Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum admitted that he was nervous before his first World Series start last week, but says he's ready to start in Game 5. "The experience of being there is the big help," Lincecum said. "Going through the lineup again knowing that you're pitching in another World Series game just eases the tension."

The Cardinals want to upgrade their infield and could target Miguel Tejada this winter. Tejada hit .269 with 15 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2010.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will meet with co-owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner on Monday in Tampa as the team begins to prepare for the 2011 season. The meetings are expected to take two days, but could go longer. Atop the agenda will be how to proceed with Derek Jeter, who will become a free agent for the first time in his career this winter. Cashman has already said publicly that he is only interested in paying players for how much they are worth in the win column.

Former Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi is a candidate to join the front office of newly-hired Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, according to a source. Ricciardi, 51, worked for Alderson with the Athletics as a scout and ultimately as a special assistant. He went on to serve as GM of the Blue Jays from 2002-09, and is currently an ESPN baseball analyst. Ricciardi actually played in 150 minor league games for the Mets from 1980-81.

Game 3 between the Rangers and Giants on Saturday night earned the second-lowest television rating for a World Series game. The Rangers' win on Fox drew a 6.7 rating and 13 share, beating only the 6.1 for Game 3 of the 2008 Phillies-Rays series. That game was delayed 91 minutes because of rain and didn't start until after 10 p.m. on the East Coast.

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig says he likes the idea of expanding his sport's postseason. On Sunday night, Selig gave his strongest indication that two extra Wild Card teams will be added to the 2012 playoffs. "I like it enough, so we'll seriously consider it," he said. "Is eight out of 30 enough? Is that fair? And that's the basic question here, at least for me." Asked his opinion of 10 playoff teams, Selig responded: "It's more fair than eight."

Giants left fielder Pat Burrell was benched for Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night. San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy moved Cody Ross from right field to left to take Burrell's place, while Nate Schierholtz earned his first start of the postseason playing right. "I talked to him awhile today," Bochy said, referring to Burrell. "It's fair to say he's not seeing the ball. His timing's off." Burrell is 0-for-9 in the World Series.

Former Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland says he never feuded with manager Joe Girardi. An ESPN report stated Girardi and Eiland, who was let go this past week, had a falling out. "It is ridiculous and not true," Eiland told The Post. "Joe and I never had a problem, nor do we now. There are no hard feelings in the organization. Joe is a good baseball man, a great manager and one of the best human beings I ever met."

The Diamondbacks are making Paul Konerko a top priority this offseason, according to a pair of sources. Konerko, a long-time member of the White Sox, will be a free agent after the World Series. He hit .312 with 39 homers and 111 RBIs in 2010.

Fox and Cablevision reached an agreement Saturday that will restore programming to more than 3 million New York-area subscribers who have been without some of their favorite shows and baseball playoff games for two weeks. Signals for all stations and cable channels were restored before the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series between the Rangers and Giants. "In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest," Cablevision said.