Yankees’ New Boss: Won’t Second-Guess : Baseball meetings: Nederlander, unanimously approved by owners, says he will bring back front-office stability and fiscal responsibility.

Broadway producer Robert Nederlander, promising to return front-office stability and fiscal sanity to the New York Yankees after George Steinbrenner’s 17 1/2 years in control, was unanimously approved by major league owners as the team’s new general partner Thursday.

The owners ended their quarterly meetings by extending Bobby Brown’s contract as American League president for two years, and by more than doubling the pension benefits of players who retired from 1947 through ’58.

The leagues failed to reach an agreement on the American League’s suggestion that its owners share in the National League’s $190-million expansion franchise fees, prompting Commissioner Fay Vincent’s promise to intervene if necessary.

Nederlander backed off criticizing Steinbrenner’s free spending on free agents and his revolving-door hirings and firings but said the Yankees will rebuild their farm system and “will operate in a fiscally responsible manner.”

“We’re going to try to field the best team we can and try to bring the pennant to New York,” he said. “In my opinion, with all deference to other clubs, I believe the New York Yankees’ franchise is the greatest in the world, and I’m going to do everything I can to perpetuate that symbol.”

Nederlander said he won’t second-guess General Manager Gene Michael, player personnel director George Bradley or Manager Stump Merrill.

“My own personal philosophy is you have to give people a chance, and continuity is important,” Nederlander said. “If a reasonable decision has been made, you should stick with it, and you shouldn’t second-guess people.

“I believe in letting baseball people make decisions when it comes to baseball.”

Vincent, marking his first anniversary as commissioner, said he is sympathetic to the financial plight of small-market franchises such as Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Cleveland, “but there’s nothing that I or anyone else in baseball can hold out as a panacea in the short term.”

One of baseball’s most fiscally conservative franchises, Pittsburgh probably will pay Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla more in 1991 than the team’s total 1986 payroll.

“Some of these players may not be retainable” by small-market teams, Vincent said. “There will have to be some very hard economic decisions made by clubs like Pittsburgh. That’s inevitable, but that’s the market.”

Brown will stay on through December 1992 as the AL board of directors seeks his replacement. A successor is to be named president-elect by Jan. 1, 1992.

The Player Relations Committee increased pension payouts to former players or their widows by as much as 114% and boosted pensions for current players to the maximum federal limits. Players who retired in 1947-65 will get $16,700 annually, up from a range of between $7,800 and $11,100. A current player with 10 years’ service who takes his benefits at 62 will receive $102,582 annually.