Klapisch: Joe Girardi faces many challenges to repeat

Bah, you call this a challenge? I was once forced to give crepid Tom Metcalf 20 starts in a Challenge the Yankees season!

In fact, there are enough baseball executives who think the Bombers are set to run off another mini-dynasty. They have the AL’s most talented roster, they have a $200 million payroll and, most importantly, they’re being run more efficiently than at any time in the last 20 years.

“I think Brian [Cashman] has learned a lot about running a team,” said one rival executive. “He’s made some mistakes, but if you go around and ask people what they think of the Yankees, the answer you’ll get is that they’re intelligently run.”

The corporate IQ filters down to Girardi, who did a much better job with his players in 2009 than he did in 2008. He cleared out the anti-ARod residue he’d inherited from Torre, Mike Mussina and Jason Giambi, maximizing the infectious optimism generated by CC Sabathia, Nick Swisher and, yes, even Johnny Damon, whose what-me-worry personality will be sorely missed.

No one doubts Girardi has a killer roster, and, going into the final year of his contract, has a clear edict from ownership: Win another pennant, or else.