A GRIP ON SPORTS

Summer unofficially begins this weekend. Schools not out around here, sure. And it's still cold in the morning at times. But according to lore, Memorial Day Weekend is the kickoff to summer. Fine by me. It's time to get into that summer mode. Shorts every day. Flip-flops instead of shoes. An ice chest ready to be filled – and drained – each day. The barbecue. And baseball on the radio. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It is Friday of a holiday weekend. Seven really exciting words, no? With Memorial Day coming up Monday, there is a chance to get out and enjoy all that the Northwest has to offer (if you live outside the area, I'm sorry – in more ways than one). Watch out for the wind today, it may get Mary Poppins bad. If you want to stay inside and read our morning report, we promise not to blow you away. Wait, that didn't come out right. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's an eclectic mix we present for you this morning, with links ranging from New Jersey, where former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison had a tryout with the Nets, to Tampa, where the Bucs said goodbye to Kellen Winslow and sent him to the Seahawks. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's been a long time since a Spokane college baseball team has been to these heights. Fifty-two years. That's the last time a team from the Lilac City has headed off to a college world series. But it will happen next week. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

For quite possibly the first time in my life, today I would rather live in Cleveland. At least there the major league baseball team battles through adversity and has an ownership that will spend a bit of money to help its team compete. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have trouble saying such things with a straight face. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

College football in August. A good thing or bad thing? Discus among yourselves. I'm still trying to figure out if Larry Bernandez was actually in Felix's uniform last night. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Yesterday we didn't write a lot due to back problems. Well, after a trip to the doctor and pharmacist (who I presumed was a Cougar because almost every pharmacist around here is a Cougar), we're doing a bit better. A bit better, as in we can actually sit at our computer and type without screaming. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • ADDITION: 9:25 A.M.

Really, could there have been better weather to celebrate Mother's Day? The sun was shining, the temperature rose into the high 70s and the weeds seemed to almost pull themselves. OK, I was exaggerating a bit on that last part, but it was nearly perfect. And if you live outside of the Inland Northwest and your day was cloudy and blah, I'm sorry for gloating. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

As most of you know, I'm a big Felix Hernandez booster. The guy can pitch, it's as simple as that. But yesterday evening, I found myself quietly rooting for Hernandez to fail. Don't judge me. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

When I started this morning, the temperature outside was in the mid-30s. Now it is in the mid-40s. Oh the power of sunshine. Now if the sun could only make up for no Mariner game and little other news to link. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Let's put aside the dropped pop ups, the 14 strikeouts, the game-deciding home run that was helped over the wall. Let's put the Mariners aside today and focus on something else. Heck, it's May 3, right? So let's focus on college basketball. It seems appropriate. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It just may be time. Time to sell my allegiance. Time to give up being a Seattle Mariner fan and start rooting for another team. Time to root for a team with an ownership that wants to win consistently and is willing to do what it takes to make that happen. Or is it the wrong thing to do? Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

There was an old song sung by The Carpenters that included the lyrics, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” So what happens when Monday is a rainy day? Do two downs make an up? All I know is I'm feeling a bit low watching it pour outside my window right now when there aren't a lot of links falling from the Internet sky. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

What a day. The alma mater is headed to the NCAA semifinals and I read a headline I thought I would never see in my lifetime. Read on.

Korey Toomer, one the most athletically gifted players at Idaho in recent years, was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft today by Seattle. The Seahawks, who previously took Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner and USU tailback Robert Turbin, wanted to get faster on defense. Toomer ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash and was the Vandals' most consistent defensive playmaker last year.

The outside linebacker had 10.5 tackles for loss last year and also rushed for three touchdowns as the Vandals' short-yardage back.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's Saturday morning. There is a lot to digest and we're not talking about last night's dinner. The NFL draft went through two more rounds (when is Roger Goodell going to realize you can stretch the seven rounds through six days and rest on the seventh, just like his counterpart upstairs?) with a few more Pac-12 stars being chosen. And the Mariners rallied in the ninth (in large part to a crucial error) and defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on a Michael Saunders' 10th-inning grand slam. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

“With the 12th pick of the draft, the Seattle Seahawks make a trade.” Now, those exact words were never spoken by Roger Goodell last night, but something similar was. Nothing surprising, of course, about that. Teams trade draft picks all the time. “With the 15th pick of the draft, the Seattle Seahawks draft Bruce Irvin, defensive end, West Virginia.” Those words, or something really close to those words, were spoken last night and they knocked most observers' socks off. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

I don't know about you, but I'll be listening to the NFL draft on the radio tonight when I drive back from Moscow. It will fill in the gap between Palouse and Garfield. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

What the heck? I got up this morning all ready to see how others around the country had began jumping on the Jason-Vargas-for-Cy-Young bandwagon and all I can find is stories about the Mariners' offense? Doesn't everyone realize yesterday's seven runs was a flash in the pan but Vargas – 3-1 already by the way – is the real deal? I don't get it. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • UPDATED: 10:20 A.M.

While driving back from the Seattle area yesterday, the ride was accompanied by a sports soundtrack. There was the news of Seth Greenberg's firing at Virginia Tech. There was the fallout from Ron Artest's elbow to James Harden's head. And, most prominently, there was the news from Arkansas that John L. Smith was headed back to the Razorbacks to become head football coach for the next 10 months. That, by the way, is twice as long as he was head coach at Weber State, his alma mater. Read on.