MLB Can't Toot Its Horn, But Don't Buy It

MLB playoffs are in full swing and Bud Selig and Co. want you to believe it's not the same old October story.

But it is.

Three of the eight playoff teams this year (Milwaukee, Arizona and Tampa Bay) are in the bottom half of team payrolls.

Arizona went from worst to first, while the Brewers won its division for the first time in 29 years, and those bottom dwellers are who the commissioner wants fans to focus on.

They want you to believe there's a weakening correlation between player payroll and postseason participation.

While the statistics show that narrative is true, it doesn't tell the whole story.

In the first five years of the wild-card (1995-1999), just one of the 40 playoff spots was earned by a team in the bottom half of player payroll.

However, in the past five years (2005-2010) things have opened up with 12 of the 40 playoff spots going to the bottom payroll teams.

Selig was recently quoted saying: "I used to say, my job is to try to make the dollar less important than good management. I think we have done that."

Actually, Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane did that. Beane changed the way nearly every organization approaches the game.

Still, it takes money to win.

In fact 10 of the 13 MLB teams that had records above .500 in 2011, were in the top half of league payroll.

It's great that three of the four most recent World Series participants ranked among the bottom five in payroll -- the Texas Rangers last year, the Rays in 2008 and the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

But the glass ceiling remains, only the Florida Marlins in 2003 won a World Series with a low-budget team.

Despite what they may claim, baseball's still got an October problem. And money still buys championships.