A Grip on Sports: Being a fan is hard work, especially when you are not in the best of shape for two tasks

A GRIP ON SPORTS • OK, we will admit it. We didn’t like Friday. Not at all. Wait, you might misunderstand. We loved the sports part of it, from Yale’s upset to last seconds of Saint Mary’s season in the Spokane Memorial Arena. That part was fine. Other aspects of Friday, though, harkened back to a time we thought we had left behind.

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• At one point last evening, we settled into our Laz-e-Boy and thought it out. We had put in an eight-hour work day. No, really. Like most of you do every darn day. As we did for year after year. It was second nature back then. A routine. Normal. Mind-numbing.

Now it stands out. Rare things always do. From the more than three hours we put into yesterday’s version of this column to the more than five hours we spent at Gonzaga, it added up to a math problem we’ve tried – successfully – to avoid for over a decade. How to do a day’s work and still enjoy life.

Ya, we hear you. Boo hoo. It’s not as if we broke our back on rocks or something. We were doing something we love. Asking questions. Observing. Researching. Writing. Just plain sharing tales. We loved it a seven-year-old and love it as a 67-year-old.

But we also aren’t in great shape for the task. And it showed.

You know how about this time every year you contemplate training for Bloomsday with that neighbor down the block? And after a couple days running or jogging or just plain walking, you decide it’s a little more than you signed up for, so you either just quit or re-adjust your sites?

Ya, that was us last night. As we sunk into the chair, a cup of de-caf coffee warming our innards, we did some deep introspection. And came up with a conclusion. De-caf just isn’t as good as regular. But caffeine before bedtime is a no-no. And, lest we forget, we realized we do need a site-readjustment. We still hate working long days. Even when we love what we are doing.

• It’s OK, though. We’ll be back at it today. We made a commitment, one for which we surely should be committed. There was a lot to read this morning. A lot to share. A lot to ignore.

Let’s start with our favorite game of the day. No, it wasn’t Saint Mary’s upset loss, by seed, to Grand Canyon – even if it was the last thing we remember. Being the day’s final game and all.

No, our favorite was simpler. Yale upsetting Auburn in the Arena. We watched the final few minutes in a bar at the Davenport Tower, catching up with an old friend and within a few feet of where WCC commissioner Stu Jackson and that noted Grand Canyon booster Jerry Colangelo were having an early dinner.

Our friend had a deep interest in the game’s outcome. So did many in the immediate vicinity. They enjoyed the result, though the wisest person in the room – certainly not us – cautioned about being careful what you wish for. One upset can lead to another. And another. We’ve seen it often in this recent iteration of the NCAA tourney, from Saint Peters a couple years ago to UCLA and Oregon State the year before that. And on and on.

Remember Dunk City? Or Sister Jean’s guys? Could Yale or Grand Canyon or James Madison, all of whom won yesterday, make such a run? Certainly. How? As corny as it sounds, one game at a time.

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WSU: We didn’t want to share analysis of today’s second round game (3:15, TNT) against Iowa State above. We have no deep thoughts. No breakdown. No words of wisdom. Our only piece of advice after watching the Cyclones recently? Buckle up. It will be a wild ride. Ask Houston, ostensibly one of three favorites to win the national title. And a recent 69-41 victim of Iowa State in the Big 12 title game. As for analysis, we pass the buck to Greg Woods, who is Omaha, 2 hours and 30 minutes from the Cyclones’ Ames campus. He has a preview and a key matchup. … Dave Boling has the deep read you want this morning, delving into the pressure Myles Rice faces today as the Cougars’ main ball handler. Well, that’s peripheral. As Dave tells us, Rice’s story is and always will be what he’s already accomplished. No matter which way the ball bounces today or tomorrow. … We also have this infographic about the Cyclones to pass along. … Who thinks Washington State can win? Outside of our region, we mean. Uh oh. No one. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Arizona kicks off the day’s action for the men with an early wakeup call and a Salt Lake City matchup with Dayton. … 11th-seeded Oregon will try to string together another upset, as the Ducks face Dana Altman’s old school, Creighton for the second time since the coach moved west. There are many upset candidates in today’s second round. … Speaking of that, our buddy asked us early Thursday which Power Six conference would struggle. We didn’t hesitate. The SEC. Karma, man. … The conference that is raking in the (much-needed) cash? The Pac-2. John Canzano delves into that. … Colorado is one of the Pac-12 schools enriching the coffers, as the Buffs overcame Florida on Friday, winning 102-100 on a last-second KJ Simpson baseline jumper. … A USC player has entered the transfer portal and will test his NBA prospects as well. … The Stanford women took care of the first step in what they hope will be a long NCAA run, topping Norfolk State 79-50. They will face Iowa State on Sunday. … Hey, we struggled with this trivia quiz. … Colorado took its first step forward as well, rolling over Drake in the opening round. … Utah is in Spokane – we had a great story from coach Lynne Roberts in our column this morning – and the Utes have hopes their experience will help them make a long run, starting tonight against South Dakota State. … It took work to figure it out, but USC is now a lot more than just JuJu Watkins. … Arizona just keeps winning NCAA games. … In football news, Utah is trying to put an offensive line together. … Junior Adams will be at Oregon for a while longer. … Finally, where will Washington turn for its new athletic director? After the six-month tenure of Troy Dannen, the Huskies are committed to hiring someone with Northwest ties. That’s well known in the industry. Christian Caple has some thoughts on who they should target. By the way, because Dannen left so quickly, Parker Executive Search is on the hook for a freebie, as is the case when a firm is retained to do the legwork and their suggested hire takes off within a year.

