WHILE his team stretched on the field below him late yesterday afternoon, George Steinbrenner surveyed from his box above like a Roman emperor. Would his gladiators receive thumbs up or thumbs down from the solitary man wearing the blue blazer, white turtleneck and perpetual look of constipation?

Actually what they received was Steinbrenner’s bizarre form of motivation; Patton with a weathered copy of Bartlett’s Quotations. The outside marquee, which normally shows the name of the opponent and the game start time, had instead the saying, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Steinbrenner also issued a press release with the same clichi.

While the Yankees took batting practice, both the side color scoreboards and the big board in center brandished “When the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’ ” And when the insane get goin’, the goin’ gets insane.

From 4:30 p.m. to 5:07 p.m., Steinbrenner glared down at his club, taking time only to have one of his flunkies call one of his on-field security henchmen to complain about media on the grass (where they are allowed). Steinbrenner loves that ploy, acting like he is protecting his players from distractions. But, of course, the biggest distraction was The Boss. Incredulous players were nudging one another to covertly check out the box where the principal owner was playing all-seeing principal.

“It was probably more a show of support,” Derek Jeter said with the diplomacy of a captain. Jeter then good-naturedly kidded that if the Yanks won there were certain to be stories today about how the club was inspired by The Boss. Only if the editor-in-chief was named Steinbrenner.

In rebounding from their most lopsided loss ever (22-0 Tuesday to Cleveland), the Yanks were instead inspired by their championship-tested old guard – the type with unquestioned verve to handle the pressure exerted by The Boss, the Bosox and a blowout. Jorge Posada crushed a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fourth. Orlando Hernandez acted as if it were Game 4 of the 1998 ALCS against the Indians, and removed a weight off the collective throat of his team. Mariano Rivera came on in the eighth with the tying run at second to get a vital out. And Derek Jeter’s third hit was a run-scoring RBI single in the eighth that provided needed insurance.

Hernandez was most special, performing as craftsman and showman with seven innings of seven-strikeout, one-run work that made him look more October Game 1 starter than ever. Whether the rest of the rotation can follow his steely-nerved excellence will determine if the Yanks hold off Boston, still 3½ games out, not any of Steinbrenner’s faux motivation. Behind closed doors there is no one more down on this team than The Boss, so just ignore his public misinformation campaign.

In the end it can only hurt his club. The old guard of Hernandez, Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Bernie Williams has heard so much Boss blather over the years that neither the steaming Steinbrenner, the rampaging Red Sox or 0-22 humiliations will unhinge them. But as the championship herd has thinned, Joe Torre does not have quite as many clubhouse true believers.

Jeter said he thinks his team has the proper self-confidence to withstand recent events, but admits the rest of the season will deliver the only verdict that matters. He was compelled enough by recent events to offer a few one-on-one messages yesterday about picking up intensity.

“We can’t let one game or one week make us think we are in first place by accident,” Mike Mussina said.

No, they have earned that on talent, which made the choice to show a clip from the movie “Rudy” as the Yanks came to bat in the first inning so inappropriate. Because no one quite represents the underdog spirit like this $200 million roster. Please. The Yanks and, especially their owner, need to put all the silly motivational tools away.

Steinbrenner has done his job already, outlaying the cash for this team. Now it is up to these players to honor the recent Torre era past by finding the toughness to win the division.