Hey, it’s the Easter bunny. And he has links
A GRIP ON SPORTS
Happy Easter. Read on.
• Because it is Easter Sunday, we're not going to delve into a subject in any depth. I know you have more important things to do. So enjoy the links, enjoy the day and we'll see you Monday.
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• WSU: The football team held its first official scrimmage of the spring (pictured) – they kept stats and everything – but let's don't fool ourselves. The Cougars scrimmage nearly every practice. But this one was for real, or as real as a scrimmage can get, so there's that. Jacob Thorpe was there and has this story and blog post. He also has a morning post with links. ... Speaking of scrimmages, or as they are known at the end of spring practice, "The Spring Game," Utah held its yesterday and a former WSU running back commit had a great day. Wouldn't it be ironic if, for the second consecutive year, a former WSU commit is among the best in the Pac-12 at running back? Well, ironic is probably not the right word. ... The Cougars were swept at Oregon in baseball. ... Mark Emmert decided to respond to a John McGrath column in the News Tribune.
• Gonzaga: Lost in the hoo-ha about the WSU scheduling, the same story in the Gonzaga Bulletin outlined a tougher-than-last-season non-conference schedule. The highlight? GU will be playing at Pauley Pavilion. ... The Zags swept Portland in baseball.
• EWU: The Eagles scrimmaged on the red turf yesterday and Jim Allen has the story.
• Idaho: Speaking of scrimmages, the Vandals held their third yesterday. It wasn't as long as the other two but still contained quite a few plays. Josh Wright has the story as well as video of Paul Petrino's assessment of how it went.
• Chiefs: Portland evened the WHL's Western Conference final with a win at Kelowna.
• Shock: The Mariners have suffered some awful losses. So have the Cougars. But Saturday night's 52-50 home loss to Cleveland has to be a deflating as they come for the Shock. Not only had they scored in the final minute to take a lead, Spokane had played decent defense on the Gladiator's last drive – until the final play. And, with the clock problems in the final minute – it didn't seem to start on time on more than one play – we'll never even know if that final play should have occurred. Well, Jim Meehan has the gory details in his game story and blog post. Dan Pelle adds the photographs from the game.
• Preps: The Mead Panther boys came this close to once again winning the Pasco Invite. Greg Lee has the story.
• Mariners: It's now five consecutive losses, but who's counting? Oh yeah, every single Mariner fan. As the streak lengthens, visions of another summer lost in mediocrity – or worse – begin to take shape. Hope is a boat with a lot of rust right now. The fifth consecutive loss came courtesy of an impotent offense last night – two hits for Seattle – and 7-0 at the hands of the Marlins. At least there were no replay arguments. ... Brandon Maurer will start for the M's today a bit different person than he was last season.
• Sounders: When the opponent, Chivas USA, is called for a Sounders' record 26 fouls – including a red card – then it seems in poor taste to complain about a bad call. But if it weren't for an unfortunate early penalty kick erroneously awarded Chivas, the Sounders may have had a shutout. As it was, the call allowed the Sounders to rally once again. Obafemi Martins' late goal helped Seattle to a 2-1 victory and kept them undefeated on the road this season. ... Speaking of this season, the arch-rival Portland Timbers have yet to win a game.
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• And that's that. Forget everything else, spend this Sunday basking in the glory of a late April Easter. They always have nicer weather. Until tomorrow ...
