Minaya needs to steal Yanks' thunder  —  For much of the last eight weeks, the Mets have been no more visible than an indoor lacrosse team.  They preferred the anonymity at first, if only because they needed a sanctuary from the wonder of their own gutless ways.

Hot Stove: Prices for Bay, Wilson might be 'outrageous'  —  The Pirates are not shopping Jason Bay or Jack Wilson.  —  That was the insistence of general manager Neal Huntington earlier this week in his PNC Park office.  —  "No, none of our players is being actively shopped," he said.

Yankees and Rodriguez Receive Approval for Deal  —  Four weeks after Alex Rodriguez walked away from his contract with the Yankees, he and the club have gained approval for a marketing deal tied to his home run milestones, the last significant step in completing a contract that restores Rodriguez to the Yankees' roster.

16 months after crash, Duaner Sanchez back on comeback trail to Mets  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - On a mound shielded from the drizzle outside, and just 20 feet from the spot where his recovery from a taxi-cab accident suffered a serious setback, Duaner Sanchez's right foot is touching the rubber for the first time since March.

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH...  HANK STEINBRENNER  —  The Post's Steve Serby chatted with the new Yankees boss about his expectations for 2008 and beyond, his life as George Steinbrenner's oldest son, and his memories of a lifetime in and around the world's most famous ballclub.

Joe was a joy to be around  —  Grief is a powerful emotion.  It's hard to breathe in it.  It leaves us helpless, angry and confused.  —  Those emotions swirled inside Friday as I learned of Joe Kennedy's death.  I was attending the CU-Nebraska game when a message popped on my phone.

Top 10 under-the-radar free agents  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  The 2007-08 class of free agents was already a relatively weak one, and now that the ranks are dwindling by the day, it's even less impressive.  —  With that in mind, let's overlook for the moment the remaining marquee names …

Rangers continue their hunting  —  After missing on center fielder Hunter, Daniels keeps looking  —  Torii Hunter is on his way to California to play for the Angels and the Rangers are mulling their next options for an offseason that is only just beginning to heat up.

Hampton pitches one inning in rehab start  —  Braves left-hander Mike Hampton pitched one inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout in his Mexican Winter League debut Thursday for Novojoa, the first of seven starts he's scheduled to make as he embarks on his latest comeback bid.

Carlos Gomez, OF, New York Mets  —  Bats: R Throws: R HT: 6-2 WT: 170 DOB: December 4, 1985  —  (stats will be in the book)  —  I don't like the way the Mets have handled their prospects lately.  Carlos Gomez was badly, BADLY rushed, and they have pushed Fernando Martinez …

Sign of turnaround in LA  —  Torre and young stars key to Dodger success  —  They were not about to get into the silly money the Angels gave Torii Hunter.  They would not go four years on Mike Lowell.  They are unwilling to part with four or even three top prospects for Miguel Cabrera …