Orlando - Don Mattingly now sounds like he wants to stick around awhile. Mattingly hinted last summer that a prolonged labor dispute could quickly and prematurely end his superb career, but in a major shift yesterday he suggested he'd like to remain a Yankee through the end of the century.

While discussing career goals, Mattingly offhandedly mentioned one startling target: Lou Gehrig's club record 2,721 career hits. "I think Gehrig's got 2,700 hits," said Mattingly in a rare indication by a consummate team player that individual goals even occur to him.

Mattingly's comment also shows renewed enthusiasm for the game, despite the galling seven-month-old strike. He went from thinking about retirement to thinking about playing five more years. With 2,021 career hits, Mattingly stands 700 behind Gehrig, which should take Mattingly four-plus years to amass. Between them are four Hall-of-Famers; Babe Ruth (2,518 hits), Mickey Mantle (2,415), Joe DiMaggio (2,214) and Yogi Berra (2,148).

"I think I've got plenty of time to play. I've got all the time I think I'm going to want," said Mattingly. "I've watched Molly [Paul Molitor] play, and he's still got the sweet hands. I know I still have the hands."

Despite his anxiety over not playing, Mattingly, who will turn 34 April 20, remains dedicated to the union cause and will wait as patiently as possible for his chance at Gehrig's hit record to restart. Speaking about the strike, Mattingly said, "This doesn't have anything to do with personal stuff."

Perhaps the time away has showed Mattingly how much he will miss the game, too. "When I started out playing, people said that I couldn't run, that I didn't have any power, that I didn't have any position," Mattingly said. "I've already reached everything I've ever wanted to reach as far as personal stuff." Now, he has one more goal. By Jon Heyman. STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Copyright 1995, Newsday Inc.