THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL THEY KNOW THE SCORE, TOO.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH

He's somewhere off the coast of East Africa aboard the USS Belleau Wood, an amphibious assault ship actually acting as a floating military base right now. It's purpose is to assist a Special Ops strike force for a covert plan that involves going into Yemen to hunt down al-Qaida fighters hiding out in the nearby jungles.

Staff sergeant Mitchell P. LeBlanc - my brother in law - is part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the ship, one of 4,000 servicemen part of this strategy in Operation Eternal Freedom. He's on the support staff, side by side with the pilots and troops trained for stealth attacks to kill or capture suspected terrorists.

He sent me an e-mail the other day. He was worried.

``How's Shaq's foot doing? Is he going to be OK for the season?''

I realize how sports is a diversion in our lives, especially after Sept. 11. As life gets more and more turbulent, it's a safe place to hide out. Even more so, that hits home with the e-mail.

Mitch knows how sports fits in with everything else right now, too. He explained:

``I'm looking at it like being either a passenger or a driver of a car. I can't control Shaq's recovery, just like a passenger in a car. But we both want a safe return to victory lane.

``I can control my safety somewhat here, like a driver controls a car, so my safety doesn't worry me a bit. We all train hard to be professionals at this.

``As long as everyone is safe at home - including Shaq - we're happy and doing our job. Sounds funny: little me having a part in the responsibility of protecting the Diesel, eh?''

After assuring him Shaq's operation went well and he's back at practice doing rehab, I felt I was doing a small part to help morale over there. Wherever they are.

He told me in another e-mail the Internet is the main place the sailors facing a 10-hour difference across the international date line can get their sports fix. A lot of them are into fantasy leagues, so ``instead of thinking how long each week is, you look forward to your next game.''

Sports bonds the crew members. They're allowed to watch two NFL games Sunday, along with the Monday night contest.

``I find that some people don't even know what offsides is, but they're intensely watching the Dolphins play just because they're from Miami,'' he wrote.

``I just think sports is very important to a majority of the Marines and sailors here. It reminds us of home and puts us at ease after all the hard work we've accomplished and what still lays ahead.'' ...

--It's conceivable Jerry Rice, who turns 40 this Sunday, could be playing in Oakland someday as a 49er. ...

--A group called Binge has a new song out called ``Anna Kournikova.'' It has absolutely no chance of ever going to No. 1 on the charts, but we listen to it every day. ...

--Keep your antennae up for stuff this week coming out of a potentially nasty trial that just started in L.A. federal court pitting sports agent Leigh Steinberg against former partner David Dunn.

Stargazers already are on the lookout for clients such as Drew Bledsoe and Steve Young, who'll probably be by to testify. ...

--If I had a big mug of Carrot Top painted on the hood of my Chevy, as Kenny Wallace does to appease his NASCAR sponsors, my first inclination would be to smash into the first wall I see coming out of the first turn. ...

--If you happen to see Nomar pulled over on the 101 this offseason, let him know new L.A. top cop William Bratton is a huge Red Sox fan.