How you feel about the M’s each offseason probably defines you

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Are you an optimist or a pessimist? If you want to know a simple test to decide, read on.

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• Intrigued? Or just bored this morning and looking for something o kill 30 minutes? Either way we have you covered. Open up this piece by Bob Dutton of the News Tribune. It covers projected salaries of upcoming free agents in the major leagues. Dutton doesn’t really discuss the high-end, Zach Greinke’s of the world because he assumes they are out of the Mariners’ price range. But he does list a lot of middle-of-the-road guys and presents options for the M’s. Which brings us to our premise. If you are a pessimist, you look at the list and see a bunch of, how can we put this nicely , guano. There isn’t anyone on the list who can help the M’s next year, at least not in the spots – catcher, centerfield, bullpen – they really need help. You look at the list, look at the M’s record in 2015 and figure you might as well spend next summer deep in the Canadian Rockies. The baseball news won’t be worth waiting on. However, if you are an optimist, as many Mariner fans have to be to stay sane, you look at the list and think of the endless possibilities. Yovani Gallardo would fill out the rotation nicely – after the M’s re-sign Hisahsi Iwakuma of course. Heck even Doug Fister might blossom again in Safeco. Matt Weiters has been hurt, which will bring his price down. A good-fielding, strong-hitting, switch-hitter behind the plate would give Mike Zunino a chance to learn while being a backup. And there has to be an outfielder out there who can help. A couple things go right and the M’s have the tools to threaten Kansas City’s American League supremacy, don’t they? The optimist’s answer is simply “yes.” And that leaves us with another category. The super optimist. He delves deeper into the free-agent list, remembers how he felt the day Robinson Cano signed with the M’s and says “why not?” He sees Greinke, Jason Heyward, David Price, Chris Davis, Justin Upton and says, why not one, or two, of these guys? They have invested millions already, why not go all in with a few hundred million more? And why you are at it, could you chip in a few bucks, under the table, to fix the Hawks’ offensive line?

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• WSU: One thing about the Arizona State Sun Devils. They love to blitz. Heck, it sometimes seems guys come out of the third row to rush the passer. Jacob Thorpe examines how the Cougars will deal with it Saturday in this story and blog post . … It’s been a good season for Jacob picking games . Does the run continue this week? … Jacob also has a morning post with links as well as a transcript of yesterday’s live chat and video of Roy Manning and Clay McGuire after practice. So the officials did nothing wrong in the Cougar game against Stanford. Oh, wait, they did miss a call. An offensive pass interference against River Cracraft. It’s seems it is business as usual in the conference. … Former WSU and Idaho coach Dennis Erickson is still involved in college football, albeit in a reduced capacity. … How does the Pac-12 get involved in the playoffs ? … Switching to basketball, the Cougars will be playing in the Virgin Islands next year . And there is a big reason why.

• Gonzaga: CBSSports.com has a great story on Gonzaga, Mark Few and the recruiting philosophy.

• EWU: Just the Eagles’ luck this season. They host Northern Arizona on Saturday and, as Jim Allen’s Big Sky notebook shows, the Lumberjacks are playing their best football. … Jim also has a morning post with links and will hold a live chat this morning.

• Idaho: Sean Kramer had a chance to speak with defensive coordinator Mike Breske concerning the loss at New Mexico State. … The Vandal men’s golf team struggled in their final tournament .

• Preps: The Washington state cross country races are this Saturday in Pasco and Greg Lee gets you ready with this feature on a Mt. Spokane runner, another on a pair of St. George’s girls and a quick preview . … Greg and Sam Adams turn their picking prowess toward playoff football games . … We have a roundup of prep volleyball matches . … Former Mt. Spokane runner John Dressel earned an important Pac-12 award.

• Seahawks: Russell Wilson is a standup guy, even with guys from other teams . … The Hawks have a .500 record. But they still have support around the nation. … A couple of Seattle franchises are embroiled in the Department of Defense brouhaha.

• Sounders: If it weren’t for the midseason acquisitions and injuries , would the Sounders be where they are? … Portland is playing a bit differently and one player loves it.

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• Another day on the radio, joining Dennis Patchin and Rick Lukens on 700 ESPN from 3 to 5 p.m. The show will be on until 6 p.m., but once again I have to leave early. You can listen here if you like. Until then …