NEW YEWAR, SAME STORY.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

The year is new, but it's the same old story: Some stuff slips through the cracks; some of these aren't as cracked up as they seem to be:

What's the story: A company using a CT scan computer imaging system claims baseballs used in 1998 during the Major League Baseball home-run boom had a larger rubberized core and a synthetic rubber ring -- including the ball Mark McGwire hit for his record-establishing 70th homer.

Universal Medical Systems Inc., with the assistance of two doctors from the Center for Quantitive Imaging at Penn State, X-rayed 35 balls from '98 and declared: ``While McGwire may or may not have used illegal steroids, the evidence shows his (70th homer) ball, under the governing body of the league, was juiced,'' said David Zavango, the UMS president.

Baseball's chief operating officer Bob DuPuy said the league is ``satisfied that the ball comports with all major league specifications.''

What's the spin: In a similar study commissioned by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, an imaginative marketing company using barcode scanners and large rubber gloves have determined the NBA balls used during the early part of the 2006-07 season ``sucked really bad.''

What's the story: Angela Batinovich, majority owner of the Portland Lumberjax of the indoor National Lacrosse League, has announced her engagement to Adam Bysouth.

By the way, Bysouth is a player for the Lumberjax.

``We kind of had to decide if this was going to be something we really wanted to try, or if this was just something we needed to just end and not let it complicate our lives -- and we decided we wanted to keep going,'' said Batinovich, 26, who began dating Bysouth, 27, two years ago when she was scouting a game he played in Anaheim.

The wedding is set for August.

What's the spin: Rumors out of St. Louis indicate that Rams owner Georgia Frontiere was recently seen getting ``a little too frisky'' with running back John David Washington during an exit interview at the end of the 2006 season.

Team officials who ``weren't too grossed out'' informed the 77-year-old Frontiere that the 22-year-old rookie was only a practice squad player, but she didn't seem deterred until it was also ``strongly suggested to her'' that Washington's father, Denzel, probably wouldn't approve of her taking a relationship with his son ``to any level.'' She was also given a DVD copy of the movie, ``Man On Fire,'' to give her ``something to think about.''

What's the story: Electronic Arts Inc., makers of the popular John Madden video game, issued an apology to 14-year-old Kolton Mahoney of Layton, Utah, after he received a copy of ``Madden NFL '07'' for Christmas that had pornographic images instead of football players.

Mahoney received the game, which was in a factory-sealed case, from an uncle who had purchased it at a Circuit City in Modesto. The game had what was called an ``explicit image'' as well as titles of several adult films produced by a studio in Northridge.

The electronic store also planned to send Mahoney a replacement along with several other games.

What's the spin: Mahoney reportedly accepted the apology, but threw a fit when he tried to convince his dad to turn down the store's exchange offer. ``My parents always told me it wasn't polite to return presents from relatives,'' he said. ``This is also something I'll never regift.''

He also says John Madden is now his ``most favorite person in the whole world, ever.''

What's the story: Boise State running back Ian Johnson, who enjoys crocheting beanies and scarves in his free time, has been told by the NCAA to stop selling the items, or even giving them away to charities.

Originally, the NCAA said he could sell them as long as he didn't promote them. An ESPN story on him and his hobby drew attention to it and led to the new ruling.

The quirky activity had been Johnson's main source of income and he said he had a backorder of about 100 requests.

What's the spin: Yes, this is the same Johnson who proposed marriage to the head Boise State cheerleader after Monday's Fiesta Bowl victory.

His new fianc'e reportedly posted an item on her MySpace.com site implying she wasn't all that impressed in receiving an engagement ring that turned to be a recycled lanyard and will insist he ``finally put them knittin' needles away and get his `knit-one, pearl-two' rear end down to the employment office'' before she goes ahead with the nuptial plans.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere might be getting too comfortable with her employees, such as head coach Scott Linehan.

Elsa/Getty Images

(2) GILBERT ARENAS

(3) IAN JOHNSON

(4) NICK SABAN

Box:

(1) sunday punch

(2) HOT ... LUKEWARM ... COLD FISH