Yankee Quartet May Run Out of Court

The Pittsburgh Pirates have more than a casual interest in how the New York Yankees fare this season because their former general manager, Syd Thrift, is now working for owner George Steinbrenner and must also deal with strong-willed Manager Dallas Green and several other former general managers in the Yankee front office.

The Pittsburgh Press ran a ballot this week asking whether the Steinbrenner-Thrift-Green-Bob Quinn team will last the entire season without one of them, excluding Steinbrenner, being fired.

“There’s a good chance he won’t be in New York as long as he was in Pittsburgh,” said outfielder Andy Van Slyke of the always visible Thrift.

“If Syd’s job was like a basketball court, he would have always been out of bounds. If he realized he was stepping out of bounds, he’d probably still be there, but he thought the whole arena was his, not just the court.”

Add Thrift: According to Steve Jacobsen of Newsday, during the last two months of last season, Thrift would sit in the office of Pirate Manager Jim Leyland, whom Thrift had hired, and answer pregame and postgame questions directed at the manager. At one point, Leyland got up and walked out.

Thrift also phoned Leyland in the dugout to second-guess his moves.

One can guess what Dallas Green’s reaction would be to that.

Add Green: The Yankees’ new manager has to keep his sense of humor these days because he faces starting the season without Dave Winfield, Ron Guidry and Rafael Santana--all sidelined with injuries--and John Candelaria is trying to pitch while nursing a sore knee.

After taking a three-hour ride from Ft. Lauderdale to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets in Florida this week, Green wouldn’t let his team off the bus until each player had passed inspection.

“I just wanted to make sure they hadn’t got hurt on the bus,” he said.

Knight life: Indiana Coach Bob Knight, when asked at a news conference if he had mellowed: “Do you remember when you were a little kid growing up and you believed in Santa Claus? There is not much difference between Santa Claus and me today--two overweight, lovable guys every kid would enjoy.”

Lasting impression: Baltimore Orioles outfielder Phil Bradley and first baseman Jim Traber were opposing quarterbacks when Missouri defeated Oklahoma State, 30-7, in a Big Eight Conference game in 1980, but Bradley insists he doesn’t remember Traber.

“The only guy I remember is Dexter Manley.” Bradley told the Sporting News. Manley, the Washington Redskins’ All-Pro defensive end, was a senior at Oklahoma State that year.

Quotebook: Yogi Berra gave his old pal Whitey Ford this scouting report on the New York Mets’ spring training complex and the city of Port St. Lucie, Fla.: “They’ve got six fields and two bars.”