Burnett: ‘Give me either one’  —  NEW YORK - A.J. Burnett just wanted to get to Friday's start, his first in the postseason, and feel the excitement he waited for his whole career.  But he instead found himself trying to explain away the controversy that will accompany him to the mound against the Twins.

RED SOX VERSUS ANGELS ALDS PREVIEW  —  The Angels host the Red Sox in the final American League Division Series starting Thursday.  The following table shows American League ranks for the teams in various offensive and pitching categories:  —  2009 Seasons (AL Ranks) Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Did Mr. October's magic finally rub off on Alex Rodriguez? (cont.)  —  A Twins tribute  —  The Twins are amazing.  To erase a seven-game deficit in September is incredible.  And to do it without injured slugger Justin Morneau is really incredible.  —  Michael Cuddyer, who replaced Morneau …

Gaudin would start in ALCS instead of Chamberlain  —  Should the Yankees advance to the ALCS, they are leaning heavily toward using Chad Gaudin rather than Joba Chamberlain as the Game 4 starter, The Post has learned.  —  The Yankees would not finalize plans unless they beat Minnesota.

Southern League Top 20 Prospects  —  To be eligible for a league's list, a pitcher must have thrown 1/3 inning for each team game or have made 20 appearances (10 in short-season and rookie-level leagues).  Hitters need one plate appearance for each team game.

Cubs seek ‘Ray’ of hope in Milton Bradley fiasco  —  In shedding OF problem, Tampa's Burrell could fit  —  Tom Ricketts just needs a nod from a bankruptcy judge — business is booming for those guys these days — and he gets the keys to the Cubs, possibly by the end of this month.

Floyd among three waived by Padres  —  De La Cruz promoted; Burke undergoes surgery  —  The Padres on Thursday requested unconditional release waivers on right-handers Cha Seung Baek, Shawn Hill and outfielder Cliff Floyd and announced they had selected the contract of right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz from Triple-A Portland.

Kemp, bullpen pull through for Dodgers  —  Relievers pick up Wolf with 5 1/3 solid innings vs. Cards  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers don't have leading candidates for Cy Young or MVP, but they do have something the Cardinals don't have.  —  A Game 1 victory in their National League Division Series.

Nationals cut ties with Cardenal  —  Spent five seasons teaching Minor League outfielders  —  WASHINGTON — Jose Cardenal, a special advisor to the general manager since the 2005 season, was dismissed by the Nationals on Thursday.  He was given the news by assistant general manager Bob Boone.

Pitching on agenda for Brewers' offseason  —  GM Melvin not looking to part with Fielder, Braun  —  MILWAUKEE — Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he may need to sacrifice some of the team's offense this winter to improve the pitching staff, so he was asked the obvious follow-up.

TBS PitchTRAX: Informative or Infuriating?  —  Those of you watching the game in HD last night were exposed to a new feature on the TBS broadcast.  On the right hand side of the screen, for the view in from center field only, the displayed a sort of pitch tracker like you see on ESPN and FOX, except it was on the screen at all times.

Babe Ruth the Way You've Never Seen Him Before  —  SECAUCUS, N.J. — Babe Ruth has struck out looking.  Displeased, he leans on his bat, right hand on his hip, and looks back at the umpire.  He utters something that can only be imagined.  Lou Gehrig, on deck, leans on his bat, too, as if he has seen this act before.

Beckett: ‘No issues at all’  —  Josh Beckett, the Game 2 starter, was skipped in what would have been his penultimate start this month, the victim of back spasms.  It brought back memories from last year, when a serious oblique strain robbed him of any chance to be dominant and made it difficult for him even to compete.