A federal appeals court has ruled that seized steroid testing samples can be used as evidence in a federal probe of major league ballplayers.� As a result, testing samples can have implications on several players, including main target Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants.

The federal appeals court ruling could bolster the government’s perjury case against Bonds if his name is among those who tested positive. The slugger has been the target of a perjury investigation since he testified before a 2004 grand jury that he didn’t knowingly use illegal drugs.

The following is a complete listing of the NFL playoff scenarios for the final week of the NFL season.� Thanks to NFL.com for the complete listings….

Playoff scenarios for Week 17 as provided by the NFL:

AFC NORTH
RAVENS have clinched division.

RAVENS can clinch home-field advantage with:

1) A win and a San Diego loss.

RAVENS can clinch first-round bye with:

1) A win or tie.

2) Indianapolis loss or tie.

CINCINNATI can clinch a playoff berth with:

1) A win and a N.Y. Jets loss.

2) A win, a Denver loss and a Kansas City win.
More after the jump »

The Cleveland Indians website is reporting that relief pitcher Keith Foulke is closing in on a one-year deal with the ballclub.� Dan Horwits, the player’s agent, tells the website that “it’s safe to say they’re the favorites”.

For more on this deal, be sure to check out the Indians website.�

(Publisher’s note: Welcome to a special Wednesday edition of The Best of Nine. Due to the holiday season, a re-shuffling was in order TBN. I hope you enjoy!)

“On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…nine ladies dancing…” (mmmm…love the dirty mind)

9. The emergence of the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jeff Garcia. When Pro-Bowl QB Donovan McNabb was lost for the season, the playoff hopes for the NFC East contender Eagles was all but left for dead. They were 5-6 and reeling, falling further behind the then-white hot Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo.

Enter former Pro Bowl ace Jeff Garcia.

Relegated to journeyman back-up status after departing San Francisco, Garcia signed on as back-up to McNabb last off season. With the Eagles stumbling to week 12 and losing McNabb, Garcia has ripped off four straight wins (three of which were on the road against division rivals), including a 23-7 victory over the hated Dallas Cowboys and clinched a playoff spot.

The thirty-six year old Garcia has more than admirably stepped into filling McNabb’s shoes, creating an improbable renaissance that has given the Eagles a solid shot at the NFC East crown. Since stepping in, Garcia has amassed a solid 1280 yards, compiling a 62.5% completion rate (115 for 185) and notching 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His quarterback rating (which is compiled using a formula what would make any nuclear physicist blush) is a robust 96.2 heading into the season’s final week.

8. Speaking of the Cowboys, a certain wide receiver decided to open up his trap again, this time bitching and moaning that he’s not getting enough touches early in games. This time, fellow wideout Terry Glenn concurred, musing to the Associated Press — ‘Why can’t we do anything when we have all these weapons?’ If the alleged ’snitch’ isn’t happy (number 81 claimed earlier this season that someone was leaking information to the press and many speculated it was Glenn), then coach Bill Parcells’ tenure in Dallas may be nearing its culmination. Parcells was none too happy with owner Jerry Jones when he brought 81 on board and it may boil down to a ‘he-goes-or-I-go’ scenario. Smart money says Parcells has had enough of the soap opera and will depart within five days of seasons’ end.

7. Is there a better Christmas tune than Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song”? Every time I hear this tune, I just get shivers down my spine and goosebumps at Cole’s smooth, dulcet tones. While “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Springsteen and the E Street Band and U2’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” are hard to beat for modern, up-tempo holiday tunes, nothing beats a classic like Nat King Cole.

More after the jump »

The 38th President of the United States who guided the nation through one of it’s darkest hours has passed away at the age of 93.

Ford was a standout at the University of Michigan, where he played center and linebacker for the Wolverines football team. Shortly after graduating, he turned down contract offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League, deciding instead to attend Yale University Law School.

NBC and the NFL announced today that the network will pick up the Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers contest this Sunday, exercising it’s last ‘flex scheduling’ option for the 2006 season. In their agreement with the NFL, NBC had the right to select games they wanted to air on Sunday nights, allowing them the choice to select the best match-ups for their broadcast.

It looks like NBC couldn’t pass up the opportunity to worship at the altar of Brett Favre and provide several montages and interesting looks into his career that hasn’t EVER been done before. In case you might not understand, this could again be Favre’s last game.

The new Sunday schedule for this weekend is located here.

According to published reports, the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks are discussing a trade that involves multiple Cy Young winner and left-handed pitcher Randy Johnson headed back to Arizona. The ‘Big Unit’, per his agent Alan Nero, has not requested a trade back to Arizona.

Johnson, 43, spent six seasons with Arizona and won four Cy Young Awards before being traded to New York in January 2005. At the time, Arizona was looking to shed payroll and bring in more youth.

Johnson had a full no-trade clause back then, as he does now. And it’s believed that if the Yankees were to move him, Johnson would prefer to be closer to his Arizona home.

According to Johnson’s agent, Alan Nero, the left-hander has not requested a trade.

