Game 9: Yankees at Royals  —  YANKEES  —  Notes: Jorge Posada has been diagnosed with a shoulder strain according to the KC team doctor and should only miss a few days.  It doesn't look like a DL.  He had the MRI sent to Dr. James Andrews for confirmation and the Yankees will have their doctors look at it as well.

Indictment: Agents steered baseball players to doctor for performance-enhancing drugs  —  NEW YORK (AP)—A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday charged that unidentified agents for baseball players steered clients to a California physician linked in media reports to supplying Troy Glaus …

METS POISED TO SIGN VARGAS  —  The Mets are on the verge of signing free-agent right-hander Claudio Vargas to a minor-league contract, and a deal could be done as early as tomorrow, The Post has learned.  —  Vargas' agent, Bean Stringfellow, told The Post today that the Mets have offered Vargas …

Boos taste sweet to Renteria … Fenway fans may have had a blast last night as they endlessly booed former Red Sox [team stats] shortstop Edgar Renteria, who now plays for the Detroit Tigers.  —  But Renteria did not get battered by the booing.  Instead, he turned it into a positive.

Pujols, Backe quarrel during BP  —  Argument stemmed from play at the plate on Tuesday  —  HOUSTON — Apparently, Brandon Backe and Albert Pujols aren't the best of friends.  They've never liked each other, but until Wednesday, that was one of the better-kept secrets surrounding …

Sisco undergoes Tommy John surgery  —  Left-hander will miss 12 to 24 months during recovery period  —  CHICAGO — Andrew Sisco underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery on Monday in New York and will be out of action between 12 to 24 months during his recovery period.

Sprague admits use of Andro  —  Pacific baseball coach also used amphetamines  —  STOCKTON - One of Stockton's most accomplished baseball players said that during his 11-year playing career he took substances that have since been banned by Major League Baseball.

M's could use performance incentives  —  Editor's note: Seth Kolloen is executive editor of Sports Northwest Magazine.  His work appears occasionally in the Seattle P-I.  —  WHO CHANGED THE calendar and put April right after September?  —  Just like last season, Mariners veterans are failing …

Chicago Cubs  —  But Sammy Sosa, the Cubs' career home run leader, remains an outcast to many of the same fans who used to cheer his majestic blasts and animated chest-thumping routine.  —  Sosa, who reached 609 career home runs last season while playing for Texas, is considering retirement …

Dialing up all Hall of Famers for All-Star Game  —  Tributes and nostalgia have become an annual component of baseball's All-Star Game.  For this year's Midsummer Classic, scheduled for July 15 at Yankee Stadium, Major League Baseball has a particularly ambitious plan.

DETROIT TIGERS BASEBALL  —  Cruceta's visa finally gets approved  —  BOSTON — In what could be a significant piece of news for the Tigers, Francisco Cruceta's visa has been approved and he can now report to the Tigers.  —  Cruceta can pick up his visa Thursday morning in Santo Domingo …

GOOSE: LEAVE JOBA IN BULLPEN  —  YANKEES SHOULD STICK TO ONE ROLE  —  The Yankees still intend to make Joba Chamberlain into a starter this season, although no one seems to be sure just when or exactly how that change will happen.  That lack of certainty strikes Goose Gossage as a bad idea.