Tino Martinez reaches a point at which he says, as he did yesterday: "I've answered that question a hundred times." It's true. Playing first base every day, standing in the lefthand batter's box, driving in runs day after day, Martinez has formed a precise, quiet reply to the ubiquitous question: "What's it like to follow Don Mattingly?"

These days, the "M" word is invoked only for historical context, not embarrassing comparisons. Heck, on the Yankees these days, Martinez is the "M" word.

With a two-run single to right in the first inning and a run-scoring single in the third, he put the Yankees ahead to stay in their 5-4 win over the Indians at Yankee Stadium.

He raised his average (.281), his team-leading RBI total (49) and his profile (he was cheered by the crowd of 51,180). "I want the fans to accept me, but I can't control that. I have no control over whether they like me or not," he said. "I'm not flashy, I'm not going to do anything spectacular. I'm just going to go out there, make the routine plays, try to get some key hits."

Martinez has done fine, as far the Yankees are concerned. As for Martinez' slow start, manager Joe Torre said: "He's done that before, and it wasn't trying to fill Mattingly's shoes. I don't think it's the Mattingly portion of it.

"He signed a big contract here and he feels a certain amount of responsibility with that. That's what made him press more than the other thing."

The "other thing" is the long shadow of a popular guy. Martinez said he was pressing in April. "I just tried to do too much when I first got here," he said.

"I was trying to impress everybody - a new coaching staff, fans, teammates, everybody in general. It wasn't that I was replacing Mattingly. It was overswinging and not being patient." Notes & Quotes: Despite his one-sided loss Saturday, minor-league callup Brian Boehringer will start against the Indians in Friday's doubleheader, Torre said . . . Loser Dennis Martinez (8-4) hasn't beaten the Yankees in 10 decisions since June 11, 1982 . . . Tony Pena found a surprise Father's Day gift in the Stadium lot: a new BMW . . . Tim Raines (hamstring) will be ready to return by the beginning of July, Torre said . . . A stadium exit ramp was clogged for a few minutes by people seeking to get bats autographed by Gov. George Pataki.

Herrmann, Mark

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