In an interview at SI.com, Bud Selig says: "Last Sept. 1, 17 or 18 teams were still in playoff contention. I think this year we'll have at least as many. That couldn't have happened seven or eight or nine or 10 years ago."
Ok, is that true? Well, assuming that any team within 5 games of a playoff spot is in contention, 17 teams were in contention last year when September began. OK, sounds good so far. But, what about 7-10 years ago? Well, I arbitrarily picked 1995 (8 or 9 years ago depending on whether he meant from 2003 or 2004). Using the same criteria, 19 teams were in contention. So, not only could it have happened, it did happen. Do your homework, Bud.