Totally Random

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The Seattle Mariners have a new-look braintrust. Jack Zduriencik was named general manager in October and in November he hired Don Wakamatsu as manager (pictured together at right).

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.”

Trivia time

Who was the Seattle Mariners’ first manager?

Dog-gone energetic

The secret behind the offseason training regime of Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton? He lets the dogs out.

Hamilton has two pit bulls and 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 till they quit. And if you know anything about dogs, they don’t quit for a long time.”

Rockin’ around the sports world

Lorne Chan of the San Antonio Express-News writes that there are a few things sports could learn from rock n’ roll.

BCS 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.”

Record run

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.’’

Trivia answer

Darrell Johnson, who managed the Mariners to a 64-98 record in their expansion season of 1977.

And finally

Herm Edwards, coach of the 2-11 Kansas City Chiefs, on whether he’s a candidate for the job at San Diego State: “I’ve got a college team right now.”

-- Mike Penner