Speculation

Raul Ibanez has a message for those who say his spectacular offensive performance in a Phillies uniform could be a result of performance-enhancing drugs. "I'll come after people who defame or slander me," he said before last night's game against the New York Mets. "It's pathetic and disgusting. There should be some accountability for people who put that out there. " A column in yesterday's Inquirer brought to light an Internet blogger who wondered if Ibanez had used such drugs.

Danny Manning, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, was waived yesterday by the Dallas Mavericks. Manning, 36, signed as a free agent by the Mavericks in August, played in 41 games, averaging 4.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.5 minutes last season. He wasn't on the team's postseason roster after missing 23 games at the end of the regular season because of a lower-back strain. Manning was the first pick in the 1988 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers after he led Kansas to the NCAA title.

Steve Mariucci stepped up to a podium after the 49ers beat the Packers, 30-27, in yesterday's wild-card game and looked more relieved than jubilant. For a week, speculation over Mariucci's future as the 49ers' coach hung over San Francisco heavier than fog. And to make it worse, the gossip mill's leading candidate to replace him would be across the field from him in yesterday's game. And Mike Holmgren was doing absolutely nothing to throw water on this little bonfire. When someone asked Mariucci about it after the game, he paused, his eyes full of all the things he wouldn't say, and said, "It was a good win, huh?"

Determined naivete is the best way to describe the reaction of financial experts to the continuing global monetary crisis. Government bankers, currency traders and economists have generally put forward two childlike scenarios: Either there is a battle going on between nations and speculators or the international markets are merely seeking realistic values for local currencies. In both scenarios, the billions of dollars spent driving down or propping up money are presented as the natural costs of survival in an uncontrollable global market.

The Seattle SuperSonics said they had some interest in Phil Jackson as their new coach. Instead, they decided to hire out-of-work Paul Westphal to replace George Karl. "We interviewed four outstanding candidates for the job and the speculation that we were waiting to talk to a fifth candidate [Jackson] was accurate, but the further we got into the process the more evident it became that Paul was the right man for this job," president Wally Walker said yesterday. Said Westphal: "I think this is the best job that's come available in the time I've been out. I was waiting for a great job and this is a great job. " Westphal, 47, reportedly agreed to a four-year contract that will pay him between $1 million and $1.5 million a season.

William Thomas's last two seasons haven't been all that great. Enter competition . . . or exit Thomas? The Eagles are expected to announce the signing of Seattle free-agent linebacker James Logan today. Logan is a fourth-year player familiar with the principles of new defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's scheme, since Johnson was Logan's position coach last season. Johnson said yesterday Logan would have been a full-time starter on most teams but circumstances precluded him from starting in Seattle last season, where free agent Darrin Smith had just landed and where Logan broke his left leg for the second time in three years, limiting him to just four games and one start.

For the first time in many years, Phillies general manager Lee Thomas is not attending the World Series. Thomas chose to stay in Philadelphia, but that hasn't stopped his name from coming up frequently. One of the hottest rumblings has Thomas being fired shortly after the Nov. 18 expansion draft and being replaced by Indians assistant GM Dan O'Dowd. And this is not just idle World Series chatter. The speculation is being fueled by the fact that Thomas is not here, and O'Dowd and Phillies president David Montgomery are. Could a job interview be in the works?

AT SOME point during his 800-meter preliminary run on Monday, Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria determined he had no real shot in the event so he stopped running on the first lap. Speculation is that Makhloufi, the African champion in the 1,500, wanted to conserve energy for that event final on Tuesday, in which he was a strong favorite for a medal. Not so slow, my friend. The International Association of Athletics Federations - track and field's governing body - did not look favorably on Makhloufi's lack of effort.

FOR JEREMY Maclin, the waiting and the uncertainty and the word cancer combined to conjure up the kind of burden no kid should have to carry. Anyone can empathize with Maclin's struggle the last few months, and with the joy of a clean diagnosis he must currently feel. Few, though, understand the rest of it: Maclin's quiet insistence on dignity and privacy as his medical situation remained uncertain. He is a celebrity, after all, a wide receiver whose potential for stardom is as underrated as the man himself is understated.

For Jeremy Maclin, the waiting and the uncertainty and the word cancer combined to conjure up the kind of burden no kid should have to carry. Anyone can empathize with Maclin's struggle the last few months, and with the joy of a clean diagnosis he must currently feel. Few, though, understand the rest of it: Maclin's quiet insistence on dignity and privacy as his medical situation remained uncertain. He is a celebrity, after all, a wide receiver whose potential for stardom is as underrated as the man himself is understated.