[Conservative til I die]

And of course, one could point to the other teams that made it to the postseason: Oakland, Minnesota, Florida (big market but they don't spend the dough), and the Cubs (young, homegrown talent).

[Mr. Mojo]

Precisely. The Minnesota Twins won two WS in the 80's with a downright anemic payroll. It's about pitching, defense, character, and chemistry.