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SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Giants have their own version of the Core Four that has fueled their recent October dominance. While players with catchy nicknames like the Panda, the Freak and MadBum, and shiny trophies like former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP Buster Posey get most of the accolades, a quartet of relievers has played almost as big a role in putting the Giants in position to win a third World Series title in five years. Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo are among the seven players who have played in all three post-season runs for San Francisco since 2010, providing stability to a role that can be so hard for some teams to fill come October. One thing that we have thats kind of nice is we have that continuity, Lopez said. Weve been around each other for, this is now our fifth year together for most of us especially in that back end of the pen. That parts kind of nice. We know what we can do, and we complement each other. With a win in the World Series starting Tuesday night in Kansas City, the Giants will join the New York Yankees teams led by Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada as the only teams in the past 40 years to win it all at least three times in five seasons. Like those great Yankees teams that won four titles from 1996-2000, the Giants have relied on stellar relief pitching. Its nice to have these four guys with their experience and calmness they bring to the bullpen, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Lopez has had a steady role as a left-handed specialist whose submarine delivery is lethal against lefties, and Affeldt is another tough lefty who can pitch longer because he is almost as effective against right-handed hitters. Casilla and Romo have had their roles change over the years as the Giants are looking to win their third title with a third closer. Brian Wilson handled the job in 2010 with Romo and Casilla serving as setup men. That changed in 2012 when Casilla stepped into the closer role after Wilson got hurt early in the season. Casilla didnt last in the role as Romo proved more effective and ended up closing out the World Series by striking out Miguel Cabrera. Casilla and Romo flopped roles again this year after Romo blew three saves in June. We had a lot of success when he was the closer here, and its not easy sometimes, Bochy said. But he never said anything, never complained. For a manager, you appreciate that. He wanted to do everything he could to help the team. Thats the only way this works. The four have combined for a 6-1 record with eight saves and a 1.31 ERA over 87 post-season appearances since 2010. Affeldt has gone 18 straight appearances without a run, Casilla 17 and Lopez 15. With 68 2-3 innings, they have accounted for nearly one-fifth of San Franciscos post-season innings since 2010, and more than the more heralded starters. Every time Ive been in the playoffs, it seems like bullpens are used to their maximum, Affeldt said. Guys have come in in different situations and thrown strikes and come in for guys when maybe we have to come in mid-inning, guys on base, stuff like that. Weve done a pretty good job. The four have gotten help this post-season from journeyman Yusmeiro Petit, whose nine shutout innings of two-hit relief were big reasons for San Franciscos wins in Game 2 of the division series against Washington and Game 4 of the NLCS against St. Louis. Petit has been let go four times in his career, including briefly last season by the Giants, making him a perfect fit in a bullpen of mostly castoffs. Of the seven relievers who have pitched this post-season, only Affeldt hasnt been released, waived or designated for assignment in his career. Casilla was signed to a minor league deal before the 2010 season after being let go by Oakland. Lopez was designated for assignment four times in his career before being acquired in a deadline deal with Pittsburgh in 2010. Romo is a former 28th round pick who was designated for assignment by San Francisco in 2008 before earning a regular role in the majors. Now they are all proven major leaguers and post-season stars that the Giants would never think of letting go. They thrive on being out there in a tight game, in a late situation, Bochy said. They certainly help me make my decisions a lot easier. Moussa Sissoko Jersey .Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday. Victor Wanyama Jersey . Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist as the New York Islanders earned a 2-1 win over Ottawa Wednesday, leaving the Senators five points out of a playoff spot with just five games to play and four teams ahead of them. http://www.footballhotspurstore.com/customized/. The Canadian skicross racer appeared to have the bronze medal locked up in the mens final at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, only to wipe out while trying to make a pass in the biggest moment of his career. Paulo Gazzaniga Jersey . Kerr said he had dinner with Jackson, his former coach with Chicago and the new Knicks team president, on Friday night and they talked again Saturday. Kerr is in New York to work the game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors for TNT. Mousa Dembele Jersey .The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia.Letestu had three