Grip on Sports: It is a good day to cover a variety of subjects, from young to old
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where are we? Oh yes, back home. There is something comforting about that, no matter how successful the trip was. And, in this case at least, comfort translates into commentary – and a bit of a change.
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• If you have been reading this feature for a while, you may have already noticed one change. We dropped a couple of words from the lead-in. No more “read on.” Just felt it was time for the phrase to go away. It was worn out and threadbare, sort of like my lucky flying shirt I tossed last week.
Yep, Mr. Superstition – due to a youth filled with baseball – took to the skies with a different shirt on. The one I’ve worn for years, the one that’s safely seen me home from many a road trip, is now in the garbage, soon to incinerated on the West Plains.
Instead I wore … well, I wore a couple of different shirts, one of which will never fly with me again. Not after the first plane we boarded in Houston yesterday was unable to fulfill its duty thanks to a mechanical problem. Luckily, with a group of 75 headed home, Southwest held our Spokane connection in Denver as to not have to find new flights for a bunch of high school-aged basketball players.
Come to think of it, maybe the shirt is lucky after all.
• While up in the air – without George Clooney – we shared some thoughts about Mike Leach, Eric Dickerson and James Williams.
Honestly, such dustups would seem trivial if they didn’t impact the lives of young men, who are often caught between two dragons, one spewing fire and the other fire-ice (or something).
The tempest in a Coke can was also the subject of Matt Calkins’ column in the Seattle Times yesterday. As they say, great minds think alike. And, in this case, so did we.
• We reached beyond The Spokesman-Review’s sports section today to pass along a story on a soccer complex in the Valley and its future.
Amy Edelen shared Spokane County’s plans to turn Plantes Ferry Park over to the City of Spokane Valley, once the facility undergoes some major facework and is annexed into the city limits.
It may seem less important to some than, say, stories on another transfer quarterback or a 3-point shooting contest, but for young athletes in the Spokane-area (and their parents), the news is pretty important.
Such facilities are at a premium in this area and their management always has consequences for a large number of folks.
• The time between the end of spring football and the beginning of summer should have a name in Pullman.
Call it the silly season or, if you want to be more blunt, the stupid one, I don’t care. But the time period seems to be, each year, inordinately filled with stories of football players – and others – making questionable or just plain dumb decisions.
There is another case in point from over the weekend.
Two WSU football players and one soccer player were arrested, charged with vandalism of cars in an apartment complex.
Really? In what sober mind would the idea of stomping on cars in a parking lot seem like a great idea?
Oh, thinking about it, maybe that’s the wrong question – due to one word. Whatever, actions have consequences. If the allegations are proven to be true, there will be plenty of those. And the stupid season will have another couple victims.
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WSU: Of course Theo Lawson has a story about the parking lot incident. That’s a given. He also has more upbeat stories, though, including one on five players who may hear their name called in next year’s NFL Draft. … Outside of the football arena, Theo passes along the information new basketball coach Kyle Smith has attracted his first transfer. Deion James will be eligible next season after leaving Colorado State. … Theo touched on much of that when he spoke with Larry Weir yesterday for the latest Press Box pod. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, this year’s draft is done. Who may the NFL pick next season? … There is transfer news from the two major sports, but nothing with more local interest than former Coeur d’Alene standout quarterback Colson Yankoff leaving Washington. With spring football over, two Husky quarterbacks are looking for other spots to play. … Utah has attracted a transfer for its offensive line. … The college football coaches’ association wants the NCAA to tweak the transfer rules a bit. … There is draft news from Oregon and defensive news from Colorado. … There is actually on-field news from Washington as well. … On the basketball courts, Oregon State will be losing a player but the Beavers have also added one. … An Oregon player is also out the door. … Utah expects next year to be better. … The Los Angeles Times did an in-depth story on UCLA’s coaching search. … The New York-based college basketball corruption trial is adding more tar to Sean Miller’s reputation. What will Arizona and/or the NCAA do about the allegations?
Preps: The spring sports seasons roll on, despite the cool weather yesterday (hey, it was cool for the end of April). We can pass along roundups from soccer, baseball and softball.
Mariners: The M’s defense is just awful. Will it get better?
Seahawks: Will Doug Baldwin ever play football again? That seems to be the biggest question as the Hawks charge into the post-draft phase of the offseason. … A big part of that phase will be addressing the pass rush … The Hawks made a trade for a tight end.
Sounders: MLS teams try to develop their talent through youth academies. They are important.
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• If you are wondering about the state of Spokane-area boys high school basketball, don’t worry. Eastern Washington Elite – full-disclosure, I am a part of the group – took eight teams to Texas this weekend, played teams from all over the Midwest in four different age-groups and won the top bracket in three of them, including the one that includes next year’s seniors. By that measure, at least, this area seems to be doing just fine. Until later …