A meeting of the New York Yankees’...

A meeting of the New York Yankees’ limited partners, scheduled for today at the office of George Steinbrenner’s tax and business lawyer in Cleveland, was postponed until next week because a family illness prevented one of the partners from attending. The partners were to have voted on Steinbrenner’s nomination of his son Hank, 33, as managing general partner.

Under an agreement with Fay Vincent, commissioner of baseball, the elder Steinbrenner has until Aug. 20 to relinquish control of the team, which he has owned since 1973.

Steinbrenner must get two-thirds of the partners to agree with his selection of his son. If they approve, the appointment also must be approved by three-fourths of the other 13 American League owners and a majority of the 12 National League owners.

In a brief news conference in Pittsburgh, before the Pirates’ game against Montreal, Vincent said he can understand the fan and media “cynicism” regarding Steinbrenner’s plans to turn the team over to his son.

But, Vincent said, Steinbrenner “can’t and won’t” try to operate the team. “That is not a major concern on my part,” Vincent said. “We know what we’re doing and we have the proper restrictions.”

Vincent also said he opposes moving the Montreal Expos to another city, although a Miami group reportedly has offered $117 million for the team. The Expos’ owners plan to accept bids from prospective out-of-town buyers if a local owner can’t be found by Aug. 31.