By JOHN DELCOS
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

NEW YORK - It was three days after the humiliation in Anaheim when George Steinbrenner broke his silence with a Scottish proverb, saying the New York Yankees are bleeding, but "I shall rise and fight again."

Do not be misled. Despite vows of receding to the sideline, Steinbrenner very much has his finger on the pulse of this team to where "I" and "Yankees" are used interchangeably without fear of contradiction.

Steinbrenner enters the 2003 season, his 31st as owner of professional sports' most glamorous franchise, two years out of the money, and two years removed from arguably his most prideful achievement - vanquishing the Mets in the 2000 Subway Series.

It has left him with the temperament of a boiling teakettle.

His son's introduction of Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras Thursday at Yankee Stadium was orchestrated for the illusion of being low-profile, but the order to delay the press conference so it could be broadcast live on the YES Network, and Hal Steinbrenner's clipped words - "I'll keep this short, a lot is expected of you" - was all the father.

That, and a visible offseason, sent a message that couldn't be clearer if it were flashing on the Stadium scoreboard: Steinbrenner, at 72, still calls the shots in the "Evil Empire."

This winter, one in which a national publication named him the most powerful man in sports, Steinbrenner took jabs at the work ethic of manager Joe Torre's staff; questioned Derek Jeter's leadership capabilities; was a catalyst in a front office's reorganization that promoted Gordon Blakeley and reassigned Mark Newman; and inflated his payroll to close to $164 million with the marquee free-agent signings of foreign stars Hideki Matsui and Contreras.

Torre never bought into the theory that Steinbrenner could be just a consultant in the Yankees' plans.

"I don't think so," Torre said. "He's pretty vocal. He knows what he wants. He needs to be on top, which is good for me because I get what I need to win. Moods change, like all of us, but nothing is different between us. When you manage here, you know what is expected of you."

Those expectations are to reach and - let's be honest - win the World Series.

Because they didn't, both Torre and Jeter took heat, and when spring training begins this week, they will feel the burn of the spotlight.

"I get paid a lot of money to do what I do," Torre said. "So if we don't win, start right here. It's awful tough to say they don't work hard when we won 103 games."

Jeter, the Golden Boy, has been mostly immune to criticism the past seven years, but questions about his captaincy - once a formality - and his endorsements will be part of the Yankees' March madness.

"I'm not going to change," Jeter said of his nocturnal habits. "One thing you realize is that The Boss is The Boss. Bosses can say what they want to say. Right or wrong, he gets to say what he wants to say."

And do what he wants to do, which was respond to last summer's collective bargaining agreement and its imposing luxury tax in typical Steinbrenner fashion - facing it head on.

The Yankees are going to get socked anyway, Steinbrenner reasoned, so what's a little more? The tax and revenue sharing is the cost of doing business, no different than another salary.

"What is wrong with winning?" is how Steinbrenner answered Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, the supposed voice behind the "Evil Empire" quote. "You reward your fans. You don't take it and put it in your pocket like 90 percent of the rest of the owners may do."

That explains Matsui and Contreras, who were signed as much for their marketing potential as their production. And they are Yankees because of the club's tradition and willingness to spend.

"Do the Yankees have an advantage because of money? Yes," general manager Brian Cashman said. "But I don't think that is any different than in the past."

What also hasn't changed is money isn't always the panacea.

The Yankees' $135 million payroll couldn't buy a ticket out of Southern California last fall, and there are no guarantees now. They are a team in transition, with only position players Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, starting pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte and closer Mariano Rivera remaining from the team that beat the Mets.

This year, the Yankees will address more questions than usual, with many swirling around a pitching staff consisting of seven starters.

Will Clemens have enough in what's expected to be his final season? Was last year's 19 victories David Wells' last hurrah? Contreras hasn't won on the major-league level, and where's the proof he'll win now? Can Jeff Weaver win in the New York spotlight?

The bullpen is also under scrutiny. Can Chris Hammond and Juan Acevedo replace Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza? How healthy is Rivera, a three-time visitor to the disabled list last year?

Offensively, the Yankees pounded the long ball, but also averaged nearly one strikeout and one stranded runner per inning. Can they become more consistent offensively? Jeter's average has declined for three straight seasons, so is that a worry? The outfield corners are suspect. A lot of money will go to Matsui, but how good is he?

If these concerns aren't answered in the positive, here's another question: When will Steinbrenner go off?