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I just saw this on Sportscenter and I CANNOT believe what a whiny little you know what Hank Steinbrenner is. Or can I?

HANK JABS TORRE'S DODGERS

Post Staff and Wire Reports

Posted: 2:41 am
September 24, 2008

Yankees Senior VP Hank Steinbrenner isn't all that impressed that Joe Torre has the Dodgers on the brink of the playoffs in his first season managing in L.A.

"I'm happy for Joe, but you have to compare the divisions and the competition," the bombastic Baby Boss says in a guest column in the new Sporting News magazine, which hits newsstands this week.

"What if the Yankees finish the season with more wins than the Dodgers but the Dodgers make the playoffs? Does that make the Dodgers a better team? No."

Baseball's divisional setup, Steinbrenner said, has given Torre an easier path to the postseason than the Yankees.

"Baseball went to a multi-division setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement," Steinbrenner wrote.

"But it isn't fair. You see it this season, with plenty of people in the media pointing out that Joe Torre and the Dodgers are going to the playoffs while we're not.

"This is by no means a knock on Torre - let me make that clear - but look at the division they're in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion. The AL East is never weak."

Steinbrenner also said in the column that he isn't a fan of revenue sharing.

"That's a system I don't particularly like. It's a socialist system, and I don't agree with it. Does it work? It depends on your point of view. But is it right? Is it even American? I'd argue no on both of those points."

*

Steinbrenner was all set to attend the final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium. Then he decided it was more important to watch it someplace else - with his dad, on TV.

So the Yankees' co-chairman went over to his father's house in Tampa and joined George Steinbrenner for Sunday night's 7-3 win over Baltimore.

"It was emotional," Hank Steinbrenner said yesterday at the Yankees' spring training complex. "It was especially for me, watching with him. And hopefully him, watching it with me, too. He was very happy I was there. He enjoyed it. Of course, they talked a lot about him, and that was nice."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09242008/sports/yankees/hank_jabs_torres_dodgers_130441.htm

they should have spent more money

Oh man... the ONE time in the last, what, 15 seasons that Daddy's money didn't get the Skanks to the post-season and he pitches a fit about it! THAT is high-comedy.

It may sound like he's crying and it's always fun to pick on the Yanks....but he's right.

If the Indians you could move the Indians to the NL West right now, they'd be in the thick of the playoff hunt. And think back to 2005, the Indians missed the playoffs but had the 4th best record in the league (the AL West winner was below the Tribe). These multi-divisional leagues create more "excitement" but can also punish a great team in a tough division while reward a good team in a junky division.

If MLB asked my opinion, this is what I would change:

- Go back to two divisions per league
- Move an NL Central team to the AL West (bye Houston)
- Have interleague play all year (which would be needed with the above move - since having two odd numbered leagues would require at least one interleague series going on at once)
- Add two teams to each leagues postseason
- Give the #1 & #2 teams with the best records in each league a first round bye (adds incentive to play for the best record)
- Remove the home field advantage from the All Star game (worst idea ever)
- Drop the DH (but add a roster spot to each team)
- And I make the Indians drop Chief Wahoo (not because it's PI, which it is in my opinion, but because I believe he's just plain bad luck).

I'd love the idea that every team plays a series versus everyone. That would be a great way to do it.

Until baseball straightens out the DH rule, I have no use for interleague play.

they would never do that. not enough games to do so. heck we're lucky to get 1 home series against the red sox, or yankees. plus that would take away divisional games, which help decide the playoffs.

It would only be 87 games. Taking out the divisional opponents it would only be 75 games. But they'd have to even out the nl central and add a team from their to the al west.

Eh ya your right. It would be cool for it to happen but probably not. With those 87 games you even couldn't use all those games in the division evenly.

They could copy the NFL schedule plan where you don't play everyone in your own conference/league. You pick out one division in each league and play them. And then assorted with all the rest. So if the divisions stayed mostly as they are (with Houston moving to the AL West):

Example of a new Indians 09 schedule:
Divisional Games - 14 games (7 in each location) x 4 teams = 56
Home and Away against the rest of the AL = 6 games x 10 teams = 60
Home or away with the NL teams = 3 games x 15 teams = 45
....have to +1 on some series since that's 161 games

So there, playing everyone in the league at least once, everyone in your own league with a home and away and then playing everyone in your own division 14 times each. It can be done.

And my plan of two divisions per league would be just as simple.

this guy is worse than the old man...

what he said holds some truth, but it should be said by people like us, message boarders and bloggers..

and honestly, i hope the national league gets into the 21st century (they're still in the 20th) and adopts the designated hitter.

until then, they will continue to get their lunch served to them by the american league.

the dh makes baseball 20 times more exciting than having the pitcher go to the plate and watch 3 strikes go by.

that's why the AL is better, the pitchers are better, because they face 9 hitters each game instead of 8, or even sometimes, 7...

i know the NL people will disagree with me, but hey, when you've been swept in the world series 3 of the last 4 seasons, there is a problem.

+1 for getting rid of the DH! However, I would settle for consistency across the entire league as a consolation prize. Having half the league with the DH and the other half without it is just plain dumb, IMO.

Like they said on SportsCenter last night - I'm sure the Blue Jays and Orioles (and normally the Rays) really wanna hear this guy whine about being in a tough division. Sorry Hank, apparently you can't buy a playoff spot anymore...

Can't stand the Yankees and the whole organization.

Screw 'em.

More from the article:

"Go back to the 2006 season. St. Louis winning the World Series -- that was ridiculous. The Cardinals won their division with 83 wins -- two fewer than the Phillies, who missed the postseason. People will say the Cardinals were the best team because they won the World Series. Well, no, they weren't. They just got hot at the right time. They didn't even belong in the playoffs. And neither does a team from the N.L. West this season."

Then I found this post under the article on Sportsline.com:

"If Hank if gonna bitch about this, then we must go ahead and take away the Yankees' 2000 World Series Championship.

In 2000, the Yankees won the AL East with a record of 87-74. By Hank's logic, the Yankees shouldn't have been allowed to participate in the postseason as 8 teams finished the season with better records than the Yankees:

Giants: 97-65
Cardinals: 95-67
Braves: 95-67
White Sox: 95-67
Mets: 94-68 (lost WS to Yankees)
Atheletics: 91-70
Mariners: 91-71
Indians: 90-72 (didn't make post-season)
Yankees: 87-74 (went on to win WS)

So Hank can complain, but let's take 2000 off the books then."

Nice,...I liked it !!

A good argument for only allowing the teams with the four best records in in the first place. You could still keep your divisions, still hand out "Division Titles," but if you weren't one of "The Four," you're out. That way, teams don't get penalized for being in the "best" playing division, while a team at .500 wins theirs because everyone else is so bad.

Kudos to the Yankees though for coming out of the bottom of the pack,..when you're hot, you're hot.

(I'd do the same thing in football,....)

Or,...you just have a HUGE playoff, let EVERYONE in with seeding and byes that reward the best records, while ALL of the little guys work their way back up the ladder. More games. more TV, more MONEY, more chances for the small market teams to win,...etc. etc.