NewYork.Yankees.MLB.com

By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

Shortly before Christmas, Yankees pitcher Jon Lieber began throwing off of a mound, which he now does every four days. (Mike Gordon/MLB.com)

Lieber, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in August 2002, is one of three new starters in the Yankees' rotation this season, joining Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez. That threesome joins Mike Mussina and Jose Contreras as New York's starting staff, as the Yankees look to return to the World Series for the seventh time in nine years.

"If you were talking about three young, inexperienced guys, it would be a different situation," Lieber said when asked about replacing Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and David Wells. "But when you're talking about veterans, guys like Kevin Brown, we're going to go and do our thing, not change a whole lot."

Lieber spent the 2003 season rehabbing from his surgery, starting three games in the minor leagues at the end of the year. Since then, the 33-year-old has kept himself in shape at home in Mobile, Ala., anxiously eyeing a return to Spring Training.

Jon Lieber   /   P
	Height: 6'2" Weight: 230 Bats/Throws: L/R More info: Player page Stats Splits Yankees site

"The first game will be the most exciting part of Spring Training for me," Lieber said. "It will be a big thing, but I'm not going to make too big an issue out of it. Once that's over with, I'll move on to the next step from there."

Lieber took September and October off from throwing or lifting, doing just cardio exercises to allow his arm to rest after a strenuous season of rehab. Refreshed and ready to go, Lieber started his throwing program in November, throwing about five times a week by the time December rolled around.

Shortly before Christmas, Lieber began throwing off of a mound, which he now does every four days. The right-hander is now up to about 50 pitches per session, throwing fastballs and changeups, and he is heading to Tampa on Wednesday to show the Yankees what kind of shape he is in as Spring Training approaches.

"It's been nonstop, getting ready for the season," said Lieber, who isn't putting any numerical expectations on his season. "My goal is just to stay healthy the whole year. To me, that's the biggest thing. More than anything else, I want to contribute to the team's success."

Despite his inactivity in the Majors over the past 1 1/2 seasons, Lieber is excited to resume his pitching career. Replacing successful pitchers such as Clemens, Pettitte or Wells in the rotation doesn't make the job at hand any more stressful for Lieber, who went 20-6 with the Chicago Cubs in 2001, his last full season.

"To me, pressure is being at home with my wife and kids, trying to make them happy," said Lieber. "I'm going to go in there and do the best that I can. The way I feel, physically, I'm not putting any pressure on myself."

Most teams that expressed interest in Lieber before the 2003 season were looking to ink him to a one-year deal to monitor his health. The Yankees signed him to a two-year, $3.5 million contract last January, a deal that allowed him to take his rehab at his own pace. In his eyes, that made all the difference.

"It was a big factor," Lieber said. "I really thought that I was going to be ready in August last year, but there was no way that I was going to be able to compete at the level I wanted to compete at and be successful. I know I made the right choice."

With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report in three weeks, Lieber is looking forward to showing the Yankees that they were right to take such a gamble on him.

"This is a team that gave me an opportunity," Lieber said. "I plan on giving it back to them."

Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.