Not a lot to scream about today
A GRIP ON SPORTS
Yesterday we didn't write a lot due to back problems. Well, after a trip to the doctor and pharmacist (who I presumed was a Cougar because almost every pharmacist around here is a Cougar), we're doing a bit better. A bit better, as in we can actually sit at our computer and type without screaming. Read on.
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• But what to write about? The Mariners aren't all that thrilling – they lost to Josh Beckett yesterday and he was pitching with a 7-iron and a range finder for goodness sake – right now, college sports are boring and even the high schools are hit-and-miss until regionals heat up this weekend. We could wonder why the best player in the NBA, LeBron James, doesn’t take his team's last shot with the game on the line in the playoffs, but a million national commentators, give or take a handful, have already done that. We could decry the Angels firing Mickey Hatcher, one of all-time favorite players whether he was with Minnesota or the Dodgers, because Albert Pujols isn't hitting, but that seems like a futile gesture. We could talk about how great the weather is or how hard it is not to be able to swing a golf club right now or the goings on in Pullman with the squirrels. But we will resist, though the squirrel calls on the police blotter the other day really made me laugh. Instead, we'll just move on to the links and thank God the pain pills are kicking in.
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• Washington State: There is such a gaping hole in the news report Christian Caple declined to visit the blog this morning. In his stead, we'll point you to the San Francisco Chronicle and this story on former Coug Klay Thompson (right) finishing sixth in the NBA rookie of the year voting – and being named to the team that will prep the US Olympic squad this summer. I'm sure most Cougar fans will celebrate Thompson's ROY finish even more when they see who finished seventh. ... Speaking of hoops, former Shadle Park and Mead star (and WSU tight end) Aaron Dunn has put football behind him and is headed to Western Washington to play hoops for the reigning Division II champions. ... The Cougars snapped a tough four-game losing streak by beating visiting USC 3-1 in baseball last night. ... From out of nowhere, Ted Miller swoops in at ESPN.com and throws a mailbag at us. On a Wednesday. And it leads with a WSU question. Not sure I can handle it. ... The Huskies (and possibly the Pac-12's) best golfer comes from Moscow, Idaho. All of 8 miles from Pullman. He's the subject of this outstanding Todd Milles feature in the News Tribune and Scott Hanson's story in the Times. ... Just for fun, I'm passing along George Schroeder's Register-Guard column on Oregon's state-of-the-art (as drawn by Norman Rockwell) softball field.
• Preps: It was golf playoff day in Spokane, with Jim Meehan at the 4A tournament and Jessica Brown covering the 3A. ... Jess also has this feature on a Shadle Park softball player. ... Jim Allen was at Central Valley's shootout win over Emerald Ridge in the state soccer playoffs (above). ... We also can pass along a roundup and a story on Idaho state golf.
• Mariners: Really, I'm not sure what to write. Should I decry the lack of offense against Beckett, who was basically booed off the mound by the Fenway faithful just a few days ago? Or should I mention Brendan Ryan wasn't in Tuesday's version of Eric Wedge's lineup? Should I mention Franklin Gutierrez is still at least a month away or laugh at the M's being excited about hitting a few balls hard? Or should I just say the M's lost 5-0 to the Red Sox and are now headed to Cleveland.
• Sounders: No one ever said soccer players are the most innovative of athletes. But singing a Christmas carol with revamped lyrics after road wins, that's brilliant. Reminds me of the song we used to sing in college based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. It was titled "A Pitcher's Life For Me," and the lyrics have no place in a family-friendly blog post. ... A 19-year-old forward is beginning to contribute for the Sounders (left).
• Seahawks: Seattle has made some roster moves. We'll write that line a few times over the ensuing months.
• NBA: There should be some big news on the Sodo arena proposal today. Just in time for the Heat to draw up a last-second 3-pointer for Ronny Turiaf.
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• You know, sometimes writing can be a healing exercise. Since I sat down about 90 minutes ago to put together this morning blog post, I've started to feel a lot better. The power of words. Or pain pills, which may just be kicking in. Who knows? Until later ...
