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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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One of those days

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Some days everything clicks. Some days it doesn't. And on other days, like today, nothing wants to work. Read on.

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• It wasn't that long ago the idea of a personal computer was so outlandish even Isaac Asimov hadn't thought of it. But now, the idea of trying to do your work without one seems as foreign as a Belarus shot putter. So when the personal computer decides to stage a work slow down, I feel a bit like Ryan Bailey while the rest of the world is Usain Bolt. Which is my long-winded (and metaphor-filled) way of saying this morning has been a series of hesitant downloads and spinning color wheels. But now that I've worked my IT magic (note about retirement: you become your own IT guy) things are running smoother and I will be able to put together a morning post. Not that there is all that much to share, however, now that the Olympics are over.

• One big piece of news, if you are a Pac-12 sports fans, is the conference's TV network goes live tomorrow night. Just about every cable system on the West Coast will be carrying it, though you satellite subscribers out there are still in the dark, whether it be a shadow thrown by Dish or DirectTV. Either way, there hasn't been a carriage agreement reached yet. Sorry. In advance of the startup tomorrow, San Jose Mercury News writer Jon Wilner has an in-depth story and a bunch of blog posts on the network. Hope that helps out. Also, Christian Caple has some information in his morning blog post which is linked below.

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• Washington State: One of the traditions at The Spokesman-Review (dating back to even before my time) is the preseason countdown of the football team by position. Each day Christian will have a story on another position group, starting today with the running backs. And, no, he doesn't have any idea who will start. ... Christian also has his usual summary of practice in yesterday's afternoon blog post and his links in this morning's one. ... Former Washington State offensive line coach Steve Morton, who had been working as a fundraiser at the school since his hip surgery, has joined the staff at Weber State (where another former WSU assistant and Cougar alum, Jody Sears, is the head coach). ... WSU lost its Australian basketball tour finale, 86-81, to a team from Cairns, home of Aron Baynes. One of the Cairns' players was former St. Mary's guard Clint Steindl. WSU finished the tour 2-3.

• Eastern Washington: The Eagles began two-a-days yesterday and Jim Allen was there. He filed a blog post afterward and this story for the S-R. Jim also has a morning post with links.

• Idaho: We were talking on the radio yesterday about the uncertain nature of the starting quarterbacks in the area, and Idaho was mentioned as one of the teams that had yet to settle on its starter. About that time Josh Wright was reporting Robb Akey had made a decision on the starter and it's Dominique Blackman. Josh has more in this blog post.

• Whitworth: The Pirates opened football practice yesterday, coming off their first losing season since 2003. And, as Jim Meehan's story shows, coach John Tully doesn't expect another one.

• Indians: Though first-round draft pick Mike Zunino (left) was gone (the Mariners moved him up the ladder after he ate up Northwest League pitching), the Everett AquaSox still defeated the Indians, 5-1. The Everett winning pitcher was former Central Valley High star Rusty Shellhorn, who spent a while at Washington State before finishing his college career at Texas Tech. Jess Brown has an interesting look at Shellhorn's game and season. Before heading down to WSU to cover the Cougars, I used to coach in a high school instructional league here in town. Rusty pitched for one of those fall teams and, thankfully, I didn't ruin him.

• Mariners: Not a lot to say here, since one bad inning led to the M's losing 4-1 to a streaking Tampa Bay Rays team (anyone else still want to say Devil Rays all the time?). Blake Beavan, who has thrown well since returning from a minor league stint, gave up all the runs in the third inning. ... Mike Carp might be headed to the DL again and that might mean Justin Smoak is headed back to Seattle.

• Seahawks: Just one quick note on the Hawks. Former Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck didn't enjoy the visitors' locker room at CenturyLink one bit.

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• Enjoy another beautiful summer day. It's supposed to be a bit cooler in this area today, which I'm sure all the college football players will appreciate. Until later ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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