Wild card  —  Turnbow vows to get back under control  —  Phoenix - For a few hopeful days in early December, Derrick Turnbow's thoughts turned toward redemption.  The embattled reliever was led to believe he might get a second chance as the Milwaukee Brewers' closer.

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH...  DUANER SANCHEZ  —  The Post's Steve Serby chatted with the Mets' righty reliever who starred in 2006 before suffering a right-shoulder separation in a taxi crash, then missed the entire 2007 season when he broke a bone in that shoulder during spring training.

To be a champion ...  The secret behind the big-league success of a Robert Kraft or a John Henry isn't just savvy leadership.  It's setting out to win.  Quickly.  —  In major-league sports, it doesn't take long for owners to show their true colors: They either have what it takes to win - or they don't.

CARLOS HASN'T BEEN LEADER AMAZIN'S NEED  —  This is how a bad season can get off to a bad start.  You get sent home from spring training for an MRI exam.  Leaving the cocoon of Florida is never a good thing, especially when you are 35 and coming off the worst season of your career.

Notes: Bochy unhappy with bad loss  —  Zito not too concerned about outing; Molina close to debut  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Don't tell Bruce Bochy that the Giants' 23-5 exhibition loss Saturday to the Oakland A's was meaningless.  It was too embarrassing not to have some significance.

Phenom blazing trail toward Shea  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Five months after his 16th birthday, with a seven-figure signing bonus riding on his performance, Fernando Martinez stepped onto Field 7 at the Mets' complex during spring training in 2005, trying to impress the organization's top officials.

Wang changes things up a bit  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Until Saturday, the only thing notable about Chien-Ming Wang's changeup was that it was the pitch that Ben Broussard whacked over the wall in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium to spoil the righthander's bid for a perfect game last May 5.

Barry Bonds still wants to play  —  Here's a mystery: Why does Barry Bonds want to come back to baseball and undergo intense daily scrutiny to add onto his total of 762 career home runs?  —  If he gets to 800, will we all say, “That's OK, Barry, we don't care about all those pesky computer files …

Schilling feels like 3rd wheel … FORT MYERS - Curt Schilling [stats] sat in the middle of the Red Sox [team stats] clubhouse yesterday, wearing Red Sox gear and joking with his Red Sox teammates.  The starter is even joining most everybody else in camp in preparing for the trip to Japan later this month.

Harper: Duncan makes powerful statement for 1st dibs  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Joe Girardi is doing his managerial best to pump up Jason Giambi's confidence and sell anyone who will listen on the idea that Giambi can be the everyday first baseman in 2008.  —  Whether anyone is buying such a notion is another matter.

Texas Rangers prospects leave good impression on Nolan Ryan  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Texas Rangers showed off their top prospects for new president Nolan Ryan Saturday afternoon.  —  Hard to determine who was more excited, the prospects or Ryan.

The Florida Marlins Love Living on Welfare  —  Payroll for the Florida Marlins will increase from its ridiculously low levels, but not this year, and most likely not for a few years to come.  That's the word from owner Jeffrey Loria.  In fact, if you thought they were low last season …