The coverage of George Steinbrenner’s recent visit to Legends Field raised an important question in my mind:  What does a person have to do in order to earn the privilege to travel exclusively in golf carts?

Be old enough?  Rich enough?  Nicknamed “The Boss?”

If it is, indeed, about the nickname, I strongly encourage Bruce Springsteen to consider exercising this option.

Not soon enough for my taste.

For a team whose players are drawn to tawdry, salacious storylines like Curt Schilling is drawn to Nazi paraphernalia, there’s something to be said for having a guy in the clubhouse who can always summon the exhaustion for a nap-no matter what’s going on.  A guy who embodies the essence of what it means to be a Yankee.  A guy who can’t help but remind people of the glory days in the Bronx.

It should also be noted that Bernie brought music to the clubhouse, infusing it with a much needed sense of cultural refinement.  And by cultural refinement I, of course, mean smooth jazz.

Is it just me or is this the kind of player we could have used on our roster-I don’t know-maybe a couple of years ago?

Bernie initially requested to train at the Yankees’ minor league complex.  The Yanks, however, wouldn’t hear of it and invited him to come, instead, to Legends Field.  Mark your calendars.  This may be the first time anyone in the Yankees’ front office has revealed anything resembling something like class. Ever.

I hope this gesture constitutes the beginning of a renewed relationship between the Bombers and Bernie, who vanished from our lives without a trace after he was let go rather unceremoniously in 2007.  Maybe, just maybe, this olive branch will help him forget old wounds and inspire him to come around more often-in whatever capacity.  I’m sure our overwhelming expression of love and devotion at the All-Star game helped move us in that direction.

Of course, technically, Bernie, who is 40, has never officially retired.  He says that if all goes well at the WBC, it’s possible that he will try to reignite his career.  But unlike some deranged, sociopathic football players who refuse to acknowledge when it’s time to go, Bernie does have the awareness that his fantasy of coming back may be more of a pipe dream than a feasible goal.  He commented, “There’s always going to be this small kid in me who’s going to say, ‘You can still do this, man, you can still do this.’  But I think I could be 70 and that kid’s still going to be there.”

The nice thing for Bernie is that he always has his music.  If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and listen to his breakout album, “The Journey Within.”  Personally, I’m a fan of the track “La Salsa En Mi.”

It is truly a reflection of the salsa in him.