So, here we are with the League Championship Series in full swing, and we’re down to the (cheatin’) Houston Astros (again), the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the San Diego Padres. No one outside the state of Texas wants to see the Trashstros and their vile manager in the World Series again—especially with this guy on the mound, when he’s so obviously cheating.

Welcome to the state of major league baseball, where it pays to cheat and spend a lot of money. Sometimes we really do hate Bud Selig for this, and when he dies, we will piss on his grave annually in memory of his horrible greed that ruined America’s favorite pastime.

But we digress! This post is about the payroll dynamic we looked at a few weeks ago when the playoffs first began. The remaining teams spent a lot of money this year … New York (third), Philadelphia (fourth), San Diego (fifth), and Houston (ninth) are all in the Top 10 for payroll, meaning that for the umpteenth time since the mid-1990s, we’re getting a World Series champ that is buying the title.

The Seattle Mariners (21st) and the Cleveland Guardians (28th) gave it a noble effort in reaching the League Division Series, but they crumbled eventually against big-payroll opponents. This is why we do like the NHL more than any other sport, of course, because despite the fact now that every team in M LB has made the postseason over the last decade or so, there is still inequity at the top of the pyramid.

Sadly, we’re bracing ourselves for the fact the Trashstros and their cheating manager will win, and we’re hoping if that happens, the TV ratings will be terrible. But it sure would be nice to see the Padres win, for example, since they never have hoisted the World Series trophy. The Phillies (2008) and the Yankees (2009) are more recent winners, of course, yet any champ is better than a cheating one in our book(s).

Maybe it’s time to focus on the NFL instead … *sigh*