Grip on Sports: If 2016 didn’t end the way you wanted, we’re here to help – sort of
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s the first day of 2017 so we are resolved to help you get over the trauma of having to explain Mariah Carey’s comments to your children. And the way Washington played in the Peach Bowl. And the Zags’ first 25 minutes in Stockton. We’re a full-service morning links column. Read on.
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• No one had a worse New Year’s Eve than the guy who was in charge of the music on Carey’s performance last night. Well, maybe Jake Browning. When he threw that late first-half pick-six against Alabama, I just uttered a few choice words, got up and boiled some eggs.
Why Jake, why?
Up until that point it still looked as if the Huskies had a chance. Keep the game tight and hope the pressure got to the anointed team. Except Alabama’s pressure got to Browning first. And the game was, for everything but betting purposes, over.
Which means, once again, the Pac-12 is coming up snake eyes in the bowl season. Oh, sure, Utah and Stanford won. And USC has a chance to salvage some pride for the conference in tomorrow’s Rose Bowl. But a non-winning record is assured. And the national semifinals next week won’t include a Pac-12 school.
It has to get better than this, right?
• The Zags got better over the final 15 minutes of their 20-point win at Pacific last night. And that’s good. Because the first 25 were not their best basketball.
It looks as if the team is dealing with the flu bug – TV play-by-play guy Greg Heister mentioned it in passing, Ryan Edwards did not make the trip and there was a shot of Nigel Williams-Goss struggling to catch his breath – which might explain some of the first-half problems versus Pepperdine and Pacific, but not all.
Whatever is going on, there is time to get it worked out. USF is up next – the Dons lost at home to Santa Clara last night – and a couple of weeks until Saint Mary’s visits the Kennel.
By the way, in my TV Take last night (and in today’s paper), I focused on Heister’s work. Up until this year I’ve watched Gonzaga basketball off-and-on but not with the intensity I’m doing now. I have seen every second of every game, much of it over and over as I take copious notes, and that includes the games broadcast by the Spokane-area crew.
And in that time I’ve grown to enjoy the work of the three local guys, Heister included. I know he’s been criticized over the years. I’ve heard it in the basketball community in town. But either he’s improved or it’s been unfair.
Styles are styles. An announcing persona doesn’t fly with every viewer. I get that. But Heister is better than the criticism he’s received.
And the local group – Heister, Dan Dickau, Richard Fox and the behind-the-scenes guys, including producer Chauncey Jones – have done a nice job presenting the games I’ve logged this season.
For those of us not lucky enough to be inside McCarthey during games, we have to rely on the broadcasts to keep us informed. That’s why I’ve been asked to write the column each game. Good or bad, we’re going to cover it for you.
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Gonzaga: The Zags trailed at the half last night. They trailed by eight in the second half. And yet they won by 20. How? Jim Meehan has you covered there, with his analytical game story and stories about Jordan Mathews, Johnathan Williams and Przemek Karnowski. … The women were at home and lost their second consecutive conference game. Jim Allen was in McCarthey and has this game story. … Elsewhere in the WCC, No. 19 Saint Mary’s handled San Diego at home 72-60. … BYU traveled to Loyola-Marymount, trailed at half but came away with an 81-76 win. … Portland is 2-0 in conference after defeating Pepperdine at home.
WSU: The Cougars will begin Pac-12 basketball play tonight in Seattle against Washington. Jacob Thorpe will be there and he has this advance of the game. … Todd Milles in the News Tribune uses the contest to showcase a feature on WSU freshman point guard Malachi Flynn. … Around the conference in football, besides the Washington loss linked above, Oregon is bringing in a lot of new coaches from old schools. … Utah needs another offensive coordinator and it’s time for Kyle Whittingham to get it right. … Stanford has some questions heading into next season. … USC has one big health question heading into the Rose Bowl. … In basketball, Utah and Colorado open their Pac-12 season today in Salt Lake City. … Arizona State has a rare chance to begin conference play 2-0. … Stanford is all that stands between Arizona and a perfect weekend.
EWU: The Eagle women opened Big Sky play with a home win over rival Idaho. … Around the Big Sky in men’s basketball, Southern Utah opened its conference season with a road win at Northern Arizona. … Weber State went into Missoula and shot down Montana in overtime. … Montana State evened its conference mark at the expense of Idaho State. … Northern Colorado had little trouble at Portland State. … North Dakota handed Sacramento State another loss.
Whitworth: The Pirates went 2-0 in a Whitman-hosted tournament over the weekend, winning yesterday 95-62 over Crown College.
Chiefs: Spokane traveled down U.S. Highway 395 but met with the same result against the Tri-City Americans, losing 3-1. … Visiting Seattle got past Portland.
Preps: This is the year the WIAA goes to computerized rankings for its basketball playoffs. There are some strange elements, but the change is being hailed by most.
Seahawks: Once again Seattle travels to Santa Clara hoping to end a 49er season on a down note. And once again today’s game may mark the end of a short coaching stint in the Bay Area. … This Seahawk defense, despite the steady hand of Kam Chancellor, isn’t what it has been. … Thomas Rawls has to be a force in the playoffs. So today is important.
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• New Year’s Day, 2017. Really? I did find a way to stay up until 12:30 this morning, but got enthralled in “Shawshank” again and forgot to switch over at midnight. It seemed like an apt metaphor, you know? The line about a river of (stuff) and coming out clean on the other side. Goodbye 2016, hello 2017. Until later …