'Only once in the modern history of the four major professional sports leagues have 10 different teams made it to the championship finals in five consecutive years the NHL from 1992 through 1996.
'And there's only one stretch of more than seven different titlists in consecutive years: Baseball crowned 10 different champs from 1978 through 1987, and 12 different teams hoisted the trophy in 13 years from 1978 through 1990. (Lasorda's Los Angeles Dodgers broke the streak with titles in the strike-shortened season of 1981 and again in '88.)
'Baseball's postseason party, once an exclusive gathering of the gentlemen in pinstripes and similarly high-toned colleagues, is now as open as a Delta House rush night.
'Seventeen of the majors' 30 teams have made the playoffs at least once in the last five years. Only seven have failed to make one appearance since the playoffs were expanded from four to eight teams in 1995.
'That's enough to make the NFL, that paragon of parity, jealous.' (USAToday)
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