Can't make the playoff scene without the green

Can you hear that? It could be, it might be, it is. \nIt's the sound of millions of Cubs fans weeping. The so-called curse continues, but this time there's no Steve Bartman to point the finger at and nobody to give the finger to.\nWhile I would love to sit here and single out the Cubs, I won't. They, much like several other teams, just didn't have the right formula for success to make the playoffs this year. Yes, they went out and made a big trade to get Nomar, but injuries continuously plagued them. Dusty Baker fiddled around with the lineup just a little too much and, for a majority of the season, the Cubs had no outspoken leader on their team. These are some of the same reasons why Oakland, Texas and Florida failed to make the playoffs as well. \nSo what, then, does a team need to succeed in Major League Baseball? Well I'll tell you: a superstar, for one thing, and money, for another.\nThe Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Astros and Angels all went out and spent the big bucks to secure their spots in the postseason. A-Rod was added to an already stacked Yankee lineup, Vladimir Guerrero went from the now terminated Expos to the top American League MVP candidate, Curt Schilling found a home in Fenway and Steve Finley, with one swing of the bat, gave the Dodgers a division championship. Oh yeah, and there's that guy Clemens in Houston who can still hurl the ball pretty well. All of these players have provided the necessary spark to ignite their teams' playoff runs.\nBut it's teams like the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves that make the playoffs worth watching. They're able to pinch every penny and compete against the elite teams with mediocre talent and phenomenal defense. Obviously the Braves have more than just mediocre talent in the Jones' boys and the Twins with Shannon Stewart and Johan Santana, but both the Twins and Braves are built on role players, not superstars. They are able to succeed with players who have very little reputation or publicity. Despite this, the Twins have produced the leading AL Cy Young candidate in Santana, and the Braves have one of the best outfields in all of baseball in Andruw Jones in center, J.D. Drew in right, with Eli Marrero and Charles Thomas alternating in left.\nNow I'm sure by now many of you have noticed I have failed to mention perhaps the most important playoff team. This is because this team is an exception to almost everything I have previously said. The St. Louis Cardinals, also known as the future 2004 World Series champs, have created a new standard in baseball. Rather than having just one MVP and leader on their team, they have three. Rather than making the race in the NL Central close, they made it an absolute joke. Scott Rolen is the best third baseman in all of baseball; Jim Edmonds is the best center fielder; and Albert Pujols will be the next major leaguer to garner the Triple Crown.\nTheir formula for success is called run support and plenty of it. Besides their trio of MVP candidates, the Cards also have Edgar Renteria at shortstop and Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker in the outfield, all of whom have extremely potent bats. Manager Tony La Russa acts as more of a drill sergeant and isn't afraid to discipline his players when necessary. The Cardinals' pitching is still suspect, but they are the type of team that could give up eight runs and still win a ballgame.\nSo how does money factor into the Cards' success? Well, it doesn't. But plenty of people are putting their money on them going all the way.