Who thought that Pittsburgh, with almost the lowest salary, would have the best record going into August?

Got to be impressed by the play of the Pirates, who have the

best record in the majors.

It's not winning with the low payroll for one season that impresses me. Sometimes teams manage to have good seasons or good runs for a short time. I'll be more impressed with the salary issues if they can turn it into long-term success. If they can regularly make the playoffs for more than a decade on a low salary like the Yankees did with a massive one, that'll be very impressive. Occasional success (or failure) is one thing. But there's a reason why teams with huge payrolls tend to make the playoffs and be competitive on a yearly basis over teams with minimal payrolls.

They also have not yet finished the season, although it is looking more and more like they can do it this time. I hate to say it as a Cardinals fan, but they've certainly suffered long enough.

Payroll does not make the team. It is the talent.

Of all the sports baseball overpays its players. Pitts is doing the right thing. Developing younger players and taking an occasional vet. But even with some of the vets, the teams that generated the trade are still paying the person from the location of that player's former team.

At this time last year, the Pirates were sitting pretty at 60-44. If it was 1994, they would have finished well above .500. Unfortunately, they fizzled out the last two months of the regular season. Can they FINISH strong this time? I'll believe it when I see it.

We should all be pulling for a Pittsburgh and Kansas City world series and all of the big spending teams and their players can sit at home and watch the world series on television just like the rest of us.

Well none of the people who constantly shout about baseball needing a salary cap, that's for sure.

I will be impressed only if they are still there at the end.