A Grip on Sports: At least the inclement weather held off until the Indians finished a successful homestand
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Rain? In this economy? Why the heck is it raining on the penultimate Monday in May? Sure, farmers throughout the Inland Northwest are rejoicing. And my grass is doing a happy dance. But shouldn’t we start the last full week of the month in sunshine and warmth? After the sports weekend we just had, sunshine and warmth would be welcome.
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• Maybe this is the perfect day for rain. The new-look Northwest League takes Mondays off for travel, so there is no chance of a rainout, something the Spokane Indians certainly don’t want, considering the way they played this past week.
Sure, they lost yesterday, 11-6 to Everett. But they took four of six from the AquaSox, the Mariner affiliate that just happens to be leading the High-A West (the boring, bland and bad new label for the Northwest League) with a 12-6 record. One of the teams the Sox are tied with atop the standings, Everett, also happens to be Spokane’s opponent this week.
After the usual long bus ride on Monday.
No matter. The Indians are playing much better than they were two weeks ago when the Emeralds came to Spokane and won five of six. This week should be a better one for the Indians. And drier too.
• We have to believe there has never been a better week in Phil Mickelson’s life, at least as it relates to golf.
The 50-year-old did something yesterday no one has even done before. Win a major golf title as, well, a 50-year-old. And he did it while having to navigate not only Kiawah Island’s tough Ocean Course but 5,000 or so of his closest vaccinated (hopefully) friends, who surrounded him as he finished the 18th hole.
Mickelson won his first major in 2004 (let’s see, 2021 minus 2004 equals 17, which means he was 33 then) at Augusta. That had to be, until yesterday, his crowning golf achievement.
But dozens and dozens of golfers have won the Masters. And the British Open. And the PGA, all three of which Mickelson has won. And 14 people have won six or more majors, as Mickelson now has done.
Only one person, though, has ever won any of golf’s toughest tournaments at age 50.
The only thing that could have made Mickelson’s sixth major better? If it had happened at the U.S. Open. That tournament has been his bête noire. The Joker to his Batman. His personal Moby Dick. The quest to win his country’s championship has always ended in failure, sometimes spectacularly so (think 2006 at Winged Foot). He’s finished second six times.
Oh, well. There is always next month at Torrey Pines, one of the courses Mickelson grew up playing in San Diego. After all, 50 seems to be the new 30. In golf at least.
• Sometimes in soccer, a draw can feel like a loss. Such was the case yesterday for the Sounders, who still have yet to lose a 2021 MLS match. But the 1-1 draw with visiting Atlanta could easily have been a 2-1 or 3-1 win if Seattle’s passing had a bit more crispness.
Still, seven matches into the season, Seattle has a four-point lead in the West. The Sounders have a week to prepare for a trip to Texas, where they will face Austin FC, the first-year MLS squad that just happens to be in last place.
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WSU: Around the Pac-12 and college sports, did the NCAA softball tournament committee do right by the conference? The regional results seem to suggest a neutral outcome. Washington rallied from an early regional loss, defeated Michigan twice Sunday (including a huge comeback in the final game) and won its regional. Oregon lost the regional final at Texas 1-0. UCLA breezed to the Super Regional. So did Arizona. Stanford and Arizona State were eliminated, though only the Sun Devils underachieved. … In basketball news, the conference will have a new look next season.
Gonzaga: Around the West Coast Conference, BYU needed a guard. Badly. The Cougars found one in the portal.
Idaho: The Vandals welcome back two basketball assistants with extensive Moscow ties. That news is part of our weekly local briefs column.
Indians: As we mentioned above, Spokane fell 11-6 in the series finale with Everett. Dave Nichols has the game story as well as a story on the M’s top prospects playing in High-A. … James Snook has a photo gallery from the game.
Mariners: The big club isn’t doing well. The M’s have lost six consecutive games, though Justin Dunn did his job in Sunday’s 9-2 defeat. … Kendall Graveman is on the injured list due to COVID-19 protocols.
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• If 50 is the new 30 in golf, that would make me 44. Too bad. I was awful at 44 too. Now 24, that was a different story. You know, pre kids. Until later …