The X-factor

Has it really been 15 years since that tall, lanky kid with the Ted Williams swing joined the Mets? Darryl Strawberry, now 36, may be a shadow of the powder keg he once was, but that doesn't mean George Steinbrenner can't dream. Strawberry is expected to start in left, with one very clear goal: 25 home runs. If he can reach that, Strawberry and fellow lefthanders Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez will make the Yankees murderous for the AL East's mostly righthanded starters. That should be enough to put the Yankees in command again and put Straw back in the New York spotlight.