"Now, what is this site about, how Joe Torre ruined pitchers' arms? Is that it?"
-Michael Kay, August 18, 2009

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hank puts his foot in his mouth yet again

Neil Best has excerpts of Hank Steinbrenner's latest column:

— On 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.”

— On the divisional setup: “… If 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.”

— On Joe Torre: “I’m happy for Joe, but you have to compare the divisions and the competition. 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.”

— On his case for the divisional setup not being good for the game: “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.”

— On the media: “The divisional setup is not right by any definition of logic. But the sports media rarely deals with logic —so you never read about this.”
This is coming from a man who had "better things to do" than to attend the last game in Yankee Stadium. That alone ruins any credibility Steinbrenner had. It's obvious that Hal is the one who is really in charge and that the media shouldn't run to Hank for answers.

I'll let the words speak for themselves and not try to analyze whatever point he's trying to make.

Update - 9:00 p.m.: Apparently, Hank watched the final game with his father in Tampa. That excuse will suffice. I still believe that Hal is really the one who is in charge.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a shame this great team is partly owned by such a narrow-minded moron.

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