Subpoena Issued to Steinbrenner

Subpoenas were issued to New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and other top team executives by a New York state commission investigating the team’s distribution of free tickets to public officials.

Yankee President Randy Levine and chief operating officer Lonn Trost also were issued subpoenas.

The subpoenas direct the three executives to turn over records on complimentary tickets for the 2002 and 2003 regular season and playoffs by Jan. 14. The executives were also ordered to appear at the commission’s Albany, N.Y., offices Jan. 21 to give depositions about the free tickets.

The team’s Albany lawyer, Clemente Parente, has filed free ticket information with the commission for 2002 and for the VIPs who got complimentary tickets for last year’s home opener.

According to Lobbying Commission records in the case, Parente promised in an Oct. 23 letter that free ticket information for the three postseason series the Yankees played in 2003 would be produced within two weeks. But no more details have since been provided by the team, commission officials said, prompting the subpoenas.

“The Yankees have not engaged in any lobbying,” Yankee spokesman Howard Rubenstein said. None of the Yankees officials has been served with the subpoenas, Levine said.

Under state laws, companies and individuals have to report all gifts to public officials worth $75 or more. The commission can levy fines of up to $100,000 for the filing of incomplete or inaccurate information on lobbying expenses.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller were among the public officials who accepted free tickets to 2002 Yankee playoff games. Bloomberg told all city officials this fall not to accept free tickets to Yankee and Met games except for opening day.

Opening day has traditionally been considered a ceremonial affair, when teams issue complimentary tickets to many public officials.

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The Yankees are the only team to be slapped with a luxury tax bill by baseball.

The Yankees were told by the commissioner’s office that they owe $11.82 million.

New York’s payment is due by Jan. 31.

A tax rate of 17.5% this year means the Yankees’ final payroll, for tax purposes, was $184.5 million. The other 29 teams all stayed under the tax threshold of $117 million established by baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Commissioner Bud Selig pushed for the tax to discourage high-revenue teams from far outspending their rivals. The Yankees were told of the amount late Tuesday.

“One year’s experience is not sufficient to make a judgment, but we are pleased with the increase in competitive balance on the field,” said Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer.

The Yankees declined to comment.

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Texas Ranger shortstop Alex Rodriguez, in his first comments since a proposed blockbuster deal involving the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Manny Ramirez fell through, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he was approached about the deal Nov. 17, when he was named American League most valuable player.

“Basically, I’m glad it’s over, and I’m just proud to work with an owner like Tom Hicks,” Rodriguez said. “We went through the process hand-in-hand. Now, we’re going to work together to get the Texas Rangers headed in the right direction. I’ll do my part on the baseball field and he’ll do his part.”

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Boxing

Shane Mosley will fight Winky Wright on March 13 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for the undisputed world championship at 154 pounds

Mosley (39-2, 35 knockouts) will defend the World Boxing Assn. and World Boxing Council super-welterweight titles he won from Oscar De La Hoya in a 12-round unanimous decision in September.

Wright (46-3, 25 knockouts), the International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight champion, won a unanimous decision over Angel Hernandez last month.

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Miscellany

Jade Wheeler of Los Alamitos and Haley Kim of Fullerton will represent the U.S. at the junior world short-track speedskating championships next month in Beijing.