A GRIP ON SPORTS

Beware the ides of June. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Sometimes I have this vision of myself as a gold miner in California, circa 1850. A crusty old guy with a filthy hat, overalls, a bad limp and a pie plate from Marie Calendar's. Bent over the waters of the Internet, I picking up a bunch a mud, swirl the plate over and over again and, Eureka, a couple of nuggets appear in the bottom. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Really, I am at a loss. It's not that bad, though. Not as bad as an eight-game losing streak. Not even close. But therein lies the problem. It's May, late May actually, and the local major league baseball team is once again in a funk. And there is only so much you can write about a franchise that seemingly every year hits a stretch that ensures a long slide to the lower reaches of the standings. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's funny. I expected today to be a really light day in the world of sports. It's kind of an in-between day, actually, in-between the weekend's college hoop action. But after doing my usual spin around the Web, I ended up with three-dozen stories to link. I guess that's what qualifies as light these days. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Ever wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep? A million thoughts are running through your head. Finally your mind focuses on one. You refine the thought, clean it up, mull it over and decide it's brilliant. Something that is perfect. Just what you need. Sleep comes. When you wake in the morning you can't remember what it was. Then it hits you. That's it. That's what you were thinking about. And guess what? It's really, really stupid. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

A lot of money could be on the line in Las Vegas tonight, and we're not talking about what's happening in the casinos. We're talking about the game between Gonzaga and St. Mary's. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Ever feel as if you have a connection with something occurring on television? I'm not talking about having a crush on a sitcom star or being on a first-name basis with an HSN operator. We're talking sports here. You know, the hard-to-prove psychic connection that's at the heart of so many recent beer commercials. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

All of you who had Loyola Marymount as Gonzaga's first opponent in the WCC tournament, please step forward. That many? Well, it confirms what I thought. This blog is read by a bunch of untruthful sports fans. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Last night the Washington State women won their first game in the Pac-12 basketball tournament. It wasn't as important as what went on at a nearby hospital. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

There is so much ground to cover, let's get right at it. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

One more game. That's what's left in every high school basketball season. From the Mead girls through the Moscow boys and many places in-between, that final game may lead to a state championship. For others, it is just the end of the season. Or more. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

In my spare time recently, I've been watching Ken Burns' documentary “Baseball” on my iPad. Man, I love NetFlix. Anyhow, I just got through the 1930s. Included in the archival film was Lou Gehrig's farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. You know the one, immortalized by Gary Cooper in “Pride of the Yankees.” In the speech, an obviously touched Gehrig, head bowed, tells the gathered multitudes he feels like the luckiest man in the world. Makes me tear up every time I see it. But I understand his sentiment. Some days I feel like the luckiest man in the world. And yesterday was one of those days. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's always good to have a checklist for a Sunday. If you don't, the whole day could get away without anything accomplished. You know what I'm talking about. Things like “sleep in” and “make coffee.” “Read the newspaper” has to be there somewhere – if you are over 40 – and “avoid housework,” that's a given. Well, we had a checklist for the weekend and, guess what, we have been able to accomplish a lot. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Tonight there will be tears. Tears of sorrow. Tears of joy. Count on it. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

For those of you with excellent memories – and, by that, I mean those of you who can remember yesterday – last night's televised college basketball games could not have come at a better time. They were near-perfect bookends to my feelings about the sport. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

How does the cliché go? You can't teach an old guy new tricks? No, that's not it. You're never too old to learn. Ya, that's it. That's the one that applies today. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

If one looks solely at the won/loss record, it would be easy to assume the Washington State basketball team is a bunch of losers. But nothing could be further from the truth. At least not in my definition of losers. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Let's get right to the crux of the matter. I am not a huge wrestling fan but the International Olympic Committee's decision to drop wrestling from the 2020 Games is incredibly stupid. And borders on the criminal. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

There are young men and women (yes, women) all over America waking up today believing it's the most important day of their lives. Most already have an idea of what they are going to do. They have made up their mind and have decided on their future path. See, today is the day young men and women declare to the world where they are going to play football and soccer and field hockey and track and field and cross country and men's water polo (bet you didn't know about those last five sports did you?) next season. It's letter-of-intent day. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

The Super Bowl blackout not only made for a longer-that-normal game, it also triggered some memories for Seattle Time baseball writer Larry Stone. And for yours truly. Read on.