A world without rules 1
A GRIP ON SPORTS The Tour de France in going on. Baseball's home run derby is tonight. Track and field is in the news. What do these three things have in common? Read on.
MONDAY, JULY 15, 2013
SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2013
Ledbetter twins at home with Rangers
Spokane Indians pitcher David Ledbetter and his identical twin Ryan were both drafted the Texas Rangers last month. David starts for the Indians and is expected to pitch Tuesday at home against Tri-City. Ryan is a reliever with the Rangers' team in the Arizona Rookie…
Indians ends three-game losing skid
The Spokane Indians ended a three-game losing streak Sunday night with an 8-4 win at Salem-Keizer. The Volcanoes won the five-game Northwest League series 3-2. Spokane returns home Monday for the first of three games against the Tri-City Dust Devils before taking to the road…
Another no-hitter? Is it a big deal? 1
A GRIP ON SPORTS Why is a no-hitter considered such a big deal in baseball? Just because a pitcher, and the defense behind him, was able to keep the other team without a hit doesn't mean he pitched all that well. Or even won the…
SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2013
Indians suffer second shutout of season
Until the past three days, the Spokane Indians had played well on the road and extremely well against Northwest League South Division team. That has changed with three consecutive losses against Salem-Keizer at Volcanoes Stadium, including Saturday's 6-0 setback. Spokane has been outscored 21-3 in…
Spokane sweeps Florida trip
Spokane capped its lengthy road trip to Florida with an easy 62-40 win over Jacksonville on Saturday, one week after handling Tampa Bay 63-49. Ex-Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley had a rough night against Spokane's defense. He was intercepted three times and fumbled once. The Shock…
Ibanez drinking from the fountain of youth
A GRIP ON SPORTS I'm not sure I'm a fan of Raul Ibanez. Read on.
FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2013
Indians drop second straight to Volcanoes
The Spokane Indians had been on a roll through Wednesday, when they opened a five-game Northwest League series at Salem-Keizer with a 4-3 win. That victory gave Spokane nine wins in 10 games. Salem-Keizer, however, showed why it's leading the South Division with two straight…
On the road for a while
A GRIP ON SPORTS Sometimes when you leave home, you can forget to take everything you need. And sometimes you take too much. Read on.
THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013
Indians pitchers liberal with walks in defeat
The Spokane Indians had their three-game winning streak snapped Thursday night with a 9-1 loss at Salem-Keizer. The Indians issued 13 walks, including five during the Volcanoes' six-run fourth inning. Spokane starter Kelvin Vasquez (0-2) issued seven walks in three innings. The middle game of…
It's not that long now 6
A GRIP ON SPORTS Let's get going today. It's time. Time to get started. Get into it. ... Sorry, I've got nothing. It's the middle of July and I'm about tapped out. Read on.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
Radio days and birthdays 4
A GRIP ON SPORTS It's sort of tough to get into the writing mode this morning. But I have a pretty good reason. Read on.
TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013
Well that's interesting 2
A GRIP ON SPORTS It's nearly impossible to predict what will kick off a lively back-and-forth between readers. I've quit trying to figure it out. And I know I should just shy away and let the conversation continue without me. But sometimes I can't. Read…
MONDAY, JULY 8, 2013
Indians complete 4-1 series win over Eugene
The Spokane Indians have won two consecutive Northwest League series, capping their latest success with a 2-1 squeaker over Eugene on Monday night at Avista Stadium. The Indians, coming off a three-game sweep of Tri-City, won four of five against the Emeralds. It was the…
A pretty strong debut 13
A GRIP ON SPORTS Say you are a Boston Celtic fan living in, I don't know, Dorchester, Mass. You don't watch much college basketball because, after all, the Celtics are everything (though the Bruins and Pats are OK too). So Sunday you wander down to…
Cougars get commitment from kicker
COUGARS With Washington State set to lose both of its scholarship kickers after the 2013 season -- Andrew Furney and Mike Bowlin are both seniors -- it stands to reason that coach Mike Leach might want to offer a kicker a spot in his 2014…
SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2013
Indians ride high with six-run eighth
The Spokane Indians left 13 runners runners on base through the first seven innings of Sunday afternoon's Northwest League baseball game against Eugene. Although they left two more stranded in the eighth, for a total of 15, it didn't matter in the end. Starting with…
Anything could happen
A GRIP ON SPORTS The telly is on, as I watch the most important English sporting event since, well, since the last soccer match. Andy Murray is carrying 77 years of history on his back, trying to become the first British man since Fred Perry…
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 2013
Indians nearly overcome inconsistent play
The Spokane Indians were one swing away from extending their winning streak to seven games on Saturday night, but too many early-game blunders came back to haunt them. Spokane's four-run ninth inning wasn't enough in a 9-8 Northwest League loss to the Eugene Emeralds. Despite…
Shock rally past Storm, 63-49
It looked like a repeat of the first meeting for a while, but Spokane found its stride late in the first half and rallied for a 63-49 road win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. Erik Meyer tossed seven touchdown passes, five to Brandon Thompkins, as…
Shock back to work in Tampa Bay
Spokane returns to the field tonight against Tampa Bay in a rematch of an April game that was won by the Storm, 70-62, in Spokane. Here's my game preview and another from Florida. The big question: Will Storm quarterback Adrian McPherson play? He missed Tampa…
Is Lakers' greatness only a memory? 1
A GRIP ON SPORTS OK, I admit it. There was a time when there wasn't a bigger Laker fan on this planet. But we all grow out of our youthful indiscretions, don't we? Read on.
FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2013
Extra-inning victory puts Indians' streak at six
All of a sudden, the Spokane Indians can seriously think about coming out on top in the North Division during the first half of the Northwest League season. A six-game winning streak can do that for a team during short-season Class A play. Spokane defeated…
It just might be a long weekend
A GRIP ON SPORTS Just wondering. How many of you have a four-day holiday weekend? Read on.
THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013
Indians' bats wake up in late innings
If you left Thursday night's Northwest League game between the Spokane Indians and visiting Eugene Emeralds in the fifth inning (perhaps you're afraid of postgame fireworks), you got the wrong idea of how the evening would unfold. Through five innings, Eugene led Spokane 3-0 and…
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