A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is this dead space in the sports calendar. It’s the time between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of spring training. It’s also a space we really didn’t notice the past couple years. Read on.

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• Our Super Bowl hangovers in 2014 and 2015 – one good, one bad – seemed to paper over the vapid nature of this week. The time right after the NFL season finishes up seems to be a big doughnut hole in the sporting year. Oh, there are college basketball games and NBA games and hockey games and high school competitions and so forth, but as big news goes, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Two years ago, who cared? We were still riding the high of the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl title. The victory parade was enough to tide us over until the Mariners could chase .500 again. It was, really, a magical time. But all good things must come to an end, as the Hawks final drive showed in the next year’s Super Bowl. We spent the next couple weeks after that asking ourselves “why” and drowning our sorrows – I continually imbibed in a mixture of caffeine-free and regular Diet Coke, a dangerous mix I know. Then, voila, the M’s were in Arizona, all things seemed possible again and we moved on. You know how that turned out. This year the Hawks left the stage, except for curtain calls, a long time ago. And the M’s have as much chance of being good as Marshawn Lynch does of getting those cleats down off the telephone wire. So we wait. Wait for something to catch our fancy. For something to turn this February of gloom into the bright spring of the son of sports, to paraphrase my college Shakespeare memories – or was it a late-night viewing of “Goodbye Girl?” Yes, in an attempt to fill the void, I have sunk to the lowest of the low, watching romantic comedies. Neil Simon romantic comedies. Help me. Please.

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• WSU: The Michigan offensive line transfer who committed to Washington State a while ago? He just pled guilty to a couple felonies. ... Former receivers coach David Yost will make $350,000 this year to coach quarterbacks at Oregon. ... Another former WSU (and Eastern) defensive coach, Travis Niekamp, has landed in Missoula. ... Stanford has lost an experienced and respected defensive line coach, Randy Hart, who decided it was time to retire. ...  In the basketball world, Arizona sees an opportunity down the stretch.

• Gonzaga: Challenges also present opportunities. That’s what confronts the Zags this week, what with road games at Portland on Thursday and highly regarded SMU on Saturday. Jim Meehan has all the details in this Gonzaga basketball notebook. ... We touched on a couple former Cougar coaches in the WSU section. In fairness, we pass along the news former GU women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves has the Oregon Ducks in the NCAA discussion. ... BYU is dealing with the injury bug again.

• EWU: Junior college transfer Ashli Payne has helped the Eagle women ascend to first place in the Big Sky Conference. Jim Allen has more in this women’s college basketball notebook. ... Two Southern Utah basketball players got in trouble after playing Eastern.

• Empire: It’s becoming roster decision time for the Empire, as the season-opener looms. Jim Meehan has more in this notebook.

• Chiefs: Nothing from Spokane but Tri-City is riding a hot streak as it heads on the road while Everett is using a stingy defense to be successful.

• Preps: Basketball’s postseason is in full swing on both sides of the border. Greg Lee covered Lake City’s first girls regional title in 12 years and we have a boys roundup to pass along as well.

• Mariners: Another week, another bullpen signing. The M’s will have numbers when pitchers and catchers report next week.

• Sounders: With a Champions League match with Mexico’s Club America on the horizon, the Sounders played a friendly with a second-division Mexican club yesterday. Seattle lost, again, and again by a 2-1 score.

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• Maybe Gonzaga’s game Saturday at SMU will move our meter the right way. Or maybe not. Until later ...

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