Who will fly tonight?
A GRIP ON SPORTS
Being it is the Thanksgiving holiday, I contemplated taking the day off. Relaxing, sleeping in and all that. But I couldn't. Not with all the sports news out there. And with the Seahawks' biggest game of the season coming our way this evening. Read on.
• Today is the day we're supposed to share what we are thankful for and all that. I've always been pretty good at that. Heck, I can remember a Thanksgiving prayer I gave when I was in high school that made my sister cry so much, she ruined her plate of turkey and mashed potatoes. She had to give it to the garbage disposal and dish up another plate full. Good times. But we're not going to get into that this morning. There is too much already on our plates today – yours and mine – so we'll skip the long-winded "gee-whiz-life-is-great-because-of" column and just pass along one thing: part of the greatest Thanksgiving-themed TV sitcom of all time. Better than anything Charlie Brown ever did, better than "Friends' " multiple episodes, better than any Thanksgiving "South Park." Just watch and enjoy.
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• WSU: I do believe there is a little Mr. Carlson in all of us, isn't there? Speaking of sacks of wet cement, this Cougar season sort of started that way. But it can finish on an up note, that's for sure. An Apple Cup win covers a multitude of sins. Jacob Thorpe thinks the Cougars are going to get one – I'll have my pick on Saturday – and he gives his reasons in his Pac-12 picks. Jacob also has a nice feature on Peyton Pelleur (pictured) and the Pelleur clan in today's S-R. On the blog, Jacob held a live chat yesterday and also posted a practice report. As usual, he has his morning links today. The WSU basketball team is in action from Alaska this evening. ... There is a mailbag on ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog as well as one of my favorite features, looking at the numbers behind each game.
• Gonzaga: Before we go anywhere else, I watched Josh Perkins' jaw get blasted over and over last night and I can say one thing for sure: The Georgia player, Kenny Gaines, threw his leg out on purpose. Whether he meant to hit Perkins in the face is between Gaines and his maker, but the action in which he thrust his leg out wasn't accidental. And should have resulted in a flagrant two foul call. But like many of the decisions made last night, this one was missed. Still, Gonzaga fought through and earned an 88-76 win at Madison Square Garden. Jim Meehan was there and has this game story and blog post. He will also have a day-after post this morning. ... You can watch the video of the Perkins play here. ... ESPN's Jeff Goodman is reporting Perkins suffered a broken jaw. ... BYU had a couple of chances to post big wins in Maui but failed both times.
• EWU: Northern Kentucky lost at No. 2 Wisconsin by 31 and at No. 19 Nebraska by 19. The Norse lost last night at unranked Eastern Washington by 21, 81-60. The Eagles, coming off a huge win at Indiana, didn't have a letdown, which is the mark of an experienced, mature team. Jim Allen was in Cheney and has this game story. ... Jim also has a notebook on the football team's bye week. Next week in Cheney they'll face the winner of the Montana vs. USD first-round game. ... Portland State fired coach Nigel Burton this week and now is looking for a new coach. But there are deeper problems for the Vikings. ... The Griz had little trouble with Carroll in basketball last night.
• Whitworth: The Pirates are in Southern California for the holiday weekend and began their trip with an 80-61 win over Redlands.
• Chiefs: No, the Chiefs didn't win by a goal. They won by two last night, 4-2 over visiting Victoria. Chris Derrick has all the details in this story and blog post. ... Everett picked up a 2-1 home win over Kamloops. ... Kelowna had little trouble with the Americans in the Tri-Cities, winning 4-1.
• Preps: Greg Lee uses this Thursday to preview the area girls' basketball season. He has a feature on defending Washington state 4A girls champs Gonzaga Prep and a summary of all the area's leagues.
• Seahawks: Why are the Hawks and the 49ers games so much fun? Because the teams are so similar. This game is no different. Both teams are 7-4, both want to run the ball, both defend with a passion and both are banged up. It should be fun. ... Kam Chancellor has gotten healthier and that's shown in his play. ... Pete Carroll loves to talk about, well, he loves to talk about anything. ... The stats are pretty similar this week as well. ... It's a West Coast game and it will have a West Coast referee. ... The 49ers feel they have to stop Marshawn Lynch.
• Mariners: Missed this yesterday but I wanted to pass along Ryan Divish's thoughts on the Kyle Seager deal – and other items.
• Sounders: There isn't a level playing field in the MLS when it comes to talking about, or admitting to, injuries. Maybe the league wants to help out the gamblers who work hard to "get" information? ... Zach Scott seems to be getting better with age.
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• Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone. And remember, turkeys may not be able to fly, but they can get a lot done even if their feet never leave the ground. Until later ...
