On Baseball: Selig's dream of parity realized

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By Mark Zuckerman

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

There was a time not long ago when the list of legitimate World Series contenders could be counted on one hand. The Yankees. The Braves. The Cardinals. The Red Sox.

Those big-market franchises dominated the October landscape for a decade, leaving all other wannabes eating dust.

The Yankees made six World Series appearances in an eight-year span from 1996 to 2003. The Braves appeared in five of the eight Fall Classics held between 1991 and 1999. The Cardinals made the playoffs six times in seven years and the Red Sox seven times in 11 years.

Such was the state of a sport that seemed to demand high payrolls and splashy free agent signings in order to realize success.

Boy, has that changed.

When the 104th World Series commences Wednesday night, a couple of unfamiliar faces will crash the party. The Philadelphia Phillies haven't been here in 15 years. The Tampa Bay Rays have never come close to being here.

And they're only the latest new teams on the block. Did you know that the last four World Series have featured eight different clubs? There haven't been any repeat participants during that time.

Ten different National League teams have won the pennant in the last 11 years. Six different American League teams have done it in the last seven years. A staggering 22 different franchises have reached the postseason in the last six years.

It's Bud Selig's dream come true.