Forget steroids. The biggest problem facing Major League Baseball is money.

Greenbacks. Cabbage. Moolah. Coin.

Some teams have a lot of it. Other teams have it, but don’t want to spend it, and others would like nothing better than to ante up millions for a power-hitting dude, but can’t because their pockets are as empty as the Cleveland Indians bullpen.

The steroid scandal has obliterated all talk of this problem.

But it’s still there. Small market teams can’t hope to compete with the large market teams and their bottomless pit of cold, hard cash.

What is worse is that some teams use being in a “small market” as an excuse.

Put the Pittsburgh Pirates into that classification.

Pirates president Frank Coonelly said payroll will be added once attendance picks up.

What?

For a team that hasn’t had a winning season since Johnny Carson was the host of the Tonight Show, the attendance is pretty darn good.

That’s some wacky, wild stuff Coonelly is saying.

Here's some ideas to can more fans in the seats, Frank:

-- Have a fireworks night EVERY night. Watch the people line up.

-- Don't trade fan favorites and then expect the fans to fill the seats.

-- Have a, gasp, winning season.

Basically, Coonelly is saying it is the fans’ fault the team isn’t spending more and trading away its core players.

Once again, the Pirates are falling back on that “woe is me — we don’t have enough money to compete with the big boys” argument.

Sadly, it's not all fiction.

Baseball needs a salary cap of some sort. It’s not going to be easy, but it can be done.

Maybe Congress should hold some hearing about that. Then maybe something will be done.