Steinbrenner envious of Red Sox

Gentle Giant · June-3rd-2003, 12:11 PM

Report: Yankees owner calls interleague schedule unfair
By Associated Press, 6/3/2003 11:00

NEW YORK (AP) Yankees owner George Steinbrenner criticized baseball schedule makers and complained his team is treated unfairly, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The Boss is unhappy about New York's road trip this week, when interleague games begin. His problem: While the Yankees are in Cincinnati and Chicago, the rival Boston Red Sox play Pittsburgh and Milwaukee two of the three worst teams in the National League.

''I just hope we play well against the National League clubs,'' Steinbrenner told The Times in a telephone interview. ''I don't think the schedule is fair.''

The Yankees play three games each against the Reds and Cubs, who lead the NL Central. New York doesn't face the Pirates or Brewers this season.

''Katy Feeney makes the schedule, and she has never been a favorite of mine or a favorite of the Yankees,'' Steinbrenner said. ''We play Cincinnati, which is a fine, fine ballclub; they're going to be in the middle of it. Then we play the Cubs.

''Now who is the other guy playing? They're playing against Milwaukee. Now what's right about that? They're playing Pittsburgh and Milwaukee while we're playing Cincinnati and the Cubs. I think they got the best of that deal.

''Bud Selig told me personally that he was overseeing the schedule, and that he'll see to it that it's fine. I used to be for it, but I'm not for it anymore. It's too easy for discrepancies,'' Steinbrenner said.

Feeney, a major league baseball vice president, said it is was impossible for every AL East team to play every NL Central team this year. There are five teams in the AL East and six in the NL Central plus, the Yankees play six games against the crosstown rival Mets.

''You talk to the 29 other teams and they'd probably say I didn't like them,'' Feeney told the Associated Press Tuesday.

''When we go back to the current rotation in 2005, the teams will play teams they didn't play this year. Besides, you can't predict how games will come out. What looks good on paper turns out not to look so good.''

Steinbrenner said he would be at Wrigley Field on Saturday, when Roger Clemens is scheduled to make his third bid for his 300th win against Cubs ace Kerry Wood.

The Boss also talked about the state of his team in interviews with the New York Daily News and New York Post.

The Yankees are 15-20 following an 18-3 start and have a 11/2-game lead over Boston.

''I'm not satisfied with the team and neither are they,'' Steinbrenner told the Daily News. ''I don't think we're playing as well as we're supposed to, or as well as we're going to be playing.''

The Yankees blew a 7-1 lead against Detroit on Sunday, costing Clemens his 300th victory, before winning 10-9 in 17 innings.

''I didn't like it at all,'' Steinbrenner told the Post. ''But I predicted in spring training that when a team has a player going for any record it can lead to distractions. They are all trying too hard for Roger.''

Uli · June-3rd-2003, 12:27 PM

Oh please. If the world was fair he would not have a team. Whiner!

Jon Abbey · June-3rd-2003, 01:13 PM

yeah, he's whining, but the unbalanced schedule in baseball is really silly. forget about the interleague games, the Yankees play Seattle and Oakland 9 times each, and the Red Sox only play them seven apiece. it makes no sense.

I also think there's some truth to the schedule makers being influenced by ulterior agendas, the stretch the Expos are in the midst of now is obscene (San Juan to Seattle?), three straight weeks away from Montreal, and clearly designed to bury them, since their competitiveness is an embarrassment that MLB isn't sure how to deal with, since they own them outright.

as I've said here before, it's time to abolish the division system altogether, and go back to just the AL and the NL, top 4 teams in each make the playoffs. of course, what makes even more sense than that is to combine the top teams into one league, combine the bottom ones into another, and have relegation and promotion like in soccer. this would help low-spending, overachieving, teams like the A's to increase revenues, and punish high-spending, underachieving teams like the Mets. no chance this will ever happen, but it sure does make a lot of sense.

anyway, the Red Sox aren't going to make the playoffs anyway, so Big George should shut the hell up.

GoodSpeak · June-3rd-2003, 10:54 PM

Steinbrenner needs to be taken out and SLAPPED.

Greedy bastard.

Yankees SUCK.