Steinbrenner happy with Cashman

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Hal Steinbrenner expressed his confidence in general manager Brian Cashman Thursday as he departed the Major League Baseball owners meetings. He also said he intended to be a baseball owner for a very long time.

Steinbrenner, the Yankees' managing general partner, said that the fate of Cashman -- whose contract expires after this season -- wouldn't be resolved until the conclusion of the Yankees' likely postseason run. That has been Steinbrenner's policy in recent years with players and staff.

Nevertheless, Steinbrenner and Cashman get along very well, and Steinbrenner said nothing had changed from earlier this year, when he professed a desire to keep Cashman in his current role.

"Brian knows we're happy with him," Steinbrenner told Newsday. "We've got a good relationship. We're going to talk about that at the end of the season. That's the appropriate time."

Steinbrenner's father, George Steinbrenner, died on July 13, 2010, and officials within the baseball industry have privately wondered whether the Steinbrenner family would sell the franchise. Hal Steinbrenner reiterated that his family has no such plans.

"We're in it," Steinbrenner said. "It's a family business. We're all in it. My sister [Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal] my brother [Hank], my brother-in-law [Felix Lopez].

"We have our moments, as any family business does. But we enjoy it, and we're proud of it. And we're going to continue to run it."

Steinbrenner praised the Yankees' efforts this season -- "They've hung in there . . . I'm proud of them" -- and expressed additional satisfaction that the team was generating more headlines for on-the-field play than off-the-field drama. He closed with one wish that many Yankees fans share.

"We're relatively drama-free. Just the way I like it," Steinbrenner said. "We've got to keep plugging away. We've got to figure out a way to beat the Red Sox on a consistent basis, and we'll be in good shape."