BASEBALL

George Steinbrenner, principal owner of the New York Yankees, vows to pursue legal action if anyone attempts to retaliate against one of his replacement players.

“I have no ill will against the union or those players,” Steinbrenner said, “but anyone who throws at one of my guys, I’ll take them to court. And I’ll stay with it until it gets to the Supreme Court. I’ll tie them every way but loose if I hear anything like that, because when you throw a fastball at 90 or 100 m.p.h., that’s a deadly weapon.

Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, said he will address the issue of retaliation once the strike ends and the Dodgers’ major league players convene in Vero Beach, Fla.

“When the strike ends,” Claire said, “we’re going to have a lot to discuss. Obviously, a lot of emotions have taken place, and we’ll be prepared for what can happen.

“We certainly will all make a mistake if we don’t present the game in the best positive light. Baseball has a tremendous job in front of it, and winning back the fans will be a monumental task.”