Steinbrenner vents frustration at Yankees

By Steve Ginsburg

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – New York Yankees owner GeorgeSteinbrenner blasted his underachieving team Monday, saying hisplayers had to possess a desire to win as much as he did.

Despite a $200 million payroll, the Yankees have stumbledto a 39-37 record this season and are languishing in thirdplace in the American League East standings.

“My patience is short because the team is not performing upto its great capabilities,” Steinbrenner said in a statementbefore New York’s 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles Monday.

“Players have to want to win as much as I do.”

Steinbrenner has summoned team executives to Tampa, Floridafor a meeting Tuesday to discuss the direction of the club.

Among those attending will be general manager BrianCashman.

After a stuttering start to the season, New York enjoyed arecent run of improved form that culminated in a six-gamewinning streak to kick off a 13-day homestand.

However, the club then stumbled badly, losing five of theirnext seven to lowly Tampa Bay and cross-town rivals, the NewYork Mets.

Yankees manager Joe Torre dismissed doubts over hisplayers’ desire to win but conceded that as team owner,Steinbrenner was entitled to his opinion.

“Because something doesn’t get done doesn’t mean you don’twant it,” Torre told reporters. “It’s just that there’ssomebody over there (the other team) interfering with it.

“He’s certainly, as the boss, entitled to say whatever hewants and to feel the way he feels. I don’t know what thatshould make me feel like.

“I put myself under a great deal of pressure to do the job.And that hasn’t changed.”

UNHAPPY PLAYERS

Torre said he understood the frustration Steinbrenner mustbe feeling as the underperforming Yankees have eased into theplayoffs for 10 straight seasons.

“I hope he wouldn’t be happy,” Torre said. “We’d beconcerned if he was happy at this point. His players aren’thappy.

“Because you don’t win, doesn’t mean you go home andcelebrate or don’t have bad feelings about it. If it doesn’t gothe way we want it to go, it certainly doesn’t mean you’re notworking to try to have it happen.

“Sometimes you don’t get the result you want to andunfortunately, that ‘sometimes’ has turned into a lot oftimes.”

Although the Yankees’ hitting, pitching and defense havebeen patchy all season, the club remains well in the hunt for apostseason berth, trailing AL East leaders Boston by 5 games.

“When we pitch, we don’t hit,” six-time All-Star shortstopDerek Jeter said.

“When we hit, we don’t pitch. And when we hit and we pitch,we don’t play defense. We’ve been very inconsistent.”

“We could be in a lot worse shape than we are,” he added.”But we still have to play a lot better.”