Grip on Sports: Our oasis has turned into a mirage, though maybe it always was

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Let’s check the sports pages, shall we? What is there to talk about? An anthem protest. OK. Worries about the Winter Olympics in South Korea, due to tensions with its neighbor to the north. OK. A golfing legend with five drugs in his system. OK. The M’s have lost five consecutive games. Now that’s what we expect. On the sports pages, I mean. Read on.

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• Wasn’t the sports page once the place a reader went to avoid controversy? Real-world controversy, I mean.

Sure, there were always arguments. But they were about whether Mantle or Mays were better, not whether Mantle should be on the field for the national anthem.

Heck, if Mick missed it, it was because he was in the bathroom clearing his system of the night before’s partying. Not that we knew any of that.

Then he would hit three home runs. That we would read about the next day.

The oasis – more of a mirage, really – that was sports in America has changed. Just like the country itself.

So it comes as no surprise when a football player decides to use the pregame national anthem as a vehicle for a protest. Or when a possible nuclear conflagration makes some worried about the upcoming Olympics. Or that there was a handful of drugs in Tiger Woods’ system when he was pulled over recently.

Yawns.

How did the M’s do last night? Who is going to start at Y receiver for Wazzu? Will the Indians make the Northwest League playoffs? Those are the questions that are supposed to be answered on the sports pages, not how to bridge our nation’s problems.

It’s not that we don’t want to know the answer to the last one. It would just be nice to have somewhere to go where the quest for a solution isn’t punching us in the face 24/7.

I’m not sure that place exists anymore. And when it did, oh so long ago, it was more a fantasy world than reality. There have always been drama and tension and conflict in and around sports. Our games reflect our reality. Always have.

As the news cycle has changed (it never stops anymore), so has the search. A message is easy to share especially if you have a platform. And sports is as big a platform as there is.

It’s a reality. It’s not changing anytime soon. It’s something we can count on these days.

Just like we can count on the Mariners fading at some point. Wait, it’s happening now? Sorry, I was distracted reading about Michael Bennett.  

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WSU: It isn’t easy for a junior college transfer to make an impact his first Division I college football season. Chima Onyeukwu (pictured making a tackle) is trying to buck that trend. And Theo Lawson is there to tell you about it. … Around the Pac-12, the Associated Press poll will be out in a week. Here is one person’s opinion. … Washington has a tight end who would rather block. He’s from Montana. … Oregon also has a new tight end with a famous name. … Willie Taggart’s father died last week and he’s using his job to get through it. … California is examining every possible way to increase revenues. … Colorado is rebuilding its secondary. … Utah can count on its linebackers. …  USC practiced Monday. There were highlights. … UCLA is still trying to figure out who will be its specialists. … Arizona State seems to have made a decision on a quarterback starter. … Arizona believes it is OK at wide receiver.

Gonzaga: A transfer with a checkered past seemed to be interested in GU. Though maybe Gonzaga wasn’t interested in him. Jim Meehan passes along the news Deontae Hawkins isn’t coming to Spokane.

EWU: After the Eagles scrimmage Saturday, more should be known about who is where on the two-deeps. Jim Allen has more in this story. … Jake Wiley (pictured) keeps doing new things. The Big Sky MVP signed a new type of contract with the Brooklyn Nets, one that seems more like a major league deal than an NBA one. Jim has the story. … Around the Big Sky, Montana’s offense seems to be in good hands. … Montana State should be solid up front on both sides of the ball. … North Dakota has made some improvements. … Northern Arizona received some good news yesterday concerning a basketball transfer. 

Preps: There are a handful of local high school products trying to make an NFL roster this summer. Ryan Collingwood has a story on them.

Indians: The losing streak is over. Spokane scored twice in the ninth to defeat host Eugene 2-1. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, host Tri-City held Hillsboro to three hits in a 10-1 win.

Chiefs: An Everett player is giving up hockey to become a full-time college student. That’s a success story of a different type.

Mariners: Four consecutive losses, OK. Five? Not good. But don’t worry. The losing streak is about to end because the M’s have, well, Andrew Albers taking the mound to start today. You may ask, who is Andrew Albers, and you wouldn’t be alone. You can officially panic. … The fifth loss was ordained after the top of the second last night. … One bright spot: Thyago Vieira not only threw really hard – we knew that would happen – he hit the strike zone. … The Orioles are now ahead of the M’s in the wild-card chase. That makes three teams between Seattle and the Angels.

Seahawks: There are many different views of Bennett’s anthem protest. What’s yours? … As with any preseason game, some players helped themselves, others hurt their cause. … Who will be on the roster in three weeks? … Kasen Williams (pictured) has a secret weapon. … The Hawks are still trying to build secondary depth.

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• Radio today. I’m on from 3 to 6 p.m. with Rick Lukens. You can listen here if you want to laugh – at me or with me, I’m fine with either. Until then …