E-Mail This Article to a Friend Exposing chinks in the Pinstripers’ armor BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

George Steinbrenner ain’t gonna like this column. And Yankees fans in general probably won’t think too highly of it either, although it will likely address issues that they’ve already considered — albeit reluctantly and with a throwaway pshaw. "Most teams would love to have our problems," the Empire Staters contend, and in some ways they’re right. But if they’re already making room in the trophy case for Selig Championship Trophy No. 27 this October, Yankee fans had best start facing reality and understand that there are potential problems lurking for the Best Team Money Can Buy — situations that Red Sox fans gleefully acknowledge, and that offer significant hope for Boston’s local nine if these problems fester, or, in some cases, escalate.

Let’s take a look at the physical issues first. First baseman Jason Giambi, who will earn a comfortable $10 million this season, is recuperating from off-season knee surgery. Sure, it was just an arthroscopic procedure, but knees are tricky things, especially for bulky sluggers. Ah yes, that brings up another thing: Giambi apparently has seen fit to change his "dietary habits," since he arrived in camp two weeks ago at least 20 pounds lighter, according to observers. If he is lean and mean because of an improved health regimen, that is downright admirable, but if it’s something else — say, a reduction in strength enhancers — then Giambi’s power numbers will undoubtedly diminish and he will no longer be the player whom Steinbrenner inked to a seven-year, $120 million contract two years ago. We’ll get back to Giambi shortly. Also a concern in terms of health are two pitchers being counted on to make strong comebacks: fifth starter Jon Lieber, who is coming off major elbow surgery in 2002, and reliever Steve Karsay, who underwent rotator-cuff surgery last May. Lieber is in camp, but he experienced groin soreness almost immediately. Karsay’s projected return is still undetermined. In addition to those team woes, fourth starter Jose Contreras (another Yank whom we’ll revisit) has already experienced some back pain, while center fielder Bernie Williams, who had an emergency appendectomy two weeks ago, is expected to miss at least the first week of the regular season. And let’s not forget the perennially injured pitcher Kevin Brown, who’s earning $15 mil this year after coming over in trade from the Dodgers. If Brown — who turns 39 next weekend — misses significant time, as has been customary in his 17-year-career, then New York’s rotation will be thrown out of whack significantly.

Next up: chemistry concerns. The "Theybetterwinstripers" brought in some significant talent this past winter, but the dearth of "character" guys is noteworthy. Williams’s expected replacement in center field, Kenny Lofton, has never been a boon to anyone’s clubhouse. The same goes for Brown and recently acquired right fielder Gary Sheffield. Now throw into the mix Alex Rodriguez, a shortstop by nature who’s moving over to third base for the first time in his career. A-Rod, with his unmatched talent and movie-star looks, was quite a catch for New York, but at whose expense? Perhaps shortstop Derek Jeter’s. Jeter is firmly entrenched in his team-captaincy role, but his perceived stature as not only the best athlete on the team but also the most charismatic has been jeopardized by the Rodriguez acquisition. And what, pray tell, will happen if Jeter gets hurt or has to miss any time, which would undoubtedly prompt the team to return A-Rod to his familiar shortstop position — would you ever be able to get him out of there? Stay tuned. And the same thing could happen in the outfield when Bernie returns....

Now let’s examine the emotional clouds hanging over some members of the Yankees’ vaunted roster. Contreras had a pretty decent "rookie" year in New York last year, but he continues to pine for his wife and daughters, who were left behind in Cuba when he defected to the States in 2002. The Nicaraguan government has reportedly granted visas to Contreras’s family, but the Cuban government refuses to let them go, and in fact has said that it will take another three and a half years to secure the necessary paperwork. That leaves the 32-year-old (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) Contreras alone in New York with his $7 million contract, still unable to speak the language and without any relatives to share in his success. Then you’ve got Sheffield and Giambi, who earlier this week were named on a list of those who received steroids from the embattled BALCO labs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The implicit suggestion that those players are indeed steroid users invites enough bad karma, but both players are also under a cloud of suspicion regarding their recent testimony to federal investigators targeting BALCO. Though they received limited immunity for their statements to the feds, they will receive no such protection if it is found that they lied about their own steroid usage to the grand jury. Those issues will be hanging over both players’ heads all season long, making it difficult for them to focus on baseball.

The Yankees don’t really have any personnel problems to deal with, although they lost three solid starting pitchers who were integral to their not-so-distant World Series success. The departures of Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, and David Wells cannot be underestimated. With their projected replacements, Brown and Lieber (plus former Expo Javier Vazquez), still representing huge question marks in the durability department, pitching may not be the Bombers’ strong suit this season. Vazquez has never pitched on a grand stage like Yankee Stadium, so his potential success remains to be seen, and the absence of a left-handed starter (same as Boston) limits the rotation’s diversity. The bullpen has certainly been upgraded this season with the addition of Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill, but both players are getting up there in years (36 and 35 respectively), as is closer extraordinaire and future Hall-of-Famer Mariano Rivera (34). Also, as mentioned, Karsay’s return is still up in the air, and the rest of the ’pen does not exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing hitters. Luckily, this team of multimillionaires has depth, right? Whoops; in fact, depth could be a significant problem for the Joe Torre AC, because the team gutted the farm system in recent years through trades and defections, and now there’s little left to barter in terms of future deals or promotions to the parent club.

Finally, let’s address expectations. Any team with a payroll approaching $200 million is expected to win — but how many regular-season wins will be enough? Some NYC media wags have hinted that Torre’s job could be in jeopardy if the team doesn’t surpass 110 wins — a victory total that’s been reached just twice (116 by the 2002 Mariners, 114 by the 1998 Yanks) in the past half-century. But the Yankees’ payroll is now nearly $70 million more than the majors’ runner-up (Boston), and it’s been three long years since they sipped champagne in the city that never sleeps. So nothing short of a championship is expected of this year’s team — particularly with the addition of the reigning American League MVP to a squad of 16 other former All-Stars that was already the defending AL pennant-winner.

Oh, I think that things will probably turn out for the best for the lovable New Yorkers and their loyal fans, and I would hate to say anything that would plant the seeds of doubt among the fandom of this storied franchise.

But having the highest payroll does not necessarily immunize you to things going wrong, nor does it guarantee a world title.

For information on that, the Yankees organization is more than welcome to check in with their friends over at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza — better known as Madison Square Garden. They should ask for Glen Sather, president and general manager of the New York Rangers hockey club.

He’ll have a story or two.

"Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com