Hank Steinbrenner speaks: Baseball's playoff system sucks and needs to be changed.

[DirtyKash]

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Hank Steinbrenner: Clean up baseball's mess

Posted: September 24, 2008

Hank Steinbrenner
For Sporting News

There has been plenty of discussion about so many large-market teams being in playoff contention this season. But some small-market teams have been in the running all season. The Rays are the best example of that.

This is when the topic of revenue sharing usually comes up. 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.

But 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. Ask the teams that finished behind us all of those seasons. I'll say it right now: Boston should have made the playoffs in 1978. We beat the Red Sox in that one-game playoff, but they still had a better record than the Royals, who won the A.L. West. And that's one of many examples.

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.

We play 162 games to determine the best teams, but why even bother if an 83-win team wins the World Series? Why not just play 30 games and then have a long playoff season? Otherwise, baseball's regular season becomes almost as useless as hockey's regular season.

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.

So, what should be done? Have an A.L. and an N.L. and put the top four finishers from each in the playoffs. You'd still have eight teams and the same number of playoff rounds. The Yankees still wouldn't be in the postseason this year in my setup, so it's not sour grapes. It's just the smart way to do things. Unfortunately, we don't do that. But we should because -- here comes that word again -- it's logical.

The one saving grace in the current six-division setup is the wild card. Without it, we'd have a complete disaster because a deserving team from each league would be kept out each season. You can't keep a strong second-place team out of the playoffs just because it finished behind a dominant first-place team. And if a wild-card team wins the World Series, great. It got there because it had a great record, not because it won a weak division.

[browntown653]

Hank, go **** yourself. You've gone from funny to just irritating. Stop running your mouth, you ****ing douchebag. I'm ****ing sick of him already.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Hank, go **** yourself. You've gone from funny to just irritating. Stop running your mouth, you ****ing douchebag. I'm ****ing sick of him already.

I was typing this exact same thing while you were. He needs to just shut up and take responsibility......o wait, he's not physically capable of that. His last name starts with an St and ends in an einbrenner.

Sounds like mntwinsfan.....

[Porter]

You didn't have a problem Hank when they made the playoffs 13 years in a row. Now that the division has caught up to the Yankees. You want to cry foul and change the system. Quit crying you f*cking baby.

[realmofotalk]

If L.A. were in the A.L. East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion.

Nice try, Hank, but the last time I checked, Los Angeles must be located at the eastern U.S. for it to even make sense to have its team grouped into the East division. I know, U.S. geography sucks and needs to be changed.

[Dry1313]

Well, he kinda has a point.

It is logical...just him writing this and not a sportswriter doesn't really help

[HollywoodLeo]

Boo Hoo, your 200 million dollar payroll team misses the playoffs one year and you go crying to the press?

**** you, Hank.

[HollywoodLeo]

I agree, though, that it doesn't make sense and isn't fair.

What would be fair would be a salary cap.

[HollywoodLeo]

Well, he kinda has a point.

It is logical...just him writing this and not a sportswriter doesn't really help

Major League Baseball is the corporation, not the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels of Earth, etc etc.

I don't see what's so "un-American" about Major League Baseball dividing profits amongst its subsidiaries.

[Kingdom]

hanksteinfan didn't agree with his idol? Amazing

[NYgiantsfan5689]

When did i ever say he's my idol?

[Kingdom]

You two are equally lame, I just figured you had his mug as your computer background.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

actually this is my background at the moment:

[cjkalt]

I'll say this... Hank is right...the current system sucks... the Dodgers shouldn't be in the playoffs, they are pathetic, top 6 teams from each league go... top 2 get a bye like football.... 3-6 4-5 so then winning the division/having a good record would mean something and continue from there... I'd love to see a Twins-NYY series and Sox-Toronto series to get into the final 4...

[HollywoodLeo]

The Dodgers would still be going to the playoffs under the NFL's set up by virtue of winning their division.

And it's not as though the NFL has never produced a mediocre playoff team before.

2004 St. Louis Rams Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com

And they didn't even have to win their division to get there.

Hank's just but-hurt because his $200 million dollar team missed the playoffs.

Do you think he'd be crying about this if the Yankees were playing in October?

Memo to Hank: If you want the Yankees to play in October put together a better team. Lord knows you have the funds.