Wagner eyes retirement, not 400th career save  —  Billy Wagner may have thrown his last pitch in the major leagues.  —  The former Mets pitcher told The Post yesterday he's planning to retire rather than pursue a closer's job — and 400 career saves — next season.

Girardi: Yankees “definitely considering” a three-man rotation  —  Joe Girardi just did a conference call with the beat writers and said that while the team won't have its roster/scouting meeting until tomorrow morning, “We are definitely considering going to a three-man rotation in this round.”

Scioscia far from being an ‘Angel’  —  HE HAS been a menace to us for damn near 30 years now, the thorn in our side, the cloud in our coffee, the bee in our bonnet, the fly in our ointment, the clouds on our sunny day.  He has been our nemesis, our arch-enemy, our tormentor, our antagonist and our antagonizer.

Does Baseball Need Umpires?  —  Recent Bad Calls Have Critics Howling for Better Umps, But Maybe It's a Job for Machines  —  During Friday's playoff game at Yankee Stadium, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins hit an 11th-inning fly ball down the left-field line that landed clearly fair, a foot inside the line.

Playoff Prospectus  —  Completion  —  If you followed last night's in-game roundtable, you got the visceral reaction to Jim Tracy's decision to allow Huston Street to face Ryan Howard in the ninth inning with the tying runs on base and two outs.  (You got something similar if you follow my Twitter account, @joe_sheehan.)

Rockies quickly turn to offseason deals, questions  —  Contract issues involving O'Dowd and Tracy are only part of the decisions Colorado has to make.  —  The Denver Post  —  The Rockies figured they would be in Philadelphia tonight, finishing a dramatic division series.

Tom Verducci: Here's why it's so hard to close out a game in October … 1. How is Mariano Rivera looking right about now?  Not that we didn't already know that the Yankees closer is the best all-time at what he does, but the Division Series, in which closer after closer blew up in the ninth inning …

PADRES: Ready will interview to be Astros' manager  —  Padres hitting coach Randy Ready is one of 10 candidates to be the Houston Astros' next manager.  —  The Astros asked for, and were granted, permission to talk to Ready.  He'll interview with Astros officials on Thursday.

Five years, what a surprise  —  FIVE YEARS LATER...  ...The Yankees are back in the American League Championship Series.  This is an accomplishment, no doubt about it, but the sweep of the Twins shouldn't be taken as any sign of the Yankees' predestination as champions.

Victory on a night made for Utley  —  DENVER - It was the sort of night made for Chase Utley.  —  Made for his swing.  Made for his reputation.  Made for his demeanor.  —  It was cold.  —  Short, compact swings work in the cold.  —  It was a hard night to play baseball.

Epstein looks ahead to the winter  —  Had the Red Sox won yesterday, Fenway Park would be brimming with activity right now with batting practice about to begin before Game 4 of the ALDS.  Instead the stands are empty, the mound and plate are covered and all is quiet save a few writers …

Minor League Free Agents  —  Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a list of “the first wave of minor league free agents.”  See anyone you like?  —  RHP Greg Aquino  —  RHP Josh Banks  —  3B Brian Barden  —  C Edwin Bellorin  —  RHP Kris Benson  —  1B Wilson Betemit  —  LHP Travis Blackley