1. A confident Mike Francesca predicted eight innings from Andy and a save from Mariano. Everyone has pinned their hopes on Andy. Did anyone watch this guy in Houston? He is not the same pitcher. Mariano may not be the same pitcher. Forget about all the talk of tradition and history. You cannot judge this team and its players on what has happened in the past.

2. Let’s say the Yankees win the next two games. Do you really think that this will right the ship? There have been too many bad performances, too much ugliness. Wherever this is going, in all likelihood it hasn’t gotten there yet.

3. And now for just a little levity: Derek Jeter’s Top Ten List on David Letterman.

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1. Phil Hughes may be the future but last night he was just another five-inning pitcher. Not exactly what the Yankees needed. On the other hand, if you look at the rest of this staff you will realize that the future can’t start soon enough.

2. Kei Igawa has already been demoted to the bullpen. Did they pull the plug too early? And have you noticed the way the YES-men, clearly sensing blood, have gone after him recently? Still, no one has come out and directly blamed Cashman yet. But the one-two punch of missing Matsuzaka and landing Igawa looks pretty egregious right now.

3. This is not 2005. How is this pitching staff going to get better? Where are the Yankee saviors this year? Pettitte and Wang can’t do it alone. Clemens might give you a solid six. But he’s not even making any decisions until the end of May. So the Yankees will just have to swing their way out of this.

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1. Derek Jeter performed one of his very greatest hits last night - his patented hit by a pitch / ‘It’s nothing but a flesh wound’ shtick. We’ve all come to love that one. It really gets the YES-men going on one of their own classics - the beloved ‘Yankee Warrior’ routine.

2. The problem with a reporter / cheerleader like The Post’s George King is that when things go badly he will turn on a team and panic faster and than a spoiled fan. He refers to the Devil Rays as ‘putrid’ and the Yanks as ‘underachieving’. And he seems to be exhorting Steinbrenner to emerge and do something drastic: “The old Boss would have somebody’s head…”

3. Yankee fans want it both ways. Where A-Rod is concerned, those April numbers are legit. But the fact that the Yanks are in last place can only signal one thing - April means nothing.

4. Sure Mr. April wants to remain a Yankee. Why wouldn’t he? But will he be willing to turn down more money to do so?

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1. YES tells us that it is only a matter of time until Yankee pitching drastically improves. And logically, you have to assume that it will. But why the confidence? Kei Igawa is perfectly healthy right now. Mussina was inconsistent when he was healthy, as was Pavano. Though we’ve never fully trusted him, Wang should be okay. Still, his health may be an issue as well. ESPN says that Giambi is texting Clemens, begging him to join the team. But didn’t he say he wanted to join the club with the best chance of winning?

2. At least as far as the regular season is concerned, starting pitching just won’t matter much to the Yanks this year. They will have to bang out their wins again and again. No one is ready to admit this yet. But it may be the only way for them to win consistently this season.

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1. Matsuzaka was underwhelming? But wouldn’t the Yanks love to have him on their side right now?

2. It’s one thing for Torre to wear down the bullpen every night. But Andy Pettitte? It’s another panic move in April by the Yankee skipper.

3. We’ve heard so much about the revamped Yankee bullpen. But the combination of being overhyped and overworked could prove detrimental to the team as the season wears on. Do you really trust Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth, and Luis Vizcaino when the game is on the line?

4. Talk radio always blames the Yankee pitchers for not throwing back at the Red Sox. Why not blame players like Jeter, who consistently get plunked and simply jog to first? Why don’t they show a little fire and mouth off now and then? If your pitchers aren’t going to back you up, at least show the opposing pitcher that you aren’t going to take it lying down (often literally).

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1. Joe Torre handles his relievers like it’s Game 7. Franconca doesn’t even use his closer and wins the game. Why the desperation, Joe?

2. Mariano’s most interesting pitch was the one that sailed toward the head of Julio Lugo. Buster Olney seemed to think it was intentional and if it was then that was definitely the most shocking aspect of his meltdown.

3. When asked, A-Rod continues to mention how much fun he is having. If the homeruns begin to slow and the throwing errors continue (two in two games), how long will the fun last?

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If Yankeeland is just as YES would have us believe - ‘where players become legends’ - then what happens when legends become Yankees? The results are often mixed. Ask Randy Johnson. Ask Alex Rodriguez, who is doing much to regain his status as the elite player in the game. As he is congratulated in the dugout by all his new buddies, one has to wonder what he might really think about all the attention and accolades. Sure he is smiling and loose by all appearances. But he must know that he is always a few at-bats away from the jeers, tabloid targeting, Giambi tell-alls, or the infamous Jeter cold shoulder.

Last year, supposedly some obscure trainer was his only friend. Now he has a stadium full of them. But if A-Rod’s April success stems from becoming indifferent to the boos then he must be somewhat numb to the cheers as well. If Rodriguez has learned anything through all of this, it is to distrust the papers, the pats on the back, the boos and the praise. The only thing he can trust now is his ability, wherever it may take him - maybe right out of the Bronx at this point.

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1. It happens once every couple of years. So you don’t worry so much about Mariano. But how many more Jeter errors until the ‘A-Rod For Shorstop’ chants begin?

2. Considering their off-field issues this past spring, it is ironic that both Pavano and Mussina go on the DL on the same day. It sounds as if Carl is speaking directly to Mussina when he says, “It’s not something that’s going to get any better going out there and trying to be a hero.” Don’t worry Carl. At this point, nobody would ever expect you to try and be a hero. But what is this mysterious ‘tightness in the forearm’ and what will make it better?

3. True he has yet to throw a pitch this season, but will the Yanks come to regret trading Randy Johnson?

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1. Four errors for the Yankees, another night of emptying the bullpen. How did the Yankees win this game?

2. We’re ten games into the season and Michael Kay is apparently on holiday, avoiding the West Coast like some kind of semi-retired ‘Voice of the Yankees’. It’s not that we don’t appreciate his absence but what gives? He gets to decide his own schedule? We’re two weeks into the season, Michael. Pack your bags and join the team. And don’t avoid Kansas City either. It’s a decent baseball town.

3.Well, maybe Michael is too busy these days answering deep baseball questions for YESnetwork.com, like this gem from Mary in Ogdensburg:

Hello Michael,
Why do you always say “See Ya” when the opposite team hits a home run at Yankee Stadium? …It just doesn’t sound right when you say it when the opposing team gets one. It really depresses me to hear you say that. Please think about it.

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The list of injured includes: Wang, Abreu, Pettitte, Damon, and now Mussina. Consequently Yankee ‘performance enhancers’ Marty Miller and Dana Cavalea have been feeling the heat. But Brian Cashman comes to their defense today: “I’m constantly evaluating everything we do. But do I blame Marty and Dana for this? No.”

Update: Torre on Mike and the Mad Dog reveals that Pavano is having a problem with his forearm and will not pitch tomorrow.

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