Winning with low payroll, A’s an exception to the rule

I have dusted off my couch and heated up my popcorn machine in anticipation of Wednesday’s titanic wild-card clash, A’s andYankees in New York.

I don’t root for teams, but I do root for good stories, and the A’s are the best story in baseball. As former A’s executive MC Hammer would say, you can’t touch this.

But one cautionary note: Do not fall for the big lie. The A’s phenomenal success this season doesn’t prove you can win without spending money.

The romantics who believe that payroll size doesn’t matter in baseball will point out that the Giants’ payroll was 2½ times fatter than the A’s payroll.

Sorry, romantics, exceptions don’t prove rules.

Of the bottom 12 teams in payroll size, only one team made the playoffs: the Amazin’ A’s.