Riding a stationary cycle  —  Trade talk recurs, Ramírez goes nowhere  —  One American League general manager put it this way when asked if he thought Manny Ramírez would finally be traded this offseason: "He's been on the block for, what, five years?

Baker is proven; Hillman is hot  —  Dusty Baker is the proven commodity, the established name, the only experienced major league manager the Padres are interviewing.  —  Trey Hillman, however, has the most leverage.  —  Hillman already has a job, with the Japan Series champion Nippon Ham Fighters …

MLB clinches Japan Series with rout  —  TOKYO — Over the first four innings, it seemed as if Daisuke Matsuzaka — who has the Far East and the United States abuzz these days — had secretly entered this Japan All-Star Series disguised as Horoyuki Kobayashi.

Braves' Giles could join his brother in S.D.  —  The emergence of Padres rookie second baseman Josh Barfield last season seemingly ended the chances of Marcus Giles joining his older brother, Brian, in San Diego.  —  Not so fast.  —  The Braves are open to trading Marcus Giles …

Pedro's agent says pitcher feels great  —  Retirement may well be an option for Pedro Martinez if his shoulder does not heal to his liking, but there was no talk of quitting coming from the righthander at his birthday party last week, according to one guest.

Moose close to new deal  —  Arn Tellem, the agent for Mike Mussina, said yesterday that he and the Yankees have made "substantial progress" in their negotiations for a two-year contract.  —  At this rate, Mussina's contract, which is expected to be worth as much as $25 million …

Reassessing Hand That Rocked the Series  —  The lone lament that the World Series ended after five games is this: We did not get to see Kenny Rogers pitch Game 6.  —  We did not get a chance to see if Rogers would break Christy Mathewson's postseason streak of scoreless innings (he needed five).

Lineup shake-up all but certain  —  Expect Williams to give batting order needed makeover … Brian Anderson wanted to kiss the ground when he arrived back in the United States late Thursday, but he was afraid he would throw up.  —  The White Sox outfielder, who was battling a stomach virus …

Kabuki Auction: Bidding Intrigue Behind the Scenes  —  Like a toll on a turnpike or a personal seat license at a new stadium, an upfront fee is required these days for a 26-year-old ace pitcher from Japan.  —  The bidding for Daisuke Matsuzaka has begun, and no one knows quite how high it will go.

Sox take a flier on fading top prospect  —  The White Sox hope to rehabilitate the troubled career of Luis Terrero, once a top prospect, after signing him to a one-year contract Friday.  —  He has been released twice and suspended twice already, but the 26-year-old outfielder …

Clemens' indecision contagious, problematic  —  First of all, if Roger Clemens wants to pitch someplace else, it's your fault, not mine.  —  I couldn't have been nicer to the guy.  I've praised him endlessly.  I've said nice things about his pitching, his chari-table work and how he helps old ladies across the street.

Twins LHP Liriano to undergo "Tommy John" surgery on Monday  —  MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) - Francisco Liriano's brilliant rookie season ended with him sidelined by elbow soreness.  Unfortunately, the lefthander will spend his second season rehabilitating from surgery.

Notes: Kasten eyes end to search  —  Manager may be named soon; Johnson to have more surgery  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals held a luncheon with Washington beat writers on Friday, and team president Stan Kasten said he is hoping the franchise will name a manager within the next two weeks.

Mike Mussina: Mets an Option  —  Update: Mussina has told friends that the Mets would be a welcome option if the Yankees don't want him back.  And the Mets will be interested in Mussina when he becomes a free agent in less than two weeks, the NY Post reports.