To THIS day, Joe Torre believes he would have been able to manage Albert Belle without disturbing the serene, professional aura around the Yankees.

With the Mets swirling in chaos, Torre said before Saturday’s Subway Series game that he has been fortunate to avoid such problems by having a group that could absorb any type of player into the Yankee way.

“I believe if we had Albert Belle everything would be the same in the clubhouse,” Torre said.

This is a conceit that grows when you win World Series titles and get anointed Father Joe. You believe you can charm Charles Manson into being a clean-shaven, pinstriped Stepford Yankee. Torre is lucky he never got the chance with Belle, who following the 1998 season took his unmanageable act to Baltimore after backing out of a deal at the last second with the Yanks.

There are some players who are unable to put self-interest aside – think Roger Cedeno and Roberto Alomar fighting about looks on a baseball card while the Met season was collapsing. Raul Mondesi has a history like that, yet Torre was a proponent of the trade that brought him to the Yanks last night.

It should be a red flag that Toronto was so anxious to get rid of this guy’s act that it accepted a non-prospect (minor-league pitcher Scott Wiggins) and agreed to pay $6 million of Mondesi’s $13 million 2003 contract to the richer-than-rich Yankees.

Mondesi has talent. Even in a down year (.224), he has 15 homers, 45 RBIs, nine steals and a don’t-run-on-him arm. The Yanks think amid their warm embrace and hefty lineup his skills will flourish. It would be no surprise if he were great the rest of this year, certainly better than a Shane Spencer/John Vander Wal platoon.

When the Yanks traded for Ruben Sierra (1995) and Cecil Fielder (1996) midway through seasons, those troubled players were focused and productive after they arrived. It was the following springs – both in their walk years – that their true selfishness arose; Sierra became Torre’s least-favored Yankee ever and Fielder’s dourness helped bring the worst chemistry to any Torre Yankees team in 1997. Mondesi will enter his walk year next spring.

Of course, the Yanks are a now team. They will worry about next spring, next spring. At $7 million for 2003, the Yanks will feel Mondesi is either a bargain or tradeable.

But remember, this guy cursed out then Dodger manager Davey Johnson and GM Kevin Malone in July 1999 when he was unhappy over not getting an extension. Just recently, he insulted new Toronto manager Carlos Tosca for having the temerity to bench him after he showed up late for a team meeting. Mondesi has a reputation for often being late (punctuality is a commandment with Torre), who sulks and lashes out when unhappy.

But the Yanks decided Cliff Floyd would cost too much in prospects to get and in dollars to keep. There were problems of one kind or another with all the others they pondered: Darrin Erstad, Jose Cruz, Shannon Stewart, Juan Encarnacion, Bobby Higginson, Matt Lawton and Randy Winn.

So with George Steinbrenner calling for the outfield play to improve now, the Yanks decided Mondesi was the best risk. Mondesi will be on his best behavior early and will probably be an extremely productive player with these Yankees.

But he is a risk and, at some point, we are going to find out if Joe Torre can manage him.