Gonzaga: Over the enduring arc of college hoops, few programs resonate as deeply as Kansas’ does. James Naismith. Phog Allen. Wilt. Danny and the Miracles. On and on and on. Bill Self is in the pantheon as well. Where? That’s for others to decide. We just wanted to list a bunch. And contrast that to the short, yet spectacular, history of today’s opponent (12:15 p.m., CBS). You may know something about them. Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs. Old money vs. nouveau riche? In a sense. But who cares? Today’s winner survives and advances. Theo Lawson has a preview of the game centered on the coaches, both of whom who are Hall of Fame bound, and how much each team has changed since the early season tournament in Hawaii they both were a part of. … Theo also has the key matchup and a story on injured Kansas star Kevin McCullar Jr. … Theo and Jim Meehan combined on this notebook and a recruiting story, while Jim passed along Few’s thoughts on a video board controversy. … Jim also delved into the NIL issues foreign players, such as Ryan Nembhard, face. … We can pass along this infographic on the Jayhawks. … Our work day was spent, in large part, at Gonzaga, where the women were preparing for today’s first-round game against UC Irvine. Greg Lee had the harder tasks, putting together a preview of the contest (4:30 p.m., ESPN2) while also delving into the key matchup. … We got on our soapbox and wrote about the year in women’s basketball, as a product, is having. It has reached a high unseen in the decades we’ve been on this planet. … Back to the men, who thinks Gonzaga win will win? Outside of Spokane, we mean. Uh oh. Everyone. … Hope this story doesn’t get buried. It’s from the Washington Post and it’s on Korey Kispert’s long journey from Edmonds through Gonzaga to the Wizards, where he is blossoming. Don’t miss it. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the Saint Mary’s loss included a second half the Gaels probably would like to forget. And, in our humble opinion, an overpowered officiating crew. … The Portland women, despite a season-high 21 points from Maisie Burnham, never could catch up with host Kansas State in the NCAA first round defeat.

EWU: The first quarter went well. The game plan looked solid. And then third-seed Oregon State began to impose its will inside, outside and throughout the court. The Eastern Washington women, winners of a school-record 29 games, couldn’t match up in the NCAA Tournament first-round game, falling 73-51 in Corvallis. Dan Thompson was there and has this game story and the difference makers. … There are also many stories from Oregon, including a handful in the Oregonian. The theme? The Beavers have faith in their depth and history. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, unlike their male counterparts, the majority of the Idaho State women’s roster looks as if it will remain in Pocatello for the next season. … Northern Arizona is ready to begin its postseason.

NCAA games at the Arena: We mentioned Grand Canyon’s 76-66 win often above. But we weren’t in the Arena to watch. Colton Clark was. And he has this story. … Jim Allen got to cover the other big upset, with 13 seed Yale taking down fourth-seeded Auburn 78-76 in an epic game. … Jim also has coverage of San Diego State’s hang-on 69-65 victory over UAB, a contest that was well covered out of San Diego.

Velocity: Spokane returns home to ONE Spokane Stadium for a matchup with the Northern Colorado Hailstorm. Ethan Myers has a preview of the 6 p.m. match, which will be televised on KSKN 22 and on ESPN+.

Mariners: Ryan Divish has some thoughts on the M’s opening-day roster on the S-R website this morning. … Taylor Trammel knows his time with Seattle is coming to an end. … The Mariners played split-squad games yesterday in which their youngsters shined.

Seahawks: How does the NFL’s free agent process work when it comes to visits?

Kraken: Ryker Evans scored his first career goal but Seattle still lost 2-1 to the Coyotes. … Last year’s injury is in the rearview mirror for one Kraken player.

Sounders: Both Seattle and its opponent San Jose are still looking for the season’s first victory.

Reign: The first road match of the season is tonight in chilly Chicago.

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• One reason we were a little torn about working this weekend? We’ll be otherwise occupied during one of the local games this afternoon. We’ll be able to watch Gonzaga’s men play but will probably only be able to catch the Cougars in bits and pieces. Our attention will be elsewhere. Until later …