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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Did you get sucked in as well?

A GRIP ON SPORTS

I am a sucker. There, I admitted it. That feels better. Read on.

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• Here's what I wrote yesterday:

The Hawks have the final selection, the spot reserved for the NFL champion. They also have a penchant for trading picks for more picks and, with just six choices in the seven rounds, Seattle just might decide it wants quantity in the later rounds over dubious quality at the end of the first. So you could watch hour after hour only to hear Roger Goodell, the first-round emcee, talk about a trade to Cleveland or Minnesota or Tampa Bay. Exciting, huh? Still, I'm guessing many of you will be glued to your chair all evening, laughing at the New York Jets' pick, shaking your head when the Raiders' selection is called and wondering how that guy could have fallen to the Patriots. That's what happens on draft day.

• So you know what I did last night? I sat in front of the television set for hour after after waiting to see who the Hawks would pick. Stupid, huh? Ya, I got up and did other things during the middle of the round, checking in via Twitter – by the way, sometimes Twitter had the pick before Roger Goodell headed to the podium; I don't know how that happens – just to make sure I didn't miss any of Johnny Manzel's agony. But I wandered back downstairs as 8 p.m. hit and sat there, stupidly, as New England, San Francisco and Denver all picked. I just couldn't pull myself away. And then came the news. The Hawks had traded the pick to Minnesota for an extra fourth-round selection. Damnit, I knew that was coming. I knew it. And yet I wasted much of a nice evening in anticipation of something that didn't happen. Sort of like all those Saturday date-nights in college. Well, at least the Seahawks will come through for me tonight. But I won't be watching. I have other things to do. Like laundry.

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• WSU: Of all the places for Deone Bucannon (pictured) to go, why Arizona? OK, San Francisco would have been worse. But a division rival to Seattle? That will make rooting for him just a bit tougher. Not impossible, mind you, but a bit tougher. Jacob Thorpe has the information on Bucannon's first-round selection in this story and numerous blog posts. ... Jacob took a shot yesterday at predicting where Bucannon would land. ... Christian Caple, who covered Bucannon for us back in the day, and Bud Withers each have stories on Bucannon's selection. ... The folks in Phoenix have their takes on the pick. ... Mike Leach talked with ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog, which also had a number-filled look at the North Division's defenses. ... So why did Oregon play their basketball players when they were under investigation?

• Shock: For the first time in a long, long while, the Spokane Shock will have a new quarterback start for them. With Erik Meyer out, the Shock turn to, well, we don't know yet. Jim Meehan has an advance of tonight's game with Pittsburgh.

• Preps: The Central Valley girls track team repeated as GSL champions with a dual-meet win over Mt. Spokane. Greg Lee was there and has this story. ... Tom Clouse has an advance of the GSL 4A district baseball playoffs. ... We also have a roundup or two of other prep action to pass along.

• Seahawks: To be honest, if you were surprised the Hawks traded their first-round pick you would be in the minority. It has been John Schneider's MO since taking over the team. He and Pete Carroll had a lot to say about the decision, including the fact they had a couple players in mind if they couldn't make a trade. ... The rest of the NFC West made interesting selections.

• Mariners: We knew the M's would be better when Hisashi Iwakuma (pictured) returned from the disabled list, but eight shutout innings against the Royals were something I didn't see coming. After all, Iwakuma isn't 100 percent just yet. But he had to be near-perfect last night because the M's offense has suddenly cooled down. They got just two hits in the 1-0 victory. ... More pitching help is in the pipeline as Taijuan Walker and James Paxton are slowly crawling back from injuries. ... Justin Smoak is OK as far as his manager is concerned.

• Sounders: The Sounders have been juggling their defense recently but it hasn't made a big difference. ... Clint Dempsey has another homecoming this week. ... Obafemi Martins is a key part of Seattle's offense but he won't be a big part of Nigeria's World Cup team. And that's fine with the Sounders. ... Yes, the Sounders are off to a great start. One of their best, actually. ... Another man's power rankings.

• Football: Did you know there is an adult football team in Spokane? If you didn't, Jim Allen introduces you to the Spokane Wolfpack.

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• Once again we reach Friday. It rained, and rained hard, at my house last night. So hard it woke me up from a deep sleep at one point. Sure glad I got the yard work done yesterday. Until later ... 



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

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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.