Under normal circumstances, last night’s outburst on the past of Orioles skipper Dave Tremblay might be the week’s choice collection of sound bytes, but instead, I’ll give the honors to Hank Steinbrenner. The ever-excitable genetic lottery winner, not content with suggesting the DH be employed throughout MLB, has now turned his attention to even greater conspiracies against the New York Yankees, with the following excerpts from ‘Lil Stein’s Sporting News column quoted by the Journal News’ Peter Abraham.
On revenue sharing: œThat™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.
On the divisional setup: œIf you want to talk about things that infuriate me about the game today, revenue sharing doesn™t top the list. The biggest problem is the divisional setup in major league baseball. I didn™t like it in the 1970s, and I hate it now. Baseball went to a multidivision setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement. 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 A.L. East, it wouldn™t be in the playoff discussion. The A.L. East is never weak.
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.
The New York Post’s F. Carter Smith reports a tearful Roger Clemens watched Yankee Stadium’s closing ceremonies — during which his name was mentioned fewer times than first ballot Hall Of Famer Xaver Nady — “at home in hurricane-ravaged Texas, in front of a battery-operated television on his living room couch.” It’s a nice touch by Carter. While the Rocket’s former teammates and employers are basking in baseball history, Clemens, the ultimate family man, remains in the thick of a natural disaster’s aftermath. But I’m calling bullshit — what sort of “battery operated television” allows you to watch ESPN?
Perhaps you meant to convey this with the bolding, but Hal does realize America is about to go forward with the largest socialist takeover of a free market institution in the history of the planet, right?
So Hank wanted to be 5th in the AL instead of 3rd in East? Does he want there to be one big ol’ league (in which they’d be 8th)? He should’ve taken a cue from most of his team and stopped caring a month ago.
If there was only one league, they’d be in the playoffs if they finished in 8th place. It’s not such a stupid idea, it just sounds stupid because of who said it and in the manner in which it was said. The Cardinals were a suck-ass WS winner; I hated everything about that team including, but not limited, to every single thing that Jim Edmonds did on and off the field before, during, and after the Series (I never miss an opportunity to fuck with that douche). I’ve never been a huge fan of the NBA system of having almost every team except, for the four or so worst, making the playoffs but the NL West this year puts it into perspective for me. I don’t want to advocate the total destruction of divisions but some sort of “play .500 baseball or you forfeit your playoff spot” rule wouldn’t be so bad. No NL West representative wouldn’t be so bad.
And the Angels? They get a smaller division of AA competition and they’re the best team in baseball? W-L is relative by division. As for issues with b-ball socialism, a) I thought this was the week when rich nyrs all loved socialism, and b) the old non-sharing system is the only reason the yankees mattered as they Once Did.
The A.L. West has bothered me for some time. You’d think that the rocket scientists who run the show would’ve noticed that the N.L. Central has an extra team and the A.L. West has one less team. Houston, hope you like the DH rule.
Oh, btw, this is also why I hate the average sports journalist. They never take into consideration how easy the Angels have it compared to so many other divisions (A.L. East, N.L. Central, N.L. West….) I’m tired of them shooting their wads all over K-Rod’s saves record and failing to recognize that the team always folds in the playoffs. Any of the A.L. teams should beat them in the first round.
1. The Clemens “crying scene” reminds me of Tom Wolfe’s description of old Joe Kennedy’s post-stroke emotional lability when John Glenn is brought to him for an audience at the White House. Joe in a wheelchair, one side of his face crying.
2. The Angels will have a cakewalk until former Rangers General Managing Partner GWB is tried for war crimes, and the first item on the docket is setting into seeming perpetuity the idea that big bats sell seats and pitching as an afterthought.
3. The Mets are my NL team (which pretty much makes them my team, doesn’t it?) and I could’ve told you guys that Kenny Rogers would choke in a big game situation when it would hurt you the most.
David W: GWB back in baseball? Baseball’s current idiot Genetic Lottery Winner owner ® is one Henry Steinbrenner. Not that baseball couldn’t withstand two idiot owners at once, but I just hope the last eight years kills any and all Steinbrenner political ambitions.
Ben S: GWB not back in baseball, but in the The Hague for Crimes Against Baseball.
The way the idiot wind blows from sea to purple sea, one cannot rule out a Palin – Steinbrenner ticket in the near future. As men of insight and wisdom, we must face this fact, and prepare for TMJ injury from night terrors.
Also by way of clarification, I consider the Joe Kennedy crying scene the great comedic set-piece in “The Right Stuff.”
GC, meant to ask you last night, but did the patrician (-named) F. Carter Smith get through Homeland Security or whatever outside-the-law, armed, black- Humvee contractors to get the “get” on Clemens and his use of tear-enhancing drugs?
I prefer Joe Kennedy’s scenes in James Ellroy’s “American Tabloid” for comic relief, but I’m not going to knock Tom Wolfe just to debate funny.
Palin-Steinbrenner — where do I get that bumpersticker?
Ben S: since you have the same initials as my band, I’m willing to cut you a deal on the Palin-Steinbrenner bumperstickers if you’re willing to buy, at cost, one band t-shirt (featuring Mike Tyson).