of mind.
Mo is the perfect example. He turned 40 a few weeks after the World Series, but ended the baseball regular season with a 1.76 ERA and 44 saves in 46 opportunities. Most importantly, he schooled his younger counterparts on how it's done in the postseason, saving five games and only allowing one earned run in 16 innings despite a rib injury.
Yet there appears to be doubt about whether Mo, Jeter, Andy and Jorge can repeat their strong performances. Don't count me as one of those doubters, especially after last year.
Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.
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