Yanks return, Torre twists  —  Source: Texas wants Joe  —  The row of executive offices that front the loge level at Yankee Stadium were dark yesterday.  There was no pow-wow, no summit of Yankee hierarchy.  While George Steinbrenner issued a statement that labeled the 2006 season a …

ALCS Series Preview: Oakland A's vs. Detroit Tigers  —  So the A's were decided underdogs in the series against the Twins.  They will play that role once again against the Tigers, at least according to the MSM.  We know this because anyone who gives the Yankees the Zed from Pulp Fiction treatment …

Cardinals-Mets: Position analysis  —  CATCHER EDGE: METS  —  Paul Lo Duca is reputed as a winner, and he finally won, defeating his old team, the Dodgers, in the first round.  Here's the chance for a grinder who handles a bat well and handles a pitching staff even better.

Trade Jeter, not A-Rod  —  Enough is enough.  Just reaching the postseason might qualify as success in smaller markets such as Minnesota or Los Angeles, but not in New York.  The world's greatest team has such lofty standards that even winning the World Series is a disappointment if it takes more than five games.

Cup of Joe?  Cubs interview Girardi for skipper job  —  CHICAGO — Joe Girardi, considered a leading candidate for the Chicago Cubs' managing job, interviewed for the position on Monday.  —  The Florida Marlins fired Girardi last week.  Girardi guided them to a 78-84 record and kept …

Twins hope Liriano can heal in Florida without surgery  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Francisco Liriano is off to Florida, and the Minnesota Twins are hoping his left elbow will heal there during the offseason.  —  The Twins will send Liriano to their spring training and minor league facility in Fort Myers …

Mailbag: Who steps up to replace Buck?  —  Beat writer T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions … What do you think the chances are of the Rangers pursuing Dusty Baker or Felipe Alou?  Who would be the best fit?  —  The Rangers aren't expected to go after Baker or Alou.

A Trade Throw-In May Become a Playoff Starter  —  Oliver Pérez joined the Mets in the trade that brought them Roberto Hernández and cost them Xavier Nady, the trade they made at the trading deadline July 31 because they needed an experienced reliever to replace Duaner Sánchez …

Improved pen a must for Sox  —  GM Williams could add three relievers for '07  —  The No. 1 priority the White Sox will be addressing this offseason hasn't been kept a secret.  —  Not by manager Ozzie Guillen or general manager Ken Williams.  —  ''My first priority right now is to get my bullpen …

Thinking (Outside the Bucs)  —  Kevin McClatchy says he has decided to stay on with the Pittsburgh Pirates as chief executive officer because he feels they are finally on the road to winning.  —  Dave Littlefield says his goal as the Pirates' general manager is to win a World Series.

The List: Bliss for Yankee haters  —  It has become an annual tradition since the most recent Yankees' dynasty ended after their 2000 World Series win.  —  The New York Yankees' season ends without another World Series title, and Yankee haters everywhere rejoice.

Infielder gets the surprise of his life  —  A's notebook  —  OAKLAND — Mark Kiger spent the last three weeks teaching baseball to a group of teenagers in Temecula, which allowed him to play catch every day and hit every few days, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect to get the phone call he received last Wednesday.

Mets' pen off to fine start  —  Willie-style relief may sweep majors  —  The White Sox rode their starting pitching to a championship last season, getting seven innings apiece from Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia in the World Series en route to a sweep of the Astros.

THE MOVES TO MAKE  —  YANKS NEED BOLD OFFSEASON PLAN  —  STARTING with Joe Torre, this offsea son will be more about whom the Yankees re move than whom they pursue.  —  The history with the Yankees is to open their wallet in the offseason to add another expensive piece or three.

Tom Candiotti fesses up: fantasy baseball scheme  —  You gotta admire a ballplayer who will do anything, even risk injury, to help his team win.  Unless it's his fantasy-league team, and the injury he's risking is to someone else.  —  This, then, is a cautionary tale of a guy who took the rotisserie stuff waaaay too seriously.

Now it can be told  —  You know the story of what happened to the Indians this season.  Here's a look at some things you might not know about.  —  Jhonny Peralta: Manager Eric Wedge's constant harping on Peralta this year may have been justified, but it did not sit well with other players.