The South Bronx Dangerous? Steinbrenner Must Be Joking

George Steinbrenner hasn’t fired any managers yet this season, but he has been firing off threats to move his Yankees to New Jersey if the city doesn’t build him a new stadium in Manhattan. He says the Bronx, where Yankee Stadium sits, is too rough, too dangerous.

Ira Berkow, in the New York Times, takes issue with that claim, quoting Lt. George Stamp, head of the stadium detail: “No fan who has come to Yankee Stadium this season has reported being robbed. There have been no reports of pickpocketing. And nobody has been attacked going in or out of the parking lot.”

Your witness, George.

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More on Yankees: One of the sites proposed by Steinbrenner has been Secaucus, N.J. Whitey Ford, one of the Yankee legends, doesn’t like the idea.

“It would be terrible if they moved,” Ford said. “The New Jersey Yankees. That doesn’t sound right. You can’t have the house that Babe built in Secaucus.”

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Trivia time: What do Bill Thom, Bud Hollowell, Bill Seinsoth, Russ McQueen, George Milke and Rod Boxberger have in common?

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Ups and downs: Dave Stockton Jr. is one of only two golfers with more than one victory on the Nike Tour this season.

On the other hand, the second-generation golfer from Mentone has failed to make the cut in six of the 10 events he has entered.

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Look-alikes: Seth Joyner showed up at the Philadelphia Eagles training camp with a shaved head. “It’ll all grow back. It ain’t nothing but hair,” he said.

Somebody mentioned his resemblance to Charles Barkley.

“I said, ‘Oh, I was just waiting for that,’ ” the linebacker said, adding he had anticipated the comparisons: “He’s got Barkley’s mouth and now he’s got his haircut.”

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It’s outta here: Tiger Stadium became the first ballpark where 10,000 home runs have been hit when Kansas City’s Greg Gagne connected in the ninth inning Thursday night.

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Rookie duty: Midway through a morning practice, New England Coach Bill Parcells blew his whistle and called for his players to take a break. All but one, that is.

Before being allowed to enjoy a few moments rest, rookie quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the first pick in the NFL draft, had one more task to perform. He walked over to a picnic table on the sideline, filled a paper cup with Gatorade and ice, and handed it to Parcells.

“That’s his big job, bringing me Gatorade during the break,” Parcells joked.

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Trivia answer: All were named most outstanding player in the College World Series--and all played for USC.

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Quotebook: Cincinnati General Manager Jim Bowden, on outfielder Kevin Mitchell: “He’s not trouble. He’s like David Letterman. He has a great sense of humor.”