THE PETTY Yankees snubbed Manager Joe Torre by making no mention of him in the stadium's closing ceremonies, and Wednesday Hank Steinbrenner wrote a first-person column in the Sporting News, doing his best to diminish the job Torre did with the Dodgers.
"This is by no means a knock on Torre -- let me make that clear," Steinbrenner wrote, so you know it was. "But look at the division [the Dodgers] are in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion."
Torre, while offering no comment other than "I'm here," and "I have more important things to concern myself with," appeared more hurt than miffed. A few Dodgers playoff wins ought to ease the pain.
TORRE, ASKED what he has noticed about Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, praised him for the consistent way in which he handles his team. And said, "He's going to be in this for a long time if he's still hungry."
When has anyone known Scioscia not to be hungry?
A PRODUCER for the Tonight Show e-mailed wanting to contact long-time Dodgers fan Margaret Williams, who appeared on Page 2 Wednesday. Talk about great TV, when Mrs. Williams doesn't like a question, she just stares at the person asking it. The perfect set up for Leno -- if he asks her age.
HEARD FROM UCLA football fans, especially those who repeatedly flunk the Page 2 Test, which is all about pushing their buttons.
There's still hope Rick Neuheisel will wise up, already proving to be a good sport when telling a local TV station, "I got T.J.'d," like so many others before him.
But a number of Bruins fans obviously aren't so quick.
"Why do you insult a coach like Rick Neuheisel by insinuating things like he is lying or giving a deposition?" e-mailed Mark Morrison. "You also call him a scab and Slick Rick. What experience in life have you had leading a group of people or having any responsibility? Your Page 2 Test is a joke."
Well, yes it is.
GOT AN e-mail from sportsbybrooks.com, and a story complete with pictures of Jessica Alba and Clipper Baron Davis in bathing suits together with Brooks apparently more interested in how Davis looked. He said he took grief for that, and seemed surprised.
A day later, People magazine announced Davis joined Jenny Craig, Brooks contending he was ahead of the curve in bringing attention to the fat Clipper. If Brooks were really on the mark, he would've found a way to put Alba and Andruw Jones together in the same picture before the Dodgers started the season.
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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers
