By the time the Baltimore Orioles' mascot grabbed a broom and swept the Yankees off the Camden Yards field Sunday, George Steinbrenner was already roaring.
Moments after the Yankees' 8-4 loss, Steinbrenner, their principal owner, issued a blistering indictment of his team. Off to their worst start in eight years, at 4-8, the Yankees are playing like a US$200 million bust.
"Enough is enough," Steinbrenner said in a statement through his publicist, Howard Rubenstein. "I am bitterly disappointed, as I am sure all Yankee fans are, by the lack of performance by our team. It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk.
"They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around."
Steinbrenner, who watched the game from his home in Tampa, Florida, had time to work on his missive. This game was over early.
In his first start of 2005, Kevin Brown virtually repeated his disastrous effort in Game 7 of the ALCS last fall. Brown gave up six runs in the first two innings, the last four coming on a grand slam by Miguel Tejada.
It doomed the Yankees to their eighth loss in 10 games, including five of six on this trip. They have not been this far below .500 since 1997, when they started 5-10. It is early, but it has come to this: When the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at home Monday, the loser will take over last place in the AL East.
Rubenstein did not know if Steinbrenner would attend the game, or if he planned to talk to Torre. But Torre could not question Steinbrenner's remarks.
"I can't disagree with any of that," Torre said, after reporters read him the statement. "You'd like to believe that when he does spend the money, he expects more than he's obviously gotten here so far.
"But it's a long season, and by no means do I feel we're not capable. It's just a matter of being able to turn it around as soon as possible, just because the longer you're in this type of thing, the more you chip away at the confidence you have to have to do it."
Like Steinbrenner, Torre had also seen enough by the end of Sunday's game. He addressed the team in the clubhouse, never raising his voice but getting the players' attention.
"When he has to come down on us, he does," right fielder Gary Sheffield said. "When we're playing well, he doesn't have to say much. But obviously, we're not. He just reminded us of the little things that we're not doing, and that's having confidence. That's the main thing: playing the game hard and playing the game right."
Torre used the words flat and ragged to describe the team's play, and he also blamed himself, which must have resonated with Steinbrenner.
"I've got to do a better job," Torre said. "My job is to get these guys ready to play. I'm not saying it's my fault, because there's no one guy that's responsible for this. We just need to find a way to get it done, and that's from me all the way through the team."
Torre said he believed the players were trying, but that did not excuse their performance.
"I base it on effort, and we're certainly getting effort," Torre said. "The only thing you remind them is that effort still has to be given with some thought to it. Wanting to do it isn't enough. You've got to really prepare yourself and think about it.
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