MLB

All’s calm in Yankees universe — for now

TAMPA — The party pavilion be hind the third base stands at Steinbrenner Field has become the Yankees’ House of Shame.

It was there last February that Alex Rodriguez faced his steroid inquiry while teammates fidgeted nearby in support. And it was there that Andy Pettitte made his HGH mea culpa the previous February.

Yet, yesterday, Girardi sat in the same chair sipping a cup of coffee and looking out on about 75 media members as if he were sizing up a hammock for a nap. The edginess, evasiveness and defensiveness that so often overwhelm a Girardi press conference were not evident.

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Maybe that is about comfort, with Girardi now in his third year on this job. Or maybe it had something to do with it taking 28 minutes for someone to even ask a question that involved A-Rod.

“It is nice,” Girardi said. “It was a very quiet winter.”

On the other side of the state, in Jupiter, Mark McGwire has motivated the need for extra police and former presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer. Just north, in Port St. Lucie, Mets personnel continue to try to convince others — and themselves — that last year was a mirage.

Back in New York, the Knicks’ idea of winning has been reduced to being able to trade Jared Jeffries while Jets coach Rex Ryan has usurped A-Rod as most likely to stick foot in mouth (repeat).

And there, in the House of Shame, was Girardi as the serene front man for what at the moment is a high-achievement, low-maintenance champion. Of course this will change. This is New York. These are the Yankees. Expectations will only expand daily. Injuries will invade and personalities will clash.

“Crisis is always lurking,” general manager Brian Cashman said.

But today it is good to be Girardi, good to be a Yankee.

He encounters baseball issues: Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes for fifth starter, Brett Gardner or Curtis Granderson for center field, Granderson or Nick Johnson for the second slot in the lineup. For a competition junkie who likes to talk about the game, this is Girardi’s wheelhouse.

There are no major injuries yet to tend, no obvious dysfunction in the organizational chain of command. Hal Steinbrenner runs the franchise by honoring his father, George, with huge payrolls while avoiding the spotlight-hogging tendencies that quickly consumed brother Hank. Cashman’s ability to transform the mosh pit that was baseball operations into a well-thought-out unit has enabled the Yankees to better capitalize on financial advantages.

The clubhouse found a comfortable middle ground between not dissing the old guard while allowing the personalities of newcomers to mesh and flourish. The brew restored some long-missing joy while not dissolving the professionalism.

Of course, all of this was sanctified by a championship. But the warranty on that title ends today, Girardi acknowledged, when pitchers and catchers take the field. He will have to unearth new messages beyond the symbolic wearing of No. 28 after the organization won its 27th title. He trusts the “character” of his roster, but says he will inspect diligently for signs of year-after complacency.

“The thought has to be that we have the title belt, and we don’t want to hand it over to anyone else,” pitching coach Dave Eiland said.

So far, so great. The players, in general, are in good shape represented by CC Sabathia being a little lighter and A.J. Burnett putting on some upper-body bulk. Eiland already had modified offseason workouts to protect heavily used arms; and that will continue with Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte or Javy Vazquez not throwing bullpen sessions for the first two days.

Now we see if Rodriguez can stay team-oriented for a second straight year. Whether Granderson, Vazquez, Nick Johnson and Randy Winn can shake perceptions of being soft. Whether the expiring contracts of Girardi, Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera ever become a distraction. Whether the ghosts of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui haunt this team. And when the inevitable wrong turns come whether Girardi has the steering capabilities to keep a champion as hungry and focused as Joe Torre once did.

On the first official day of the 2010 season, however, it was good to be Girardi, good to be a Yankee, even good to be in the House of Shame.

joel.sherman@nypost.com