Yankees have a long way to go, says Jeter

By Steve Ginsburg

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – With New York Yankees owner GeorgeSteinbrenner fuming over the club’s bumbling ways, the playersinsist that it is too early to throw in the towel.

“You can’t judge a year until it’s over,” said YankeesAll-Star shortstop Derek Jeter. “There’s a long way to go.”

It might only be June but when ‘The Boss’ is angry,everyone listens. The temperamental Steinbrenner called ameeting of his top executives Tuesday in Florida to discuss thefuture of the ball club.

Despite a $200 million payroll, the Yankees are just 39-37this season and have been stuttering on both offense anddefense.

“The only thing we can really focus on is the present,”said third baseman Alex Rodriguez. “What’s happened already, orwhat will happen, we can’t control.

“We can control today, though. We’ll just prepare as wellas we can. And take them one pitch at a time.”

While the team is maintaining a cool stance, Steinbrennersaid he is running out of patience. “Players have to want towin as much as I do,” he said.

The club’s pitching has been, at times, abysmal.

SHOWING AGE

The big-money starting rotation of Randy Johnson, MikeMussina, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright is just25-24 and showing signs of age.

The 41-year-old Johnson has a respectable 3.86 ERA but thatis not what you would want from a five-time Cy Young winner whosigned a two-year $32 million contract extension.

“To imagine that this team would be around .500 shows howinconsistent every facet of our team has played at one time oranother — whether it’s been our defense, starting pitching,offense.

“Our inconsistency day-in and day-out is not the sign of aveteran team that has the talent that this tam has.”

To showcase the pitching woes, the 2005 Yankees are 0-26this season when they score three runs or less.

Given manager Joe Torre’s success over the years and hispopularity with Yankees fans, it is unlikely he will be sackedby Steinbrenner following Tuesday’s meeting in Tampa.

Torre said his club needs to battle back one series at atime. The Yankees used a late rally Monday to beat theBaltimore Orioles 6-4 in the opener of a three-game set.

“We have to think small and hope it turns into somethingthat’s a lot bigger,” he said. “We have some games to make up.Being around .500 at the end of June is not something weexpected of ourselves.

“Instead of looking back and saying: ‘I wish we did this orI wish we did that,’ we just have to get some good stuff on theright side of the ledger.”

Although Steinbrenner is incensed and many are saying NewYork’s streak of 10 straight playoff appearances is injeopardy, the Yankees were just 5-1/2 games behindfront-running Boston in the American League East.

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