***UPDATE*** The Arizona Diamondbacks have confirmed their interest in acquiring the left-hander.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through The Lead
Not a creature was stirring, not even Esix Snead.
The bunting was hung all along the foul pole with care
In hopes that St. Albert would soon be there.
The fans were nestled all snug in their red seats,
While visions of World Series trophies were dancing in their heads.

Okay, so that last line didn’t rhyme , but you get the gist — 2006 was a good year to be a Cardinals fan (and we are)….

The Lead shall return later this week with all-new material, including a fresh ‘Best of Nine’ that salutes the year that was, 2006…

In a rather surprising move, the Chicago White Sox dealt off prized prospect P Brandon McCarthy to the Texas Rangers for two prospects, pitchers Johnathan Danks and Nick Masset. This deal probably means that the Rangers will drop their pursuit of free agent Mark Mulder.

Danks, a 21-year-old left-hander, was ranked as the Rangers’ top pitching prospect by Baseball America. Masset, 24, was ranked eighth. The trade comes after the Sox heavily scouted the Rangers’ farm system last summer in an attempt to fortify their pitching depth.

“It kind of comes around at this time every year,” Danks said of the trade rumors, shortly after a telephone conversation with Sox general manager Kenny Williams. “I got a little callous to it. But for it to happen, it sets you into shock.

“I’m excited and ready to move on to hopefuly a successful year.”

Buster Olney of ESPN INsider delves into which players that are going to benefit from “The Great Spending Spree of 2006″.� Here is his complete list, with more after the jump.

Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs
There is wide-ranging speculation on what Barry Zito will get in this market in the next few weeks, with executives guessing somewhere from $75 million to $100 million. But whatever Zito gets, Zambrano could — and should — ask for more, considering that at 25 years old, he’s younger than Zito, and more dominant. If he were to opt for free agency next fall, he would be the focus of the biggest bidding war for a pitcher in baseball history. The Red Sox might be looking to replace Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, the Yankees will have tons of money to spend with Randy Johnson and others set to drop off their payroll, and the Mets will still need a frontline-type starter. All of the big-market teams will be in play, plus the Cubs.

So Chicago would be well-served to hand a blank check to Zambrano now, before Zito signs, because whatever seems outrageous now will look like a bargain next fall.

Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
Signed for $11 million in ‘07, Ichiro has averaged more than 225 hits per season in six years since landing with Seattle. And he’s a plus defender with speed. If J.D. Drew can get a deal of more than $70 million, Ichiro may get something in the area of $50 million.

More after the jump »

The Yankees were slapped with a $26 million luxury tax by the commissioner’s office, raising New York’s total to $97.75 million over the last four years.

Boston, which missed the playoffs, was the only other team over the tax threshold and will pay $497,549.

New York hasn’t won the World Series since 2000 and was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year. The Yankees paid tax in all four seasons of the just-expired collective-bargaining agreement: $11.8 million in 2003, $26 million in 2004 and $34 million for last year.

The NFL suspended San Francisco 49er wide receiver Antonio Bryant four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

The sanction stems from Bryant’s arrest last month on suspicion of drunken driving, reckless driving and resisting arrest.

Bryant, 25, will miss the final two regular-season games and, if the 49ers advance to postseason play, the suspension will carry into the playoffs. If San Francisco does not make the playoffs, Bryant will sit out the first two games of the 2007 season, a league spokesman said late Friday afternoon.

�

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Note: He didn’t die…he’s getting released soon.

In a decision that should’ve been made over a decade ago, the National Hockey League has floated the idea of realigning its six current divisions into four, mainly aligned with time zones, according to a story on the TSN website in Canada.

Among the ideas:

��Reducing the current six divisions to four, with two in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western Conference. There would be one eight-team division and one seven-team division in each conference.

��The top two finishers in each division would be guaranteed the top four playoff seeds. The four other playoff qualifiers in each conference would be based on point totals.

��The Northeast Division — which includes Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo and Boston — would remain intact and add two other teams to form a seven-team division. Pittsburgh is one of those teams that would join the Northeast, sources told TSN.

��The current Atlantic Division (the three New York-area teams plus Philadelphia) would join the four teams from the current Southeast Division (all but one of Washington, Carolina, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Florida).

��The eight-team division in the Western Conference would feature all teams in Pacific or Mountain time zones (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Colorado and Phoenix).

��The seven-team division in the Western Conference would feature teams that are in either the Central or Eastern time zones.

Chicago Bears tackle Tank Johnson was ordered to not leave the state of Illinois after he posted bond on Friday.� The judge ruled that Johnson couldn’t leave his residence till they decide whether his arrest violated a 2005 conviction of gun charges.

Defense attorney Lorna Propes said Johnson wants to be the best possible representative of the team in the future.

Johnson was arrested Dec. 14 following a raid on his home. Authorities say they found a semi-automatic rifle with 19 live rounds in the master bedroom, four unloaded weapons in a closet and a loaded gun in the basement.

Less than 48 hours later, Johnson was at a Chicago bar when his friend was shot and killed.