Leave it to the New York Post to turn the Joba Rules and a new playoff format into some whiny article with little basis in reality.
In today’s sports section in the once-proud paper, Larry Brooks opines on the way The Man is conspiring to keep down the Yankees. Brooks says:
That’s because, The Post has learned, the AL regular-season champion will be given the choice of whether to play Division Series A, in which the if-necessary five games are scheduled to be played in seven days beginning on Thurs, Oct. 4; or in Division Series B, in which the five games are scheduled to be played in eight days…
Is it such a stretch to think that the Red Sox, who went into last night leading the Angels by 2½ and the Indians by 3½ for the league’s best record, wouldn’t jump at the chance to play the eight-day series if for no other reason than to require the Yankees to play the seven-day series so Joba Chamberlain would only be available for three games, instead of the four in which he’d be allowed to pitch in the extended version?
When did “regular-season champion” become a term? I thought the regular season champion came out of the League Championship Series. Shows how much I know about baseball.
Throughout the rest of the article, Brooks finds fault with the Yankees for failing to finish with the league’s best record. He says they picked a bad year; he basically says baseball is conspiring against them.
Not once does Brooks consider the obvious: Perhaps in the postseason, the Yankees will relax the Joba Rules.
“Heresy!” you may scream. Well, before you burn me at the stake for offering such an audacious suggestion, let me remind you that the Yankees themselves talked about relaxing the Joba rules earlier this month.
Heaven forbid someone at the Post actually do some reporting before levying doomsday playoff scenarios. Alexander Hamilton must be spinning in his grave.