Fast Break

Baseball

New GM will be busy

Jack Zduriencik was introduced Friday as the new general manager of the Mariners, the first of many tasks ahead of him.

Zduriencik has to decide soon on a manager and what to do about Raul Ibanez, 36, who led the Mariners with 110 RBIs this season and is eligible for free agency.

He also has to overhaul a team that finished 61-101 after entering the year with postseason aspirations.

He said Ned Yost, a “great friend” suddenly fired as the Brewers manager last month, and former Seattle interim manager Jim Riggleman are two candidates for manager. Riggleman has accepted a job as bench coach with Washington, but the Nationals said they would not stand in his way if offered the M’s managerial job.

Basketball

Surprise, surprise

Russ Pennell was as surprised as anyone to be selected as the interim replacement for retired Arizona coach Lute Olson.

The selection came as a shock because Pennell, 47, has ties to Arizona’s archrival, Arizona State. He was an assistant to former Arizona State coach Rob Evans from 1998-2006 and served last season as a Sun Devils radio analyst.

Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood turned to Pennell, who has never been a college head coach, after Olson’s top assistant, Mike Dunlap, turned down the job. Dunlap will remain on the staff as an assistant.

NASCAR

Another rainout

Rain washed of Sprint Cup qualifying for the third consecutive week, forcing NASCAR to set the field on points at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It gave Jimmie Johnson the top starting spot, and put the 11 drivers chasing him for the title right on his bumper.

It’s the ninth pole of the season for Johnson, and four of them have been handed to him because of rain.