New Year's wishes for baseball fans  —  So you've got images of pitchers and catchers clogging up your neuro-processor.  You're counting down the days (admit it, hours) before CC Sabathia and Johan Santana deliver their first fastballs in Florida.  Waiting out January's odyssey is torture, but you can't beat the payoff.

Mets hold breath for Bay's physical  —  Jason Bay could officially become a Met today.  —  The free-agent outfielder, who last week agreed to a four-year deal worth $66 million with the Mets — there is a vesting option for a fifth season — is expected to be in Manhattan today for a full physical …

Plenty of talent still up for grabs — for the right price  —  The holidays are over, but Baseball's shopping season is not.  —  More than 100 free agents remain unsigned, including several of the biggest names — and virtually all of Scott Boras' clients.  —  Spring training begins in approximately six weeks.

Explaining my Hall of Fame ballot … Normally at this time I reveal my Hall of Fame ballot.  This time, I'll spend most of the time explaining it.  —  Already, my ballot has been met with considerable ridicule on Twitter and other cyberspace spots.  And at the risk of further ridicule …

Redskins fire Jim Zorn after 2 seasons  —  The Washington Redskins fired Coach Jim Zorn this morning, ending a two-year stint that began with his surprising elevation from an obscure quarterbacks coach and finished with a dismissal that seemed inevitable after the Redskins' disastrous four-win season.

The Year and the Decade to Come  —  First off, I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season.  As it turned out, 2009 was a successful year for Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, but this coming year has the potential to be the biggest for us since the year we went to a premium product …

Met ‘mob’ contracts  —  Shady firms got $52M to build Citi Field  —  The Mets shelled out $51.6 million in taxpayer money to contractors shunned by the city for their ties to the Mafia, labor corruption or bribery, The Post has learned.  —  At least seven contractors the city avoids …

Finalists for Frick Award announced  —  Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to name winner Feb. 1  —  The 10 finalists for the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award were announced on Monday, a slate of beloved baseball broadcasters that consists of Billy Berroa, Skip Caray, Tom Cheek, Jacques Doucet …

Big decisions looming on superstars  —  (Darren Hauck, Associated Press / September 22, 2009)  —  Will current clubs be able to afford Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez?  —  On Baseball  —  They were Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller and Elmer Layden …

Peter Gammons' MLB Network Debut on Weds.  —  Hall of Fame award-winning baseball writer Peter Gammons will make his debut on MLB Network with the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame Election announcement show on Wednesday, January 6.  MLB Network's Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Matt Vasgersian …