Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

SportsLink

Winning is nothing but a fantasy this season

A GRIP ON SPORTS

If today's post doesn't make a lot of sense – as if any of them really do – there is a reason. I had my rotisserie league draft last night and I'm moving kind of slow this morning. Read on.

••••••••••

• Before you think it's because I had too much to drink last night, don't. Well, yes, I did. But it was too much diet soda. Caffeine after 8 p.m. isn't the best thing for those of us in our bronze years (I'm not old enough to be in the golden years just yet). There was no way I was getting to sleep at my usual bedtime. Heck, that flew by while my roto partner and I were still trying to figure out how to win a bid on one pitcher who will strikeout more than 14 guys this season. But after getting home and complaining for an hour about how bad our team was to my long-suffering wife (who, like all good partners, nodded her head and made "I understand" noises even though she could care less), I still wasn't wound down. By the time I fell to sleep it was already today and I knew there was no way I was going to be my usual articulate self today. But you can't blame that on the caffeine. Nope, rotisserie baseball has a way of doing that to you even without chemicals. Really, why do grown men and women spend so many brain cells trying to decide if the Yankees' backup shortstop is worth keeping now that Derek Jeter is so injury prone? (This idiot decided the answer was yes.)  Want the simple answer? It's fun. And who can't use another fun activity in their life? Besides, as the baseball season wears on and the Mariners slowly sink into the West, there is always your rotisserie league team out there to lift your spirits. Or to remind you how you should have done more research before the draft. Me, I went into the season with a plan. I'm blaming my co-owner. That's why I invited him. Every team may not need a backup shortstop or a power hitter who could be on the juice, but everyone needs a scapegoat. I picked up mine three days before the draft. Heck, I may not know who the Indians' newest prospect is or which eighth-inning guy has the best chance to pick up saves, but I do know how to cover my ...

•••

• Washington State: Christian Caple confirmed something yesterday that I was told last week and passed along in this space. Ken Bone (pictured) will be back as WSU's basketball coach for another season. Christian also has his usual morning blog post. ... Former Cougar John Allen hopes to lead Western Washington to another NCAA Division II title.

• Gonzaga: Kelly Olynyk is a consensus All-American. He picked up another first-team honor today, from the NABC. ... Bud Withers has some thoughts on Gonzaga, post Wichita State. ... BYU is in the NIT semifinals after a road win against top-seed Southern Mississippi. ... The BYU women fell to St. Mary's in the WNIT.

• EWU: Weber State just keeps advancing in the CIT.

• Idaho: The Vandals have landed. Well, their football team has landed in the Sun Belt Conference, starting in 2014. Whether it's a good thing or not, that's for you to decide. Josh Wright has the particulars in this story and more in this blog post.

• Chiefs: The Americans clawed their way back into the series in game three. Now comes game four and the Chiefs have a chance to declaw them once again. Chris Derrick has the story. ... Portland has assumed control of the series with Everett.

• Shock: Jim Meehan is back on the beat and he returns with this feature on an assistant coach.

• Preps: It's Thursday and that means it's Prep Page day. Greg Lee has a notebook on a couple of volleyball hires in the area and a preview of the local track scene, focusing on Mead thrower Courtney Hutchinson (pictured). He also has a column concerning Idaho's state track problems.

• Mariners: Opening day is so close you can almost feel it. So the Seattle Times picked today to examine each of the teams in the American League West, from the Angels to the lowly Astros, newcomers to the league. Of course it didn't forget the Rangers or defending champion A's. ... The roster is all but done, with the starting rotation figured out and the minor league depth figured out. ... Eric Wedge is also in training, earning an ejection yesterday. Either that or he had a tee time.

• Sounders: The Sounders' trio all had a role in their national team's success recently. ... A schedule change was needed for the Sounders' reserves.

• Sonics: Does Sacramento have all the momentum in the Kings' saga? Not as long as Chris Hansen has some money to spend.

•••

• That's it for today. I hope I made sense. Not sure I did, but then again there is always tomorrow. By then I will have found someone to blame everything on. Until later ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

Follow Vince online:






Looking for a Grip on Sports?

Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.