Teammates almost forever

The Elias Sports Bureau says that Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are the first trio of teammates in MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL history to play together in each of 16 straight seasons.

Elias does not keep exact records or lists of teammates playing together in any of the four major sports and used an elimination process to confirm the longevity mark of Jeter, Posada and Rivera.

Also, the NFL, NBA and NHL do not have accurate records on teammates staying together for an extended period.

But here are some of the more famous trios who have been together for more than 10 seasons:

NBA

Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish of the Boston Celtics played 13 seasons (1980-1992) together.

NFL

Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, "Mean" Joe Greene and Mel Blount of the Pittsburgh Steelers played 12 seasons (1970-1981) together.

NHL

Current Detroit Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby are playing their 14th season together (1996-2010).