AGENT: METS LIKE LORETTA  —  Mark Loretta may be one of the Mets' top choices to play second base.  They have shown more interest in him than any other club so far, Loretta's agent told The Post last night.  —  Bob Garber, Loretta's agent, said "there's been about three phone calls" so far from the Mets.

Washington chosen  —  ARLINGTON — In a surprising move, the Rangers have decided to hire Oakland third base coach Ron Washington as their new manager, according to a Rangers source.  —  If he takes the job, Washington will take over for Buck Showalter, who was fired in early October.

Padres-Balsley negotiations stalled  —  The Padres and pitching coach Darren Balsley, whose staff led the National League in ERA this year, have hit a few snags in contractual negotiations.  The club has agreed to terms with bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, but a proposal and counterproposal between …

Cards, Tigers blazed trail, but O's still in wilderness  —  Let's see, the St. Louis Cardinals won just 83 regular-season games before storming through the playoffs and capturing the World Series, and the Orioles managed 70 wins while finishing fourth in the American League East.

Can you trust agent over 30?  —  Barry Bonds, meet reality.  Reality, meet Barry Bonds.  —  We'll leave you two alone to talk, but remember, no fisticuffs!  —  That introduction is coming soon, and it won't be made by Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, who in spite of his name, will not bore us.

Pitching very much on Myers' mind  —  TOKYO — As a middle reliever, Mike Myers can enjoy a life of relative anonymity in the United States, even on the Yankees.  But as the world's most famous franchise's lone representative in the Japan All-Star Series, as soon as he slips on the pinstripes …

Photos: John Maine, Samurai  —  John Maine took advantage of an off-day to tour Kyoto with most of his MLB All-Star teammates.  Here he tries on a samurai outfit.  —  Here he shoots an arrow during a stop suction-cupped tipped arrow during a stop at Toei Movie Land in Kyoto.

Paterno Breaks Bone, Called 'Old Fart'  —  JoePa had a rough day on Saturday.  His team stinks and got beat up on by Wisconsin 13-3.  He gets tackled and breaks a bone on the sideline.  Then he gets called an "old fart" by an ESPN analyst.  It was more stupid than anything.

From Fox into the Lyons den: 'Psycho' sought for Sox gig  —  This is supposed to be on the DL, but we hear that Entercom is making a pitch for deposed Fox Sportscaster Steve "Psycho" Lyons to join the Red Sox radio broadcast next season.  —  "They want to make him the RemDawg of radio," said Someone Who Knows.

Team Report: Inside Pitch  —  The Pirates are looking at an alternative route to find the right-handed pitcher they hope might balance out a starting rotation that leans to the left.  —  The Pirates have agreed to a three-year major league contract with Yuslan Herrera, a Cuban defector.

2007 Florida Marlins  —  Any Marlins fans out there?  Let's take a look at the team's setup for 2007.  —  Larry Beinfest's contract obligations:  —  C - Miguel Olivo - $0.7MM  —  C - Matt Treanor - $0.38MM  —  1B - Mike Jacobs - $0.38MM  —  2B - Dan Uggla - $0.38MM  —  SS - Hanley Ramirez - $0.38MM

As usual, Harrison was a handy accessory  —  FOXBOROUGH — It was, for the second time in the game, an unlikely unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from a most unusual source.  After his twisting, falling, one-handed, two-feet-in-while-falling-out-of- bounds touchdown grab in the face of Ellis Hobbs …

TRICKS OF THE TRADE  —  WITH GMS' SLEIGHT OF HAND, THESE BIG NAMES MIGHT MOVE  —  There is a general feeling about this free-agent market: It is underwhelming and overpriced.  You may like elements such as Barry Zito or Alfonso Soriano, but basic supply-and-demand says they are going to run …