Fort Lauderdale - After six-plus months working almost daily inside his sports-theme restaurant, Mattingly's 23, about 1,200 miles northwest of here in his hometown of Evansville, Ind., the competitive juices are flowing inside Don Mattingly. He has missed several checks and one big championship chance, and he also has missed hardball, the game he loves. Mattingly wants to play, wants to play so badly that - referring to the new Class A team in his hometown - he said, "I'll play with the Evansville Otters if I have to."

For now, though, the hardball game Mattingly follows is the one being played out by fellows in suits in Washington and Milwaukee and Phoenix. As he has throughout this ordeal, Mattingly remains committed to the players' union and its cause. He wants to play ball, but not so desperately that he would surrender his beliefs.

"I'm not crossing. No way," Mattingly said emphatically in a telephone interview yesterday. "We need to stay together. If we show weakness, it's going to be harder to get a deal done."

As the Yankees' captain and leader, he is a critical figure in this dispute. If someone with his stature crossed the picket line, the battle could be all over in New York because his teammates assuredly would follow his lead. There should be no worry about that. Mattingly has maintained his energy and enthusiasm for this conflict.

"I'm willing to fight," Mattingly said. "If they want a fight, I'll fight. If they want a fight, they've got one. I'm going to miss checks, like everybody, but that's not what this is about. It's not about money. It's about getting a deal done now, getting ball back on the field. "I feel like fighting, not only for myself and the people who came before me but for those who will come after me. If there's a salary cap, these young guys are going to pay."

Baseball's troubles don't appear to be dragging down Mattingly. Beyond his one big void, he sounded upbeat, bordering on playful. Mattingly is looking for a settlement by June or July, but if one doesn't come by then, he sounded as if he might take his bat, ball and glove to a suitable sandlot in Evansville, or anywhere else.

"I'm going to play somewhere," Mattingly said. "At some point if there's no settlement, I'll play on the Reebok tour. I'll play with the Evansville Otters if I have to. I'm a free agent anyway at the end of the year.

"I'm going to play some ball. I'll go to Nashville and play. I love playing. It may not be major-league replacement ball, but somewhere, somehow, I'm going to play."

Mattingly will be unhappy to learn that he'd have trouble gaining approval to play for a team other than the Yankees. Rich Levin, a spokesman for major league baseball, said, "He's under contract with the Yankees and he can't play for anyone else. That's what our position would be. He's not being paid because he's striking."

Mattingly, with one year remaining on a five-year, $19.3-million contract, tried an unusual approach. "Can I retire and play for free?" he wondered aloud. "I've thought about it."

Baseball's answer to that one is negative, too. "He can't play anywhere else, even for free," Levin said.

Whatever the case, Mattingly plans to remain in Evansville for now, greeting his patrons and serving food and drinks while keeping his eye on the labor talks. Mattingly stays as involved as he can from his remote outpost: reading articles, making phone calls and attending meetings whenever possible. He encounters hundreds of fans with thousands of opinions, but after months of debating the issues he has stopped trying to sway people. He has found it's an unwinnable battle.

"I feel strong behind the union. I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but everyone I've talked to is ready to stay behind the union. Everyone who's kept up with the issues is staying strong," he said.

"I'm not having a problem with what's gone on. We're showing flexibility. I don't know what they're telling all you, but we're giving things back. We've shown a willingness to bargain. The other side has shown none."

In perhaps his strongest commentary on the owners' offers, Mattingly said, "I'm willing to bend, but I'm not willing to bend over."

He offered no opinion about the replacement players, only replacement baseball. Working out at first base here, manning Mattingly's hallowed territory, are Matt Stark, Eddie Gonzalez, Brian Turner and Jeff Yurtin. What could he say about that?

"The replacement game is set up to make us cross the line and make us panic," he said. "There's no reason to panic. Why would you want to panic? Nobody's getting paid until April."

The owners' original hope was that players would begin cracking and crossing in April or May or June. If no deal is done by then, the public reaction to the replacements may force one side or the other to start thinking about compromising. "I'm optimistic,' Mattingly said. "I feel like there's going to be a deal done, eventually. I think we'll be playing baseball, maybe in June or July. Obviously, I don't know how long it's going to go on."

In the meantime, he keeps working at his popular eatery down on Morgan Center Drive. He loves his work there, too.

"I feel real good. I'm holding up good and staying busy," he said. "I feel great. I feel I'm in great shape. I'm playing a lot of basketball. My back feels good. My hand feels good. I'm energetic, as far as being in good shape when there's a settlement and the season starts." By Jon Heyman. STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Copyright 1995, Newsday Inc.