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Catting practice

Tiger, a cat who lived under a concession stand at Koym Field and was adopted as a mascot by many sports fans in East Bernard, Texas, is dead - bludgeoned by bat-wielding players from the high school’s two-time championship baseball team.

“I’m outraged,” said Nancy McNeal, district superintendent, who axed four players from the team. “I am not happy with these young men who are supposed to be setting an example for the other kids.”

Four players who admitted putting the gray tabby in a bag and beating her with bats - and then running over her with a truck - face animal cruelty charges.

Yeah, the truck thing was kind of overdoing it.

Thanks for the memories

The Brewers were crushed when long-time favorite Paul Molitor passed up the chance to return to Milwaukee in the off-season, instead electing to go to his hometown team, the Twins.

How disappointed were they? Well, Molitor’s No. 4 had not been worn since he left Milwaukee in 1993 and figures to be retired eventually. But this spring, the Brewers issued it to a non-roster infielder named Wes Weger.

After Weger was cut, Brewers infielder Pat Listach, a big Molitor fan, called his ex-teammate to see how he’d feel about Listach wearing the number.

“Apparently they had always held that number back in the hopes I would return,” Molitor said. “Now, the feeling in some people’s eyes there is that I spurned them, although that wasn’t my intention. There was no malice. But I think some people were offended.”

Of course, if he’d really ticked them off they’d have signed Kevin Mitchell and given him No. 4.

So that’s the guy in the suit

Marquette coach Mike Deane hung photos of some of the school’s former basketball standouts so his current team would appreciate Marquette’s great basketball tradition.

“Once I had the pictures put up in the locker room, I went around and asked the team who each guy was,” Deane said. “They didn’t even know Bo Ellis, and he is an assistant on my staff.”

Smoke on the water

Nine boats loaded for a weekend rowing competition burned last week at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga just hours before the team was to leave for Georgia. Firefighters said the blaze, discovered shortly before 3 a.m., was arson.

The fire came at a time when the struggling club team was enjoying success. The UTC crew had won 10 races in Florida, defeating the likes of Auburn and Florida.

Team captain Robert Meeks said the crew could borrow boats from other schools to compete in regattas, but getting boats for everyday practice could be difficult.

“It sounds cheesy, but when you’re a member of a team sport and your equipment is suddenly gone, your season is over,” Meeks said.

Hey, a good captain always goes down with his ship.

The last word …

“Spring training should last one day. We’d have the team golf outing and head north.”

- Former big-league first baseman John Kruk

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo