1. The Mariners denied Adrian Beltre the right to play in the World Baseball Classic to make sure he stays on his rehab schedule during Spring Training. Was this a fair move on the part of the organization?

Maks: Considering the Mariners, not the Dominican Republic, are paying his $13 million salary, I would say so.

Allen: It’s fair and I understand the need to make sure Beltre is healthy considering he’s one of the M’s only offensive threats, but c’mon, if Carlos Silva is allowed to play in the WBC, then there really shouldn’t be any restrictions.

Honsen: Yes, the Mariners are perfectly justified as far as protecting their assets in the interest of the team. Besides, the Dominicans probably have someone else who hits better than about .260 to play third base.

Christian: Yes. Nobody cares about the WBC, anyway. This would be like an injured Tom Brady wanting to play in the Pro Bowl.

2. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Huskies as a No. 3 seed playing in Portland for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. How much higher do you think Washington can go, if any?

Maks: I just want to see a Huskies-’Zags showdown in the tournament so I can post comments all over my high school friends’ Facebook walls about how silly they were for going to Gonzaga. Spokane? Really?

Allen: The only possible way I see the Huskies getting a No. 2 seed is if they win out or play extremely well in the Pac-10 Tournament and hope that some teams in the top-10 or so falter down the stretch.

Honsen: Can the Huskies go any higher? The nation still seems to think that the Pac-10 is weak this season and UW is ranked No. 13 even though they just won at least a share of the Pac-10 title. It seems the Huskies would peak at the No. 3 seed even if they win out, including the Pac-10 Tournament.

Christian: I think if they win out, including the Pac-10 Tournament, it would be really difficult to deny them a No. 2 seed. It would also be really difficult to keep a 19-13 Pac-10 team out of the NIT, but that happened to the Huskies two years ago, so who knows.

3. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat Dallas Monday despite playing without the sophomore duo of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. What do victories like this say about the direction the former Sonics are going in?

Maks: I’m the crazy guy on campus who thinks this team will leapfrog over Portland next season as the league’s best young team. The “Blunder” have Durant, two burgeoning stars in Green and Russell Westbrook and a GM who actually gets it. Hey Kevin Pritchard, keep telling yourself that Kevin Durant wouldn’t look awfully good right now as your starting small forward (26 ppg, 6.6 rebounds, 43 percent from three-land). Bill Russell? Ha.

Allen: I, unlike Maks, don’t harbor any hatred toward the Blazers, but I definitely agree with him that OKC looks like a team that could be pretty dangerous in the years to come. And with more first-round draft picks on the way, the Thunder are in a great position to make some smart moves. Now if only they could trick players into playing for a team that plays in the middle of nowhere.

Honsen: Once again, Clay Bennett finds a way to sucker-punch Seattle. Then again, the game probably says more about the Mavericks — who are barely holding on to the eighth and last spot in the Western Conference — overlooking the Thunder.

Christian: Absolutely nothing. It was one game, and it’s the NBA. They’re all professional basketball players.

4. The Seahawks signed top free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a five-year contract Monday. Considering the quality of the NFC West, does this bode well for Seattle’s division chances next season?

Maks: It would if Matt Hasselbeck was healthy enough next year to get the ball to him.

Allen: Jack Zduriencik, Sigi Schmid, Steve Sarkisian and now this guy. Get me a name easier to pronounce than Houshmandzadeh, then I’ll answer the stupid question.

Honsen: He most definitely will, as long as he doesn’t catch the curse of the Seattle wide receivers everyone on the Seahawks’ wideout corps got last season.

Christian: It doesn’t bode well for beat writers and columnists who have to type his name in every story, that’s for sure. I’ll have to program ‘Houshmandzadeh’ into T9 on my cell phone now.