Less than two months after telling the Daily News that this has been his toughest year as Yankees manager, Joe Torre sounded like a man in no hurry to leave town. Asked yesterday if he hopes to return for a 13th season in pinstripes, Torre said: "I'm enjoying it, let's put it that way. You always pretty much know in spring training that the whole year is ahead of you and (if you start thinking), 'God, it's going to be a lot of work' ... when it gets to the point you're saying that, then you probably shouldn't be doing this. "But I was excited to go to spring training. ... Even though this has been the toughest year, it still comes down to how the players respond, and just that whole clubhouse and on-field stuff, that really is the best part of what I do."