AP

Joe Torre said he thinks his situation in New York began to deteriorate when the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead over Boston in the 2004 AL championship series.

“It started from there,” he said.

The Yankees haven’t won a playoff series since.

Now Dogers manager, Torre today expressed excitement about his new job and sadness over the plight of Roger Clemens during a 55-minute news conference on the eve of spring training in Vero Beach, Fla.

He even had a kind word for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. “I’m going to do what I do,” he said in a packed conference room at Dodgertown, where several New York reporters reminded him of days gone by. “It doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win. We’ll see what success is, you’re dealing with a young club.

“It was tough in New York, no question. There was a great deal of pressure involved. I just thought it was time to leave. The Dodgers gave me a new chapter. I’ve had success; I hope that helps me here.”

Success, indeed. In his 12 years as manager of the Yankees, the 67-year-old set a record with 76 postseason victories.

“That’s a chapter in my life that I’ll be very proud to look back on,” he said. “I don’t think I have anything to prove.”

Torre ranks eighth on the regular-season wins list with a 2,067-1,770 record.

Torre signed a three-year, $13 million contract to manage the Dodgers two weeks after walking away from the Yankees when they offered a one-year contract worth $5 million plus $3 million in performance bonuses — a proposal he termed “an insult.”

“I didn’t think I needed motivation to win. That’s where I felt the insult came from,” he explained. “My job is to get my team ready to play baseball. I learned from John Wooden, winning isn’t always something you can control.”

Wearing a golf shirt and blue jeans, Torre said he’ll have to pay more attention because of his move to the National League, and as always, he’ll use his coaches a lot.

“I’m dealing with probably more young players than I have in the past,” he said. “I spent a couple of days with a number of these players at the minicamp in LA. I’m looking forward to it. You try to pick people’s brains. They all want to play the game, and they seem pretty respectful, and that’s a pretty good head start.”

Torre acknowledged it felt strange not being in Tampa, where the Yankees train.

“The thing that was strange was packing,” he said. “I’ve been packing for weeks. I have a whole lot more down here than I would normally take to spring training.”

Torre spent at least half the news conference answering questions about Clemens. The manager said he watched some of the congressional hearing in which Clemens repeatedly denied using steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens pitched for Torre in New York from 1999-2003 and again last season.

“It’s a sad, sad time,” Torre said. “It’s sad for me to turn on the TV and there’s Congress. You’d like to believe baseball can take care of its own house. I still think baseball is far stronger than for this to be a lasting scar. It’s still a scar.

“I know Roger, obviously. I know what kind of competitor he was when he played and played with me. I’d just like to see baseball move on right now.”

Torre said he hasn’t spoken to Steinbrenner since declining the Yankees’ offer to return, but hopes to do so again.

“I have no animosity against him,” Torre said.