Fed-Up Steinbrenner May Tinker With Club

An impatient George Steinbrenner said Wednesday that the listless New York Yankees were experiencing a malaise after their World Series championship last season and vowed that he would become even more autocratic than usual and make changes if the team does not regroup and end its aggravating drought soon.

Steinbrenner did not specify why he feels the Yankees are in the midst of a hangover and would not reveal what sort of changes he is mulling. But it is obvious that the antsy owner has grown tired of watching his $65 million team lose seven of its last eight games, lose considerable ground to the first-place Baltimore Orioles and even lose attention in New York to the inspiring Mets.

“I don’t think we’re totally focused on the task at hand,” Steinbrenner said. “That is the problem. You can’t be involved with this stuff off the field. There will come a time when I’ll get more involved. I’m not saying they better do this or that or I’m going to get involved. If we slip much more, I’ll get involved. You can only stay quiet for so long.”

How long? Steinbrenner is already bubbling and ready to explode, but the football side of his mentality is probably pleased that manager Joe Torre held a rare team meeting before Wednesday night’s game with the Blue Jays. Torre did not scream and shout and simply told his players “how good we should be playing.”

Steinbrenner provided the ranting and raving.

“I hope we’re truly devoted to the appointed task,” Steinbrenner said in a telephone interview from Tampa, Fla. “I hope we are not still living off last year. I’ve been around the game a long time. I know the score. I’m not going to be quiet forever.”

Steinbrenner expressed continued confidence in Torre, but he reiterated his regret that the Yanks no longer have closer John Wetteland and mentioned how Jimmy Key, another Yankees refugee, is outperforming David Wells.

The owner also maligned Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton and the erratic bullpen and said he was “very upset” with Dwight Gooden for getting into a fight with a cabdriver in Arlington, Texas, on May 17.