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The Spokesman-Review

Baseball

M’s give Putz $13.1 million deal

J.J. Putz cashed in on his breakout debut season as the Seattle Mariners closer, agreeing Wednesday to a $13.1 million, three-year contract.

Putz gets a $1.5 million signing bonus plus base salaries of $2.2 million this season, $3.4 million in 2008 and $5 million in 2009. The Mariners have an $8.6 million option for 2010, with a $1 million buyout.

Putz had 36 saves – the fourth-highest total in a Mariners season – in 2006, his second full season in the major leagues. The hard-throwing, 29-year-old right-hander entered the year as setup man to Eddie Guardado, before Guardado taught Putz how to grip a split-fingered fastball for better movement during spring training.

Guardado then faltered in the season’s first month, leading to Putz taking his job for good in May. Guardado has since been traded.

NFL

Schottenheimer will return

Marty Schottenheimer will return as coach of the San Diego Chargers next season, but turned down a one-year extension for 2008 worth $4.5 million.

Three days after the talented Chargers melted down in a 24-21 playoff loss to the New England Patriots, team president Dean Spanos announced that the embattled coach will be back for the final year of his contact.

Speculation grew following Sunday’s loss that Schottenheimer might be fired because of the front office’s expectations of a Super Bowl run, and to the coach’s icy relationship with general manager A.J. Smith.

Spanos said Schottenheimer was offered a one-year, $4.5 million contract extension, with a $1 million buyout.

SportsLink

Eagles look for redemption

It’s rare in college basketball that a school gets a chance to avenge a defeat less than two weeks later. But that’s the opportunity the Eastern Eagles have tonight in Cheney.

Eastern hosts Northern Arizona at 7:05 p.m., 12 days after losing to the Lumberjacks 109-101 in Flagstaff. SportsLink will be there with notes and analysis before, during and after the game. Click in at spokesmanreview.com/ blogs/sportslink and join the conversation as the Eagles try to move up the Big Sky Conference standings.