Idiot of the Week

>From Baseball Prospectus’ Week in Quotes:

“[I]f you look at the record the last 15 or 20 years, outside of the Yankees, we’ve been in the playoffs and the World Series nearly as much as any other team.”
–Carl Lindner, Reds CEO

Postseason appearances, 1982-2001 (19 playoff seasons total because of the 1994 strike):

Atlanta Braves, 12 (1982, 1991-2001)
New York Yankees, 6 (1996-2001)
Cincinnati Reds, 2 (1990, 1995)

I don’t have the patience to look through to figure out all the teams that have more than two postseason appearances over the last 20 years. Some, but probably not all, would include the Astros, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Athletics, Blue Jays, and Red Sox. The Arizona Diamondbacks have two playoff appearances and one World Series title, equalling the Reds, and they’re in their fifth season of existence.

World Series Appearances, 1982-2001:

Atlanta Braves, 5 (1991-92, 1995-96, 1999)
New York Yankees, 5 (1996, 1998-2001)
Cincinnati Reds, 1 (1990)

Teams with more than one WS appearance in the last 20 years would include the Blue Jays, Athletics, Indians, Padres (!), and Twins.

UPDATE: Brian Jenkins has done the compiling, and 18 teams have made the postseason more than twice since 1982:

AL East: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays
AL Central: Indians, White Sox
AL West: Mariners, Athletics, Rangers
NL East: Braves, Mets
NL Central: Astros, Pirates, Cubs, Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers, Padres, Giants

Also, the Angels have two playoff appearances plus a one-game playoff in 1995. Even if you leave them out, we’re talking about sixty percent of the teams making the postseason more than the Reds over twenty years.