TAMPA, Fla. – Boston’s biggest nightmare was stretched across five mounds in the right-field bullpen at Legends Field: the $67 million rotation.

Mike Mussina, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown, and Randy Johnson pitched simultaneously yesterday morning as Yankees manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre watched their team’s first workout of the year.

Last year, starting pitching led by Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez boosted Boston to its first World Series title since 1918 and sunk the Yankees in Game 7 of the AL championship series. New York responded by signing Pavano and Wright, and acquiring Johnson from Arizona.

“I’m just hoping that they’ll let me in a card game or something around here,” said Wright, whose $7 million salary makes him the rotation pauper. “I don’t know what the buy-ins might be, but I might have to take out some money out of my house or something.”

Mussina makes $19 million this year, Johnson $16.5 million, Brown $15.7 million, and Pavano $9 million.(The figures included prorated shares of signing bonuses for Mussina and Brown and for Johnson’s personal-services contract from his original deal with Arizona).

Mussina pitched on the one side of the bullpen, Johnson on the other. Posada caught the Big Unit.

“I didn’t fall on my face, didn’t embarrass myself. Didn’t hurt anybody or anything,” Johnson said. “Today felt like my first day at school.”

For the Yankees, the big question is whether the group that pitched yesterday will be starting games during the season or spending time on the disabled list. Brown’s back and Mussina’s elbow caused them to miss time last year. Johnson, the lone left-hander, is 41. Brown turns 40 next month and Mussina is 36. Pavano and Wright, both 29, are the closest to youth on a pitching staff that likely will be the oldest in the major leagues.

Meanwhile, the war of words between the Yankees and red Sox is already heating up. After switching sides and joining the Red Sox, David Wells quickly had some choice words for the Yankees yesterday after reporting to camp. The Boomer, who helped New York win two AL pennants and one World Series, wasn’t pleased with some of Alex Rodriguez’s remarks last year.

“I remember reading the press conference or something when he went there,” Wells said. “He said: ‘When we.’ He said a ‘we’ in his comment about like he’s won like three or four rings with them and he hadn’t, and that kind of disturbed me.

“He shouldn’t put himself in that category,” added Wells. “You’ve got to earn it. It’s like he’s been there the whole time. But you can’t take away what A-Rod has done for the game.”

At the Yankees’ camp, Johnson playfully got into it, too. The Big Unit said he didn’t think that merely by signing with the Yankees he’d join A-Rod as a target of the Red Sox and their fans.

“So they’ll be mad at me if I pitch well against them? Bring it on then,” he said, laughing.