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Mariners winners at Scrabble

The Seattle Mariners have a new-look brain trust. Jack Zduriencik was named general manager in October, and in November he hired Don Wakamatsu as manager.

Writes Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: "Sure, the Mariners' rookie manager-GM combination ranks last in on-the job experience, but Wakamatsu-Zduriencik has no equal on a Scrabble board.

"As in 44 points, 26 by the Z-man alone."

PERFECT STOCKING STUFFER? -- Want to make a shorts stop for first-base apparel?

A game-worn pair of Kevin Youkilis' Spandex is up for sale through Wednesday on eBay -- and hard-core Red Sox fans already have ratcheted the bidding up to $202.50.

SOFT SCHEDULE? -- It might not rank up there with such time-honored traditions as Colorado's running of Ralphie or Notre Dame's painting of gold helmets, but Montana football fans toss Twinkies in the stands whenever the Grizzlies score a touchdown.

"In a related story," reported Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) StarPhoenix, "John Madden has asked NBC if he can cover University of Montana games."

SPORTS BEAT -- Lorne Chan of the San Antonio Express-News writes that sports could learn a few things from rock 'n' roll.

Bowl Championship Series concept: "The right rock band almost always wins a battle of the bands, especially when it's a playoff format."

NFL ties: "Rockers have no trouble playing an encore, especially when playing in front of 65,000."

Baseball rainouts: "Most rock shows happen rain or shine, unlike the World Series. Woodstock didn't have a 48-hour rain delay."

BARKLEY SPEAKS -- Charles Barkley recently assessed the Lakers' chances of equaling the Chicago Bulls' single-season record of 72 victories.

"It's going to be really close," he told Chicago radio station WMVP-AM. "It just depends on if they have the best record wrapped up. It's just a matter how they want to finish up.

"I think they will have the home court throughout the playoffs wrapped up before they get to 70. I think they'll take the foot off the pedal."

CANINE CONDITIONING -- The secret behind the off-season training regimen of Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton?

He lets the dogs out.

Hamilton has two pit bulls, and he told USA Today he stays in shape by running with them.

"If you let dogs outside after they've been in the house all day, the first thing they want to do is take off," Hamilton said. "So I get out of the house and take off with them and run 'til they quit.

"And if you know anything about dogs, they don't quit for a long time."

DIRTY DANCING -- Three members of the Chapin High School dance team in El Paso, Texas, cooked up laxative-laced brownies to send to rival Andress' dancers the night before their schools' football game, the El Paso Times reported.

School officials, upon thwarting the attempt, called it an isolated incident, not an ongoing problem.

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