No Book Talk, by George

New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner has no plans to talk with David Wells about the pitcher’s book and Commissioner Bud Selig wants to read the book before deciding whether baseball should take disciplinary action against the left-hander.

“I haven’t heard much about it except what you guys write,” Steinbrenner told reporters Monday. “I’m not reading it, so I don’t really know.”

Wells said 25% to 40% of major leaguers used steroids. The figure in the book, which will be published March 14, is 10% to 25%. Wells claims in the book that he was “half drunk” when he pitched a perfect game in 1998, and takes digs at teammates Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina.

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St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa has left the team’s spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla., for several days to attend the trial of a defendant accused of assaulting one of his daughters, who is now 23. La Russa said in a statement that the trial begins this week for an unspecified crime that happened several years ago....Colorado shortstop Juan Uribe will have surgery on his broken right foot Wednesday and probably be sidelined for more than a month. Uribe was injured in an exhibition game against Texas on Saturday....Chicago Cub outfielder Sammy Sosa is suing the Illinois Department of Revenue over a $45,000 tax bill from 1998, saying he already paid taxes on the income in California and other states....New York Met bullpen coach Rick Waits had triple bypass surgery and is not expected to rejoin the team for at least five weeks. Waits had chest pains before the Mets’ exhibition game against Atlanta on Saturday at Kissimmee, Fla.