YANK NOTES

He played six seasons for them and managed them for six more before being fired. So the Cardinals will never be just another team to Joe Torre. However, the Yankee manager refuses to let the final season when he was fired in June soil the previous 11 years he was associated with the Cards.

“It was ugly the last year, no question,” said Torre, who was fired in June of 1995 and then had to listen to team president Mark Lamping explain what he believed were Torre’s faults all over town. “But I don’t tend to let one year mess up the other years.”

Fired by the Cardinals, Torre was hired by George Steinbrenner and guided the Yankees to the World Series title in 1996. He has added three more world championships to the resume, so getting let go in St. Louis was a wonderful career move for Torre.

“It turned out for the best, no question,” Torre said before Yanks beat the Cards 5-2 last night at the Stadium. “My mother said things happen for a reason. You never question why things happen because if you stay in this game things happen all the time. You look ahead, you never look back.”

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Steve Karsay dropped into the Yankee clubhouse to check with the training staff and be on hand for Roger Clemens’ fourth stab at winning 300.

Karsay follows the team from Birmingham and is pained that the bullpen has been as inconsistent.

“I feel worse about that than having surgery,” said Karsay, who is expected to be ready for spring training. “I want to pitch like everybody else.”

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Torre and Mel Stottlemyre aren’t sure how they will handle the next turn through the rotation after Tuesday’s day/night twinbill against the Devil Rays. David Wells and Jeff Weaver will start those games, but it’s the next turn that the Yanks will need a starter.

One option is to give Sterling Hitchcock his first start of the season.

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The Devils and the Stanley Cup made it to the mound last night, where captain Scott Stevens threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Ranger fans in the crowd booed the Devils.