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More than one way to beat Bonds

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Times Staff Writer

Dan Daly of the Washington Times is rooting for Alex Rodriguez to one day erase Barry Bonds’ name from the record books, and the columnist says the New York Yankees slugger has a good chance of doing it.

“According to my calculations,” Daly writes, “if A-Rod keeps averaging 597 at-bats a year -- and keeps hitting homers at his career rate (one every 14.3 at-bats) -- he’ll blast No. 801 in September 2014 ... about the same time Bonds is having cranial-reduction surgery on ‘Dr. 90210.’ ”

Trivia time

How many times have the Lakers played the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs?

Steps of another kind

Clyde Drexler enjoyed his time on “Dancing With the Stars,” he says, but the former Portland Trail Blazer told the Portland Tribune that it wasn’t easy devoting five to six hours a day to practicing and that when he and partner Elena Grinenko were voted out of the competition April 16, “I felt like I’d won the NBA championship.”

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He’s not conflicted

Stephen Jackson, smilingly dismissive of TNT’s Charles Barkley after Barkley compared the Golden State Warriors swingman to volatile Terrell Owens, told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, “Oh, I don’t listen to Charles. I don’t get in conflicts with people that don’t have championship rings. I’ve got one.”

All in the family

From David Letterman: “Hillary Clinton announced she will now meet with the Rutgers women’s basketball team. In a related story, Bill Clinton announced he’s going to meet with the Rutgers women’s swimming, volleyball and gymnastics teams.”

Cookie cone, or plain?

Steve Rosenbloom on his blog on ChicagoSports.com: “The Cubs called up reliever Rocky Cherry, apparently from double-A Baskin-Robbins.”

Double dribbler

Two-time NBA most valuable player Steve Nash of the Suns tells Playboy that his background in soccer helped him become a better playmaker.

“Since you don’t use your hands in soccer,” Nash says, “you find creative ways to get the ball to the right spot. Switching to basketball made ballhandling a lot easier. I could use my hands! It was almost like cheating.”

Strictly off the cob

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, on reports that actor Hugh Grant was arrested and questioned by police in London after a photographer had accused Grant of throwing a tub of baked beans at him: “Good thing Hughie isn’t a baseball player, seamheads pointed out, or it might’ve been a can of corn.”

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Trivia answer

This is the 11th time they’ve been paired, matching the number of times the Lakers and Trail Blazers have met in the playoffs.

The Lakers won in 1970, 1980, ‘82, ‘84, ‘85, ’89 and 2000; the Suns in 1990, ’93 and 2006. The Lakers, who have won 34 of the 54 games, have played more playoff games against only the Boston Celtics, whose record against the Lakers is 32-25.

And finally

Greg Cote in the Miami Herald: “I don’t want to say the Celtics lay down late in the season to increase their lottery chances, but I understand Doc Rivers’ title has been changed from head coach to tank commander.”

jerome.crowe@latimes.com

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