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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Now it’s on to the fall

Washington State WR Calvin Green (83) fights off Isaac Dotson (31) after a pass reception during the Crimson and Gray spring football game, April 25, 2015, in Spokane, Wash. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
Washington State WR Calvin Green (83) fights off Isaac Dotson (31) after a pass reception during the Crimson and Gray spring football game, April 25, 2015, in Spokane, Wash. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Spring is over. Well, spring football is over. And what did we learn? Read on.

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• In a tweet-size summary, Eastern is going to be more aggressive defensively. Ditto WSU. And Idaho is the only school that is sure who its starting quarterback will be. Pretty much the same lessons we learn every spring. Heck, after last spring we thought Washington State's defense would be a ball-hawking machine in the fall. Then came the first two games – losses to Rutgers and Nevada – in which the defense played as if it was worried about getting beat deep – the opener began with just such a play and seemed to color the rest of the season. The passivity remained long enough to cost defensive coordinator Mike Breske his job. (Ironically enough, Breske will be the d-coordinator in Moscow this fall.) Now Alex Grinch will try to instill an SEC-inspired take-it-away attitude in Pullman. The process started over the past few weeks. It will continue this summer. And it better bear fruit in the fall – if WSU wants to have a winning record. Across the border in Idaho, the Vandals are in good hands with Matt Linehan at quarterback. That's the positive news. But the spring ended with questions still to be answered. Can the line protect Linehan? Are there any receivers to throw to? And will the defense stop anybody? Those questions aren't just rhetorical. If the answer to any is no, then it will be another long season for the Vandals. A long season is just what the Eastern Eagles are looking for once again. Long as in a whole bunch of playoff games. The key, as it usually is in Cheney, is how well the defense plays. There is a new defensive coordinator at Eastern as well, with Jeff Schmedding taking over. Schmedding isn't new to the staff – he's been in Cheney since the turn of the century – but he's new to the role. He's installed a nickel package as the Eagles' base defense, he turned the players loose to attack and he's earned high praise from his group. Now all they have to do is perform. You know the offense will, no matter who the quarterback is. It looks as if Jordan West will win the position in the fall, but no matter who does they will have the keys to a muscle car. Beau Baldwin's offense is stocked with receivers and enough players everywhere else to strike fear in a defensive coordinator's heart. Which is exactly what the new guys around here can't have. Not if they want to keep their jobs. And if their teams are to win.

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• WSU: The Cougars played their spring game last Saturday in Spokane. But they held their final spring practice yesterday in Pullman. Man, I wouldn't want to be in charge of hauling the equipment back-and-forth. Jacob Thorpe has some thoughts on the end of spring practices as well as video from Mike Leach and linebacker Jeremiah Allison. ... Jacob pulled double duty yesterday as well, covering the Pac-12 men's golf championships. Tuesday was not the Cougars at their best. ... Jon Wilner thinks WSU will finish last in the Pac-12 basketball race next season. ... By the way, I missed this yesterday but think I should pass it along anyway. Former WSU two-sport athlete Mike Bush is now a high school football coach. And, yes, I feel old.

• Idaho: The Vandals look to be on their way to the Big Sky golf title.

• Whitworth: Baseball coach Dan Ramsay will be through when the season ends, moving on to WSU as the director of baseball operations. But the Pirates aren't going to let him go right away. They have qualified for the postseason and, as Jacob's weekly baseball notebook shows, Ramsay can't leave until the season is over – whenever that is.

• Preps: The GSL 4A baseball chase just got a bit tighter yesterday when U-Hi defeated Gonzaga Prep 5-3. Tom Clouse has the story. ... Cheney won its first league softball title yesterday. Chris Derrick was there. ... Chris also has a softball notebook.

• Seahawks: Will the Hawks be able to work their usual mid-round magic in this year's NFL draft? They might if they look at these 10 players. ... Seattle still needs size at wide receiver. ... The special team stars are pretty much in place though an explosive returner would be nice. ... There are certain attributes the Hawks like. This guy has a bunch of them.

• Mariners: Meh, offense is overrated. At least it is when J.A. Happ throws as well as he did yesterday. He pitched into the seventh, the bullpen took over after that and the M's won 2-1, their second consecutive win in Texas. ... Nelson Cruz came up just a home run short of the cycle, despite being in the lineup as the DH, something that's hurt his production thus far this season. ... There's a chance the three young guys in the rotation hold the key to the M's success. Or maybe it's this guy who holds the key.

• Sounders: Manchester United will be in Seattle this summer to play, but it won't be going against the Sounders. ... Being a coach, or manager, means being diplomatic when asked tough questions. ... Hey, we have an MLS power rankings to pass along.

•••

• What's the deal with Fernando Rodney? He's been lights out since the blip earlier this season. Where's the excitement in that? 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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