I think what the Yankees did from 1996-2001 is more of the exception than the rule.
It's just so tough, no matter how good a team you are, to win the World Series in the post wild card era. The Yankees had some excellent teams this decade, and the majority of those weren't even able to reach the World Series. Even winning this championship, as good as the Yankees were, took some degree of luck.
For instance, you'll probably never see anything like the Yankees' run to the championship in 1996. The amount of luck and breaks they received is absolutely ridiculous. That was, far and away, the luckiest championship I've ever witnessed.
As incredible and improbable as the Yankees run during that time period was, they still only won four championships. They did so much right, and they were so good, yet four isn't even close to six. For me, 1996-2000 represents the most impressive team accomplishment in the history of this game. You cannot reasonably expect that success to not only be recreated, but to increase.
I have no problem continuing this conversation, and I think it's a good one, but for the sake of not hijacking the thread, would you mind responding in the Yankees' offseason thread?