Sports

Around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Annette Barfield, her husband, her son, her daughter-in-law and 5-month-old grandson all waited in the stroller section for the Bloomsday starting gun.

The Spokane Indians kick off a six-game High-A Northwest League series against the Tri-City Dust Devils on Tuesday at 11:05 a.m. for their second “Education Day” game. The sun-drenched bleachers will be filled with elementary school kids and their chaperones hoping to see the home team get back on a winning track.

SEATTLE – Darude’s “Sandstorm” won’t echo through Husky Stadium for the next three months. Neither will Endor’s “Pump It Up.”

The separation between Gonzaga and ESPN lasted six weeks. Less than six weeks, actually. It began March 21, the day of the Zags’ final game as a member of the West Coast Conference, and ended April 29. That’s when their new home, the Pac-12, learned all games broadcast on the CW, one of its core media partners, would also be available on the ESPN app.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Ever have a dream you are facing a difficult situation with, seemingly, no way out? And you calmly look ahead, wave your hand and say, quietly, “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for?” Ya, me neither. I’m not a Star Wars nerd. Except, sadly, I may just be.

RENTON, Wash. – It was a weekend of making acquaintances and first impressions for the eight members of the Seahawks’ 2026 draft class during the team’s two-day rookie minicamp.

Shoes pounded the pavement, hearts beat fast and runners sweated through the afternoon heat Sunday during the 50th Bloomsday in the Lilac City.

SEATTLE – Luis Castillo was a bit better. The Mariners’ offense was most decidedly not.

Gonzaga was coming off a record-breaking weekend and surging into the national postseason picture, but the Bulldogs took a step back this past week, dropping three games.

SEATTLE – Time doesn’t necessarily heal all wounds, but winning might.

EUGENE, Ore. – Gavin Kilen went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and the Eugene Emeralds dropped the Spokane Indians 8-1 in the finale of a six-game High-A Northwest League game on Sunday at PK Park.

SEATTLE – Cal Raleigh has never been placed on the 10-day injured list in his MLB career. He’s hoping that it won’t happen in the next few days due to discomfort in his right side.

It seemed only appropriate that it was a breakthrough year in many ways for American elite runners Sunday morning.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It seems almost impossible. On a Saturday night when Randy Johnson has his number retired, the Mariner management announced another statue, Emerson Hancock strikes out a career-high 14 Royals and the M’s figure out a way to lose late, the team’s biggest news came well before the fans began trooping into T-Mobile Park. What’s up with Cal Raleigh?

SEATTLE – As Axl Rose’s unmistakable voice filled T-Mobile Park as “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns-N-Roses blared at uncomfortable decibels, the crowd of 42,794 fans, many of whom were there to celebrate the Hall of Fame pitcher that made that song his own, rose to their feet for a second time to deliver an ovation deserving of Emerson Hancock’s stellar effort.

EUGENE, Ore. – The Eugene Emeralds showed why they lead the Northwest League by five games, winning one blowout and one close comeback against the last-place Spokane Indians in a doubleheader sweep at PK Park on Saturday.

SEATTLE – During an 11-minute speech in the middle of the Mariners diamond, Randy Johnson gave every indication that the lingering animosity he’d held onto for years had finally washed away, once and for all.