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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Dodgers use ninth-inning rally to stun Cardinals in Game 2  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matt Holliday dropped a sinking line drive for an error with two outs in the ninth inning, leading to a two-run rally by the Los Angeles Dodgers that gave them a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Astros to talk to managerial candidates  —  Contact with potential skippers will begin on Friday  —  HOUSTON — The Astros will begin making contact with perspective managerial candidates on Friday, general manager Ed Wade said Thursday.  Houston is looking for a full-time manager after dismissing Cecil Cooper last month.

Wanted by Braves: Big bat, righty preferred  —  We've got some Junior Wells wailing on the stereo, Dodgers-Cardinals muted on the TV, door to the patio open and a nice Punch cigar burning.  It hasn't been a week since the season ended, but doesn't it already feel like long time since the Braves …

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.

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.

Rockies and Phillies to play Sunday's Game 4 at 8 p.m.  —  It was a good news-bad news scenario for the Rockies and their fans for Sunday's Game 4 of the NL division series in Denver.  —  Major League Baseball on Thursday said that first pitch for the Rockies-Phillies game Sunday will start …

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.

BA FSL Top 20: Mejia, Davis & Nieuwenhuis  —  Baseball America released their Florida State League Top 20 Prospects List yesterday, and it contains a healthy sprinkling of Mets with Jenrry Mejia at #7, Ike Davis at #9, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis at #13.  Brad Holt just missed qualifying for the BA list by a handful of innings.