YANK: A.J. IS BURN-ING FOR BOMBERS  —  Talking to a Yankee recently, A.J. Burnett informed the player they were going to be teammates.  —  “He wants to come to New York - those words came out of his mouth,” the player told The Post last night.  “He really wants to play here.”

Ibanez, Phillies agree to 3-year, $30M deal  —  The Phillies have agreed to a three-year contract with free-agent outfielder Raul Ibanez, pending a physical.  The deal is believed to be worth $30 million over three years.  —  The 36-year-old Ibanez will become the Phillies' new every-day leftfielder …

Brewers  —  Preparing for departure  —  Details of the deal being worked out  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Las Vegas - After an unexpected morning hiccup in negotiations, talks were back on track later Thursday for a trade that will send Milwaukee Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron …

Orioles not planning to increase offer to Teixeira  —  MacPhail says club still in running for free-agent slugger  —  LAS VEGAS - Orioles officials left the Bellagio Hotel this afternoon still feeling they have a shot at signing prized free agent Mark Teixeira, though all signs continue to point to their having to overcome long odds.

Phils' Hamels fires a salvo at Mets  —  NEW YORK — The on-field behavior of the Mets, particularly that of Jose Reyes, again has been called into question by an opposing player, this time by World Series MVP Cole Hamels.  —  In response to questions asked during an interview on radio station WFAN …

Padres can't afford to keep ace Peavy; but can they afford to trade him?  —  LAS VEGAS — The Padres will be hard-pressed to keep Jake Peavy, but they are not yet prepared to give him away.  —  What they learned Thursday is that their leverage is more limited than they would like and that their desperation is apparent.

Manny feeling ignored in free-agent market  —  Manny Ramirez is growing extremely upset about the lack of suitors for his services, so much so that he has told friends he would contemplate retirement if a suitable offer doesn't arrive soon, a person close to the situation told Newsday.

Raissman: Cleveland friend sees NYC as too XL for CC  —  Around here, it only takes one backhand slap of a TV camera for some wealthy ballplayer to get off on the wrong foot.  Just ask Randy Johnson.  Brian Cashman, or some other Yankee suit, should explain that to the latest member of the Bombers Blank Check Club.

METS COULD STILL LAND LOWE  —  LAS VEGAS - The Mets have become expert at playing rope-a-dope when it comes to obtaining big names.  They have learned to like the underdog role.  —  They were supposed to have no chance at Carlos Beltran, then, boom!, he came to them in January.

Mets eyeing Cora  —  LAS VEGAS — While exiting the Bellagio Hotel, and Baseball Winter Meetings, came across one final nugget ...  With the Twins' re-signing of Nick Punto, the Mets are targeting Alex Cora to replace Damian Easley as a middle infielder.  Cora is now a free agent after having …

Ranking the moves at the winter meetings (Nos. 1-5) … Twenty-five players changed teams in the significant deals and free-agent signings at this year's winter meetings in Las Vegas.  Here's a look at their relative values over the next five seasons (2009-2013), without considering salaries or contract situations:

Red Sox unveil ‘retro roadies’  —  Look for 2009 primary, alternate road jerseys full of tradition  —  The Red Sox will have a new look to them going forward, particularly on the road.  At a news conference on Thursday night in Boston, the tradition-laden franchise unveiled new primary and alternate road jerseys for 2009.

Pitching Mechanics: Homer Bailey (By Request)  —  #34 / Pitcher / Cincinnati Reds … Reader justin007000 wanted to know what's up with Homer Bailey and why he just can't hack it anymore.  His minor league stats are pretty good, but his major league ones look like this:  —  W-L ERA WHIP K BB

William S. Stevens, 60, Dies; Wrote Infield Fly Note  —  William S. Stevens, whose slyly humorous law-review note on the relationship between baseball's infield-fly rule and Anglo-American common law became one of the most celebrated and imitated analyses in American legal history, died Monday in Anchorage, Alaska, where he was working.