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Don Mattingly became latest legend to teach Yankees lesson about value with WS berth

Yankees icons keep reaching the World Series while calling some other franchise home.

American League Championship Series - Seattle Mariners v Toronto Blue Jays - Game Seven | Mark Blinch/GettyImages

At some point between the dismissal of Joe Torre and the cementing of Brian Cashman's status as emperor, the New York Yankees lost the impenetrable aura that made them undeniably the most important franchise of the 20th century.

Greatness can't last forever — or, at least, it shouldn't, given the sheer amount of ebbs and flows in the MLB rule book, from regional scouting to free agency to the luxury tax to the information age.