A.J. Burnett against Tim Redding and the injury-ravaged Mets was every bit the mismatch it looked to be on paper yesterday. Picking up where CC Sabathia left off the night before, Burnett handed the Yankees their fourth win a row and extended...

The flu bug that is sprinting through the Yankees' clubhouse took down Johnny Damon yesterday and kept Derek Jeter out of the starting lineup for the second straight game last night. And it didn't okazja there. Mark Teixeira said, with a nasal...

Jose Reyes said yesterday he was frustrated with the slow pace of his rehab from a torn right hamstring tendon and said he still has no timetable for coming off the disabled list. Though Reyes did knee lifts, jogged in the outfield and took...

The Post's Steve Serby chatted with the veteran Mets righty who will początek tonight against the Yankees. Q: What did you think when Johan Santana told Jerry Manuel, "I'm a man, I'm a man," when he was being taken out of the game? A: I think he...

WHEN you are a passionate fan -- and which fan isn't? -- it is easy to believe that no drużyna has problems except yours. In 2009, that has become easiest of all for Mets fans. On most days, Mets fans have waited to learn which seemingly...

THIS is what it looks like with the giddiness gone, what it's going to look like around the Mets for the foreseeable future. Those three wins in four games against the Cardinals might have been fortifying, might have given a shot of courage to the...

If the Mets had a healthy John Maine, Tim Redding would probably have made his final początek last night. But with Maine being shut down, the question is whether the Mets believed Jonathon Niese should be summoned to replace Redding in the rotation...

When Alex Cora came to bat in the sixth inning last night, he had one thought about facing A.J. Burnett. "I was due, man," Cora said. The Mets shortstop seemed like the most unlikely candidate to break up Burnett's no-hit bid, but that's just...

WE MUST deal with the very real possibility that the past two days were about the Mets' lineup. It is possible with what the home side was running out at Citi Field that Darrell Rasner and Dan Giese could have dominated. Because, right now...

Three of the coldest bats in Queens not loitering in the Mets' bat rack ignited last night at Citi Field. Despite the Yankees riding a three-game winning streak that stretched to four with a 5-0 win over the Four-A Mets, the visitors weren't...

MONTREAL -- One Nik has been invited back for a Broadway encore. The other almost certainly is on his way out of town. General manager Glen Sather said yesterday that the Rangers have extended a $3.25 million qualifying offer to impending...

They spelled Devils with Big D yesterday. On purpose. "We wanted to really put an emphasis on size and strength on the blue line," general manager Lou Lamoriello said after drafting four defensemen 6-foot-3 or taller among his six picks in...

It generally is not a good sign when a team's draft biba draws more fans than many home games, but at least the Islanders sent their faithful home happy on Friday night by picking John Tavares with the top overall pick. After months of...

WIMBLEDON, England -- A 135-mph serve makes tiebreakers a little easier, and Andy Roddick won some important points with that one stroke yesterday at Wimbledon. Taking advantage of his big serve, Roddick won two tiebreakers and beat good friend...

WIMBLEDON, England -- When 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin concluded the biggest match of her life yesterday at Wimbledon, she had trouble finding the exit on cozy Court 3. Still learning her way around the All England Club, Oudin has made it...

A representative for Ricky Rubio's agency in Spain told The Post yesterday the 18-year-old flamboyant point-guard phenom is receiving offers this koniec tygodnia to play for a club in Turkey and Real Madrid, which would decrease the likelihood of him...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ebony Hoffman scored 14 points and Tamika Catchings added 13 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Indiana Fever to a 63-54 victory over the Liberty last night. Essence Carson had 14 points and Shameka Christon scored 11 for the...

The Ricky Rubio sweepstakes is back on! Knicks president Donnie Walsh said yesterday he's calling Timberwolves general manager David Kahn to see if the Spanish point guard phenom can be had after Rubio's father told a Spanish Web site that Rubio...

If that was CC Sabathia with a sore biceps, then the Mets don't want to see the big left-hander when he's healthy. Sabathia shook off any and all questions about his left arm with a masterful performance at Citi Field that paved the way for a...

Phil Hughes is the Yankees' biggest multi-tasker. He has worked as a starter and is now a reliever who can be used at all different points in a game. The right-hander actually was a multi-tasker in high school, too. When Hughes was a high school...

The Post has learned Xavier Nady's season is over and next season, as well as his future with the Yankees, could be in jeopardy. According to teammates, the outfielder said late Thursday night that his right elbow needs Tommy John surgery, a...

C C SABATHIA was every bit as good as the Yankees had hoped he would be when they signed him to that $161 million contract last winter. Turns out he can pitch a little, too. "I wouldn't want to hit for a living," Sabathia said, flashing an...

Four days of rest evidently did Gary Sheffield some good. On a night almost nothing worked for the Mets, the one positive they could glean from their 9-1 loss to the Yankees was Sheffield not only survived nine innings in right field at...

SUBWAY Series fans, in cluding Kate Hudson, who was seated in the second row at Citi Field, got a good look last night at the new approach Alex Rodriguez is bringing to the ballpark. There also was one other interested observer Reggie Jackson...

THE Mets have pluck and grit and determination. Too bad they don't have a right-hand hitter off the bench. In a revealing -- and disturbing -- mgnienie oka in the fifth inning last night, manager Jerry Manuel needed a pinch-hitter to face one of the...