They are two of the best franchises in the game today. Both clubs are in the playoffs because the fans demand good product and are willing to pay for it. That there is good young talent on the rosters shows good management and organizational development.
Or is it that the owners are willing to pay for it, and in the case of the Yankees, pay huge fines to violate the salary cap.
How do ticket prices for a Yankees or Red Soxs game compare to other teams?
Actually, that's the problem. Baseball's ruling body allows teams to spend their way into dramatically increasing their odds of success. One cannot fault Steinbrenner and his Boston counterpart for following the rules and doing their best to ensure success, of course. It is MLB that is to blame for ensuring that the AL east, and the AL itself, are perenially likely to be a two-team endeavor.
The NFL is by far a better product, thanks to salary caps and revenue-sharing programs. In any given season, at least 26 of the 32 teams have a legitimate shot at the title. Even the current establish powers like the Colts and Patriots have to be VERY wary, and mind every cap dollar allocated. Take out Brady and Peyton, and you cannot really separate the talent levels of the top 13 teams in the NFL.
Heck, this even reverberates down to the EA Sports video games. For Madden, you must face some real opposition as you fight towards the Super Bowl. In the MLB game, each team is assigned certain tasks to measure success. If you take the Orioles, for example, your success as a manager is not measured by winning the World Series, or even the AL East division, but rather by winning a certain percentage of games and reaching a few statistical milestones. The difference is blazingly apparent, even to the Nintendo generation.