It's getting late early--NY Times

William C. Rhoden: "Not just getting old, but is old. The Yankees’ core players may be too far past their collective prime to make a run for glory this season.

• Mariano Rivera, the best reliever in baseball history, will turn 40 in November.

• Catcher Jorge Posada will turn 38 in August.

• Andy Pettitte will be 37 next month.

• Johnny Damon will turn 36 in November.

• Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter will be 35 next month.

On Thursday, Rivera allowed back-to-back home runs for the first time in his major league career. He has allowed as many home runs in little more than a month than he allowed in either of the last two seasons. Jeter, the Yankees captain, and the anchor of the franchise’s most recent championship team, has lost a step at shortstop. Posada, who had shoulder surgery during the off-season, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a hamstring injury. He may be out for as many as three weeks.

• Most players said they felt Rivera would come around.*

Damon said the problem with Rivera was simply under-use: the Yankees have not been in enough save situations to get him sufficient work.

“The more he pitches, the better he’ll be,” Damon said. “He’s still at the top of his game. It seems like every year there’s a small section of the season where he’s going to struggle, but he’ll find it.”...

• Individual performance is one thing. Individually, Damon, Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and perhaps even Rivera can play effectively for several more seasons. That’s not the Yankees’ issue and it hasn’t been the issue since they won their last World Series title.

The Yankees’ problem is that, while many of the teams around them — most notably the Rays — have gotten younger, the heart and soul of the Yankees is aging. That’s something that even Rodriguez’s return cannot cure.

• Everyone around this team argues that it’s still early. But for the Yankees, it may already be too late. " 5/8/09, "Aging Yanks May Need More than Star Slugger," NY Times

*I was just wondering which Yankee players told Mr. Rhoden they thought Mo was done. They might be right, but I'd still like to know which ones told someone outside the team this kind of info. sm

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