A GRIP ON SPORTS Isn't Christmas time supposed to be a time of cheer and good will toward men? Always thought so. But I'm not so sure everyone does. It's also a time of being with family, no matter what form that takes. Read on.
Jackson Playfair and Riley Whittingham scored two goals apiece Friday night as the Spokane Chiefs roared back from their holiday break with a 6-4 Western Hockey League victory at Kootenay. Read story
From Pullman -- Washington State (6-5) will play its last non conference basketball game of the regular season tomorrow, taking on the Delta Devils at 5 p.m. in Beasley Coliseum. It's about to get real for the Cougars, who tipoff the Pac-12 season next Thursday…
The Spokane Chiefs returned from their holiday break tonight (Friday) for a road game against the Kootenay Ice at Cranbrook, British Columbia. The Chiefs are also hosting the Ice on Saturday night. Here's a feature on Chiefs backup goalie Garret Hughson in preparation for the…
From Pullman -- With no football or basketball games in the Pac-12 yesterday, it was what we in "the biz" like to call a "slow news day". Still, we managed to scrounge up a few links: Three newcomers will need to continue to improve for…
A GRIP ON SPORTS Boxing Day is over. And I survived with just one black eye. What do you mean you're not supposed to box on Boxing Day? What are you supposed to do, put all your Christmas stuff away in boxes? No? It's a…
Gonzaga returned to practice on Christmas Day and it was Media Day on Thursday at the MAC. Sam Dower Jr.'s health was the main topic of discussion but it's still not clear if the senior forward will be able to play in the WCC opener…
In a couple of days, Gonzaga will open its WCC schedule against Santa Clara. It seems odd that GU will be playing two WCC games before New Year's Eve, but that's how the 18-game schedule shakes out with 10 members. The WCC started off white-hot…
A GRIP ON SPORTS Before we get into today's post, I hope everyone had as nice a Christmas as we did. It was just a relaxing, calm day at home with the family. Now back to sports. Read on.
The Cougars must have been nice this year, picking up Christmas commitments from a highly-regarded defensive tackle as well as a receiver from Texas (both stories are behind a paywall). On the basketball side of things we have our first Four Corners of the season,…
This week's Western Hockey League notebook leads with the Regina Pats, who have forged a solid record despite crucial injuries and a road-heavy schedule. Read story
A GRIP ON SPORTS Did anyone really think the Falcons were going to score in the fourth quarter and upset the 49ers? Me neither. Not on the final day of a football weekend from hell. Read on.
Our photographer, Tyler Tjomsland, and I spent all day yesterday getting back to the Evergreen State from New Mexico. So of course, all heck broke loose. First, Colorado State forcefully massaged assistant coach Greg Lupfer's wrist for his homophobic outburst directed at Connor Halliday on…
The Spokesman has learned that there is a strong possibility that sophomore linebacker Feddie Davey will not return to Washington State next semester. The school is currently between semesters and the students are on break. Davey saw most of his action on special teams, and…
Early in Saturday's New Mexico Bowl, Colorado State defensive line coach Greg Lupfer launched a tirade (scroll down) at Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday. It appeared during the replay that one of his profanities was a gay slur. Today, the school decided to suspend Lupfer…
From Phoenix Airport -- It's that time again. Time to take an analytical eye and breakdown the performance of WSU's individual units in the New Mexico Bowl. While there were lots of impressive individual statistics for the Cougars, to give great grades after a 48-45…
A GRIP ON SPORTS What's next, boils, frogs and locusts? Read on.
From Albuquerque -- Fun fact: It's actually cheaper to stay an extra day in New Mexico than it is to fly out the day after a bowl game with Christmas right around the corner. I guess there was a demand for Southwest Airlines' supply of…
Idaho's top two rebounders in a 79-69 loss to Cal State Northridge on Sunday night were small forward Stephen Madison and guard Connor Hill. Together they had more rebounds (13) than all of the Vandals' big men combined (seven). That's an indication of Idaho's struggles…
Gonzaga received some good news in the aftermath of its 72-62 loss to Kansas State. According to GU, X-rays on Sam Dower Jr.'s lower back were negative and he's heading home for Christmas with his family. Here's my game story. More on Dower's nasty fall…
A GRIP ON SPORTS I really wanted to wait until later to begin writing today. I wanted to make sure the sun was going to come up. I had my doubts after Saturday, a day that probably should have its own wing in the Inland…
From Albuquerque -- Well, Washington State certainly provided a memorable start to the 2013 bowl season, even it was due to an 18-point collapse in the fourth quarter. The Cougars lost, 48-45, and we've got a game story for masochistic WSU fans and Rams who…
SportsLink is your portal into sports news around the Inland Northwest and beyond. You'll find updates, notes and opinions, and plenty of reader feedback.
Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.
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