JOE TORRE chuckles. Of course he does. He is discussing Bernie Williams, a subject that never stays within the lines of convention.

Williams is 35, and his body plays much older. His surgically repaired left knee, arthritic shoulders and spring case of appendicitis have left him weak, something teammates cannot help noticing as he struggles more than in the past, not only at the plate but in the weight room.

Yet the most fragile element early this season has been Williams’ confidence. Which is why Torre finds humor in his office after the Yankees have beaten the Angels 7-4, after Williams has produced his first three-hit game of the season, after he has launched his first 2004 homer batting lefty. Torre is asked about the conventional wisdom, that there is nothing more difficult than to coach a star player beyond his prime.

“Except what makes that tough is that normally the player thinks he’s better than the manager thinks,” Torre said, delving into the fuzziness of Bernie World. “This is the other way around. This is unique in that regard.”

Of course it is. This is Bernie Williams. So even though he told reporters he has never lost faith in his ability, the reality has been quite different. Torre, Don Mattingly and, to some extent, Willie Randolph have been holding revival meetings with the center fielder, trying to pump up his self-belief. Trying to convince Bernie Williams that Bernie Williams still lurks somewhere inside him.

“There is a lot left in his tank,” Mattingly said.

Mattingly played with Williams, the longest tenured Yankee. Torre has had Williams as his center fielder throughout his reign. Both men are loyal, but both insist their hearts are not clouding their reason. These are the Yankees. If there was any doubt who owns the club, George Steinbrenner was pacing near GM Brian Cashman’s box, chomping gum and generally making his front office edgy as Mariano Rivera closed out this rubber game.

So sentimentality is not permitted, and Mattingly and Torre claim they are seeing Williams with objective eyes.

“I like Bernie, period. Still, you have to separate that,” Mattingly said. “I know hitting. Joe knows hitting. You can see it [that Williams can still hit]. It’s there. We’ve told him, ‘You can still play, and we’re not lying.’ “

Mattingly said Williams’ defeatist attitude surfaced in a sagging “body language.” Torre also saw signs, including one he simply could not tolerate. Wednesday night, in the midst of an 11-2 humiliation by Anaheim, Williams lifted a meek pop that nevertheless eluded left fielder Jeff DaVanon. Williams, frustrated by the weak at-bat, did not run hard and had to settle at first rather than at second.

Torre, who hardly ever criticizes publicly, told reporters afterward the act was unacceptable. He also met with Williams. Torre did notice that Williams was present yesterday at 8:50 a.m. when the manager arrived more than two hours before report time.

Torre hoped this was a sign of a player “hitting bottom” and starting his bounce upward. Williams singled yesterday in the Yanks’ two-run first, doubled and scored in the third, and homered to oust starter John Lackey in the seventh. His average is just .214 with two homers and six RBIs. But Mattingly said if you had seen the ball “snap” off Williams’ bat and into the upper deck the past two weeks during BP, you would believe .300, 25 and 100 are possible.

That is tough; torrid Ruben Sierra and Kenny Lofton are also part of Torre’s daily DH/center fielder puzzle. Torre said he wants to keep Sierra’s switch-hitting stroke in the lineup while Jorge Posada (fractured nose) recuperates. Thus, Williams is going to need much more than one good day to be a lineup fixture again.

“There is a lot of baseball left in him,” Torre said.

The big question is if Bernie Williams believes that.

—

May powers

May has been a good month for Bernie Williams, with his power production rising with the temperature.

Here’s a look at Bernie’s home-run totals for May, and the season, since 1997:

Year+April+May+Final

1997+2+6+21

1998+0+7+26

1999+1+5+25

2000+6+5+30

2001+2+4+26

2002+1+9+19

2003+6+1+15

2004+1+1+TBD