Steinbrenner Alert After Collapse

George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, was listed in stable condition at a Sarasota, Fla., hospital Saturday after fainting during memorial services for Hall of Fame football player Otto Graham.

Steinbrenner, 73, was given oxygen, an electrocardiogram and intravenous fluids during an ambulance ride from the services to the hospital, Paul Dezzi of the Sarasota County Fire Dept. told Associated Press.

“Right now, he’s fine,” Dezzi said. “When we arrived, he was alert and oriented. He was very talkative in the ambulance.

“There’s nothing obvious from our side. I just talked to someone who was with him at the hospital, and Mr. Steinbrenner seemed OK.”

Rick Cerrone, a Yankee spokesman, said he had no information about Steinbrenner. A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality. A Sarasota newspaper confirmed that Steinbrenner was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Doug Fernandes, a columnist for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, told AP he was about 20 feet from Steinbrenner when the Yankee owner fell during a slide show featuring shots of Steinbrenner and Graham together.

“He went to reach for a chair, but he missed and he went face-first into the carpet,” Fernandes said. “People were stunned. They started loosening his tie and his collar. He was out for a few seconds. By the time they wheeled him out, his color had returned.”

Steinbrenner, who grew up in Cleveland, was a longtime friend of Graham, who died Dec. 17. Graham, a former Cleveland Brown quarterback from 1946 to 1955, was 82. The men played golf together and helped with each other’s charity events.

Steinbrenner lives in Tam- pa, about 60 miles north of Sarasota.

After three consecutive seasons without winning a World Series, Steinbrenner took it upon himself during the off-season to conduct free agent negotiations personally. He has owned the Yankees since 1973.