If you're old enough to remember Darren Daulton's last at-bat in a Phillies uniform you know things were not always this way. And if you're old enough to remember Dick Selma and Woodie Fryman, you know things used to be the polar opposite for the Phillies.
Eventually, of course, the Phillies' streak of division titles will come to an end.
But there is no reason to worry about windows closing or players aging.
Sure, there will be a year or maybe even two when the Phillies do not make the playoffs, but even that goal is going to become more easily attainable with the expanded playoff format.
High-payroll teams like the Phillies will benefit most from an additional wild-card team. The proof is in the history.
Of the 24 teams that would have qualified as a second wild card since the turn of the century, 10 of them ranked in the top five in the payroll department and 14 were in the top 10. All but five ranked in the top half among baseball's 30 teams.
You might also find it interesting that the Phillies' string of five straight playoff appearances would be seven if the two-team wild-card system had been in place in 2005 and 2006.
It really is fair now to compare the Phillies to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Regardless of what happens on the field this season, the Phillies are going to lead the National League in the payroll department for the second straight season.
You'd have been accused of smoking AstroTurf if you thought that possible 15 years ago.
With all due respect to the success of the Moneyball A's, it is still trumped by the power of the high payroll because the guys with the best OBPs, OPSs, and WARs want to be paid.
You know how many losing seasons the Yankees and Red Sox have had in the 21st century?
Think low. Guess zero.
