Just in case the AL’s winning percentage of 0.566 over the past 5 years of Interleague Play wasn’t enough to convince you… (in case you were wondering, a 0.566 winning percentage in 2009 would have you leading the NL Wild Card race)

Just in case the NL’s last All-Star Game win coming during Derek Jeter’s Rookie Year wasn’t enough to convince you…

Just in case the AL’s winning 7 of the last 11 World Series wasn’t enough to convince you…

How about John Smoltz and Brad Penny both lighting it up in the National League after they were JUSTIFIABLY deemed to be unworthy of taking part in the American League playoff push?

Just for good measure – let’s take a quick tour through the 4 of the past 11 World Series that were won by the NL, in reverse chronological order.

2008 – Phillies 4, Rays 1.  Was anyone seriously surprised when Cinder-Rays-la woke up with an ALCS-sized hangover and was so bloated she couldn’t fit into her glass slippers any more?

2006 – Cardinals 4, Tigers 1.  Everyone forgets how the Tigers pretty much handed the Cards 3 of the 4 wins in this series by playing in a manner which would have caused them to run extra laps during little league (errors, baserunning blunders, etc.)…I think the Tigers lineup was hands-down better at every position except 1B…David Eckstein was the Series MVP for cryin’ out loud!

2003 – Marlins 4, Yankees 2.  Josh Beckett owned the Yankees…I shamelessly giggled and dared to dream of what could happen if Theo could ever find a way to get him into a Red Sox uniform.  Ask any Red Sox fan – even back then, when Mike Lowell was a past-his-prime overpaid bum that Boston had to take off Florida’s hands just to get Beckett – it was a small price to pay to get the Yankee killer on the roster.  Of course, Lowell worked out OK, too.

2001 – Diamondbacks 4, Yankees 3.  Someone forgot to tell Arizona that everyone (with the possible exception of Red Sox fans) was rooting for the Yankees after September 11, 2001.  Hey – on a side note – anyone heard from Luis Gonzalez lately?  Take a look at this close-up of him after the game winning hit and shout out the first word that comes to your mind.  I’ll bet it rhymes with hair-droids.  If you yelled out something different, go ahead and click on it to see the larger version.

Let’s just get it out in the open, as it will make life easier on all of us over the next several months…I love the Red Sox. I am 39 years old and I suffered just as much (and just as loudly, I am ashamed to admit) as my Sox Nation bretheren for the first 34 years of my fandom. Quite frankly, I have earned the way I feel right now…a proud fan of the best team in baseball. Sure, there are lots of folks who love to impugn the Sox as Evil Empire II, since all they do is spend money, but that is how to build a winning professional baseball organization in this country.

I wrote an article about the NFL called Dynasty Building 101, and one of my buddies mentioned a good point…bear in mind that just about all of that article is contingent on the fact that there is a salary cap in the NFL. Actually, my buddy who made that point was a Naval Academy graduate…which means that it is not just a good point…it is one of the all-time great points in the history of writing. The mere fact that he made it through that august institution and can somehow read and write all by himself speaks volumes to his dedication and breeding…and the fact that he was able to form all of those words into a semi-coherent pseudo-paragraph speaks to his tenacity and to the point that he probably did not have anything to do for 5 or 6 hours the evening that he wrote it…judge for yourself — it is the first of the comments underneath the original article…very impressive for a Naval Academy grad, no?

Anyway, here is the baseball version of that article…it is quite simple…spend money or lose. Does that give large markets an advantage…yes. Does the league care…no. Spend money or lose. Sure, there are exceptions, like what Jeff Loria, The Biggest D-Bag in Baseball, has done twice down in South Florida — get some good young players, build them into a contender that got hot at the right time, win a championship that makes a lot of money for ONLY YOU and your executive staff, and then kick your fans in the sack with a fire sale. What an asshole.

OK — back on point — I am a fan. Even if my dream comes true and I am able to do mackonsports.com full-time some day, I will never hide the fact that I am a fan of my teams. Bill Simmons comes with a few warts…but you have to respect that he was one of the first guys to be a fan first and a writer second. Well, maybe YOU don’t have to respect that, but I do respect it. That is why his site is in my Big 5 links.

So, by way of review…MLB does not have a salary cap. The teams that spend the most cash will be the best teams when all is said and done, even if there are a few surprises once in a while. Here are the top 10 payrolls in MLB:

1. Yankees ($209 mil)
2. Tigers ($139 mil)
3. Mets ($138 mil)
4. Red Sox ($133 mil)
5. White Sox ($121 mil)
6. Angels ($119 mil)
7. Cubs ($119 mil)
8. Dodgers ($119 mil)
9. Mariners ($118 mil)
10. Braves ($102 mil)
11. Cardinals ($101 mil)
12. Blue Jays ($100 mil)

OK – I lied. There are the top 12, not the top 10. I had to include the Cards and Jays…you will see why if your continue to read on. Notice anything about those teams? Let me help you…

• 2007 World Champs – Red Sox
• 2006 World Champs – Cardinals
• 2005 World Champs – White Sox
• 2004 World Champs – Red Sox
• 2003 World Champs – Marlins —— go away, Jeff Loria, you scumbag that raped your fans TWICE
• 2002 World Champs – Angels
• 2001 World Champs – Diamondbacks
• 2000 World Champs – Yankees
• 1999 World Champs – Yankees
• 1998 World Champs – Yankees

So, there are the last 10 World Champions. I know for a fact that the D-backs had one of the Top 10 payrolls in baseball in 2001 (Schilling, Unit, Matt Williams, Luis Gonzalez, etc.) and I am pretty sure that the Cards had one of the top 10 payrolls in 2006 — so, we basically have all of the last 10 champs in the top 10 payrolls…except the Marlins. I am not sure yet if I have mentioned how I feel about Jeff Loria…just in case I have not…he should be tied up in front of the stadium before each home game and every fan should have the opportunity to spit in his face and/or kick him in the nads on their way in to see the Marlins play.

Last but not least — I cannot end this post without mentioning how bad I feel for Blue Jays fans. What a shame that they have to be in the AL East. Seriously, they were the 4th-best team in MLB last year, and they did not even make the playoffs. And they have no recourse whatsoever…they have a payroll of $100 million and might not be able to build on that without at least making the playoffs. I am not sure if the Toronto market will support a higher payroll without at least a playoff appearance this year. They really are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place…and they have to play 19 games each against the Red Sox, Yankees and suddenly-not-so-bad Rays this year. I really feel for their fans…wait, they are still in the AL East…screw ‘em.

Go Red Sox!