Now that he is one of the candidates to replace Torre, Mattingly still believes what he said. But after interviewing with the Yankees on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., he believes he is the man for the job.

"I don't have any regrets of saying it because really it's true," Mattingly said during a conference call with reporters. "But at this point, the organization has made their decision that they're going to move on to make another choice. I'm 100 percent ready in my mind to do it and really look forward to that challenge if I get that opportunity. I'd rather have (high) expectations than none. I'd much rather be in this situation than any other."

The Yankees interviewed Joe Girardi on Monday and will meet Wednesday with first-base coach Tony Pena. General manager Brian Cashman told The Journal News on Tuesday night that those are the only candidates being considered.

Mattingly, 46, is considered the leading candidate. A personal favorite of owner George Steinbrenner during his 14 seasons as a player, Mattingly spent the past four seasons on Torre's staff. The Yankees elevated him to bench coach this year with the idea of preparing him to manage.

"I knew from the beginning what I wanted," he said.

Mattingly knows many people view him as a younger version of Torre. He made it a point to say that won't necessarily be the case.

"In the end I've got to be myself," he said. "I also played for Billy Martin; I played for Lou Piniella; I played for Dallas Green. I played for different people and I take from everyone. I take good from some; I take bad from some."

After meeting with Cashman and the baseball operations staff, Mattingly went to Legends Field to speak with Steinbrenner and his sons. For the first time, he said, he freely spoke with the owner.

"Never in any situation have I had a chance to speak from my heart about how I feel about things," Mattingly said. "I enjoyed it."

None of the ownership group offered any comment on the interview.

Torre's demise came after three consecutive first-round losses in the playoffs. Asked what he thought the team should do differently, Mattingly resorted to one of Torre's favorite phrases.

"At that point, we're in a crapshoot," he said. "You can't really put your finger on one thing. There's no magic formula."

Mattingly knows, as he did two weeks ago, that everything will change if he moves up.

"I'm not afraid of that. I'm not afraid of criticism. I'm going to do what I think is right," he said. "If I had fear, I wouldn't have gotten on the plane to come up here."

The Yankees did not tell Mattingly of any timetable to make a decision. But Scott Boras, the agent for Alex Rodriguez, has said his client would like to know who the next manager is before he decides whether to remain with the Yankees.