Reports: Leyritz charged following fatal accident  —  Former major league baseball player Jim Leyritz has been arrested in Broward County, Fla. and charged with drunken driving and vehicular homicide, according to Miami-area media reports.  —  According to Fort Lauderdale police …

BOSTON'S MARKET  —  BOSOX STILL LEAD IN JOHAN RACE  —  JOHAN Santana remains available.  The New York teams remain interested.  Yet, according to multiple executives spoken to yesterday, the Red Sox remain the strong favorite to obtain the star lefty if - and probably more likely, when - he is traded in the new year.

Mets show interest in Lieber  —  The Mets have touched base with representatives for several free-agent pitchers they consider fallback options if they are unable to land a marquee starter in a trade this winter.  —  One of those contingency arms apparently belongs to former Yankee righty Jon Lieber, according to agent Rex Gary.

Clubhouse culture led ex-Mariner to steroids and greenies … There is something different about this.  Most big-leaguers and recent baseball retirees have been scrambling to distance themselves from the Mitchell Report, or they've called on their agent or a neatly crafted statement to explain away their performance-enhancing drug use.

Entertainer and Fighter Is Clemens's Lead Lawyer  —  Rusty Hardin, the Houston lawyer hired by Roger Clemens to defend him from claims he used performance-enhancing drugs, is a star of the Texas bar, a charmer of juries and journalists and a lawyer whose preparation and aggressive tactics draw …

Debate: Is Bert Blyleven a Hall of Famer? … Bert Blyleven has 287 wins and is fifth all time with 3,701 strikeouts.  But so far those numbers haven't gotten Blyleven elected to the Hall of Fame.  —  In this, his 11th year on the ballot, will Blyleven get enough votes to become part of the Class of 2008?

SECOND HOME  —  Bob Costas is the latest celeb to buy a costly apartment at 15 Central Park West.  City records show the sportscaster and his wife, Jill, paid more than $11 million for a just-completed 3,500- square-foot abode in the new condo tower.  The Post's Braden Keil reports the three-bedroom …

The Deal of the Year  —  I have enjoyed following the free agent market this year, and I've tried to put a value on most of the players who have signed contracts so far.  While there are plenty of contacts yet to be signed, I'd like to give the award to the best signing to the 2007 offseason to the San Francisco Giants.

Final Four: 2007 Sports Blog of the Year Tournament  —  This is a one day shootout.  It ends TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT!  —  The reasoning is simple.  The championship round will go all weekend and finish at MIDNIGHT 2008!  —  Thanks for participating.  —  Popularity: 2% [?]

Magic '08 Ball  —  So you can't decide if you love or hate baseball these days, torn by a sport that's impossibly rich (a record $6 billion in revenue in 2007), popular (79.5 million in attendance, another record) but undermined by scandal (steroids).  —  Welcome to the ever-shifting tides …

Bowl Season Doesn't Officially Start Until Something Crazy Happens, Well Something Crazy Happened  —  Ladies and gentlemen I give you Texas' new favorite son, Chris.  Actually Chris is Mack Brown's stepson and boy oh boy are they going to love him if Texas loses this one.

Castillo will get competition from Wood for third base  —  Jose Castillo had one goal in mind as he evaluated his opportunities for next season: Become an everyday player again.  —  The Pirates' second baseman from 2004-06, Castillo will get that chance as a third baseman with the Marlins …

ROGER PEDDLES TOUR DE FARCE  —  We get the Floyd Landis defense now from Roger Clemens, which means putting everybody else on trial.  Maybe it will work out better for Clemens than it did for Landis.  Maybe Clemens will still make it to Cooperstown, make all the money you can make as a Hall of Famer …