Baseball dominates the links
A GRIP ON SPORTS
We're back, this time with our usual morning blog post. And if you love baseball, today's the day to read. Read on.
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• If you want personal reminisces of Mother's Day, this is the wrong place. We have set up it's own blog post, which you can find here. This post is filled with links, and there is a baseball bent (it must be the middle of spring, hard on the heels of summer), from high school to college to the big leagues. And a few other things as well, of course.
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• WSU: Yes, he will always be remembered in Seattle as UW's stately basketball coach. But I'll always remember Marv Harshman as the only man respected enough to coach at both Washington and Washington State and still remain friends with the archrival groups.
• Gonzaga: The Zags have clinched the WCC regular season crowd and are keeping sharp by playing nonconference games. They split a doubleheader yesterday. ... BYU has picked up a basketball transfer.
• Shock: The last minute of last night's game in the Arena may be a turning point for the Shock. In a bad way. The team scored 62 points in the first half, stalled in the second but still led Orlando 82-69 with 53.5 seconds left. And lost. Jim Meehan was there and explains how it happened in this game story and blog post. Jesse Tinsley also tells the story of the game in this photo gallery.
• Preps: Gonzaga Prep has shown all season it is a contender for the state 4A baseball title and the Bullpups kept that hope alive by splitting two games in the Tri-Cities yesterday. The win that moved them on came at the expense of Mead. ... Jim Allen was at Ferris' 4-1 win over Walla Walla, which moved the Saxons into the state soccer tournament. ... We also can pass along roundups of Saturday's playoff action in track and field, tennis and softball.
• Mariners: Before we get to the Mariners' loss – neither of their top two pitchers were throwing – we want to address the umpires. It's because of this type of attitude, the league will eventually be able to add more video reviews. For that, as a man of technology, I thank them. ... Yes the M's lost. But it wasn't the pitching. It was the lack of a clutch hit. The M's had eight base runners in the final three innings and couldn't score the tying run in a 4-3 defeat to Oakland. ... Larry Stone not only has his column on the umpires but adds an interesting notebook, his power rankings and weekly awards. ... Another North Carolina alum, and Kyle Seager's roommate, is shining in the bigs.
• Seahawks: Luke Willson continues to impress at the Hawks' rookie mini-camp.
• Sounders: It's not often you can see two or three goals by one team in a soccer match. My sons, who traveled to CenturyLink yesterday, got to see four, by the Sounders. And they're darn happy about it. So are the Sounders, who are starting to turn around their tough season. The 4-0 win over San Jose may be the biggest sign.
• Sonics: I'm sorry, but I have a man crush on Chris Hansen. Anyone with the hutzpah to do what he's done in the past week is worth having as an owner of a local professional sports team. The latest: Hansen has made a new deal with the Maloofs to buy at least part of the Kings, even if the NBA doesn't want him to own the whole thing. That gets his foot in the door and forces Sacramento's hand. Also, he's offered the NBA owners more money if they approve his original deal. The guy wants to win. Just like Phil Jackson.
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• That's it for today. Don't forget to grap a cup of coffee and read our Mother's Day stories. They'll make you smile. Until later ...