goals and two assists in nine games before being injured in late October.The 29-year-old has 54 goals and 65 assists in 273 career NHL games, including 39 goals and 51 assists in 188 games with the Blue Jackets.VANCOUVER -- After a frustrating season which saw his team miss the playoffs, Vancouver head coach John Tortorella was rather blunt Monday in his assessment of what the Canucks must change if they hope to return to the NHLs elite. While Tortorella took some of the blame, he also didnt pull any punches. He said the Canucks are getting old, the core group has become complacent and the team needs to get younger. "I felt from day one that its stale," said Tortorella. "Thats not their fault. This is a group that has been together for a long time. "It needs youth. It needs a change. The team needs to be retooled. Its a young mans game. Its certainly not a criticism of (the veterans). We need to surround them with some enthusiasm." After a promising start under Tortorella, the Canucks finished the year with a 36-35-11 record for 83 points. Vancouver managed just 13 wins in 41 games since Jan. 1 and settled for a 25th-place finish in the overall standings. The poor showing has already cost Mike Gillis his job as president and general manager. New president Trevor Linden -- the Canucks former captain -- still must decide Tortorellas fate. The two were scheduled to meet later Monday. Centre Ryan Kesler, who was the subject of trade rumours this year, said the players have to take responsibility for the season. "Were all flabbergasted right now," said Kesler, who led Vancouver with 25 goals. "Going into this year I would never think we would be sitting here in this situation." The Canucks ended their season with a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames last Sunday but the victory was soured by an ugly incident late in the second period. Daniel Sedin was taken off the ice on a stretcher after being hit from behind by Calgarys Paul Byron. Sedin was taken to hospital and later released. After the hit, Sedin lay crumpled on the ice and couldnt raise his head. "I was scared," he said at Mondays season-ending news conference. "I tried to lift my head at first and couldnt get it off the ice. "The only thing I thought was lay still. I tried to move my hands and it felt good. I went to the hospital and everything looks good. I feel OK today." Tortorella said fans and management cant keep reminiscing about the Canucks loss in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final, but instead must concentrate on making the team better again. "Were not in 2011," said the man hired last year to replace the fired Alain Vigneault. "We have to stop talking about 2011. "The core needs to change." Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said the team was "really good" until hhalfway through the season when injuries became a problem.dddddddddddd Both Sedins, Alex Burrows and defenceman Chris Tanev all missed a significant number of games with injuries. "You never want to use injuries (as an excuse but) we had a tough year," said Henrik. "We had guys playing out of position. We had guys playing more minutes than they were used to. "We had to play a different way and we werent able to win playing that way." Tortorella said during this period he made a coaching mistake by giving the room to the players. "I didnt get back in the room and continue to teach the details," he said. "I didnt stay on top of it. "I needed to be pounding away at the details. I think that hurt us in situational play. I think that hurt us in trying to understand how you change momentum. Thats not the team, thats me. Thats my biggest regret." A lack of scoring haunted Vancouver all season. The Canucks managed just 196 goals, leaving them tied for second fewest in the league. For the first time in a non-lockout season, Vancouver had just one 20-goal scorer in Kesler. Daniel Sedin finished the year with 16 goals and went through a stretch of 23 games without scoring. Henrik Sedin had just 11 goals. Burrows, who hadnt scored less than 25 goals in the last four full seasons, had just five. "People talk about we are playing too much defence," said Daniel. "Honestly we played as aggressively as we have been. "That has nothing to do with why our production is down. Its up to us to play like we can." Defenceman Alex Edler, who begins a US$30-million, six-year contract next season, finished the season at -39, the worst plus-minus in the NHL. "There was a lot of changes this year (in how we played in own end) and a lot of new things to get used to," said Edler. "I think I didnt have the year I should have had but I know I am a good player." The Canucks have had several distractions to deal with over the last year. Tortorellas hiring was a surprise. Goaltender Cory Schneider was traded during the summer, meaning Roberto Luongo was the Vancouver starter after believing he was gone. Luongo was eventually traded to Florida. Tortorella missed six games after being suspended for trying to get into the Calgary locker-room following a line brawl to open a Jan. 18 game against the Flames. The Canucks were 2-4-0 during that period, then 2-7-1 when Tortorella returned. "When you lose a head coach its never good," said Henrik Sedin. "I dont think it was specifically that incident that made us start losing." 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