The roles around here have been changing and it happened pretty quickly

A GRIP ON SPORTS • I spent part of the morning watching the dog chase squirrels in the back yard. No, it wasn’t what anyone would term “productive time,” either for myself or the dog – though at least the squirrels received some cardio training. But it got me thinking about the Seahawks and the Mariners and, up until a few weeks ago, Washington State. Read on.

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• Dogs have this thing for squirrels, don’t they? You could call it hate, but it’s less than that. It’s more of a “I’ll show you” type of thing. Yet, the idea of catching one, and what it would do with the darn thing if it did, never seems to cross my dog’s mind. It’s the chase that matters. Which brings us to our local sports teams. There is a chase every year, a playoff or pennant or bowl chase. The past couple years, the Hawks have caught their squirrel – the Super Bowl – and actually had a plan for what to do when it happened. Up until the last offensive play last season. It didn’t work and they have played – dare I say it? – squirrelly ever since. The Seahawks have spent this season with their tail in the air, running here and there, and getting nothing done. They jump around a lot, they occasionally find the buried nut but more often than not – they are 4-5 after all – they dig around and come up empty. But that’s better than the M’s. They have been like my youthful Great Dane. They whine and whine to be let out. They know the squirrel is out there, they can smell it, they can hear it, heck they can sometimes see it. They want it. But when the door opens and they get their chance, boom, they run smack into the trunk of the tree. Curses, foiled again. But this past offseason, under new general manager Jerry DiPoto, the M’s are acting more like our old barn cat. There is no rush. Just a methodical plan. Circle, circle, circle, trying to put an impenetrable ring around the squirrel. By being a bit more methodical, the cat always has an opportunity to clamp down on the rodent. I’m pretty sure the cat has actually caught one or two in the past, but I’ve never seen the evidence – thank goodness. That’s sort of M’s-like. They have caught a squirrel or two over the years, though the last truly memorable one was 20 years ago. So what happens next is important. How will they react if they catch another? Which brings us to WSU. The Cougars have been chasing their squirrel for years. The last time they caught any, they grabbed three back-to-back-to-back – and then lost the mastermind of it all, Mike Price. Things haven’t been the same since. Some years the Cougars haven’t even made it off the deck before the squirrel was off, down the tree limb, across to the shed roof and poof, into the next yard. But this year is different. Every time the squirrel has tried to get away, WSU has boxed it in. The Cougars have won. Over and over again. Now we have to see how they react. Will it be like last time? Will the squirrel cause indigestion and sicken them for the next few years? Or will it jumpstart the future, leading to year after year of successful hunts? Don’t ask me. What do I know? I’m just some idiot who spends his mornings sipping coffee and watching his dog run around the backyard chasing squirrels.

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• WSU: Jacob Thorpe has his first look at the Colorado Buffalos in today’s paper and one line caught my eye. The last time these teams met was 2012 in Pullman, when the Buffs pulled out a 35-34 win. It was as ugly. Not Cal-last-season ugly, but pretty close. … Jacob also has his notebook . It’s based on yesterday’s interviews and other items, like bowl news . He also has video of the interviews with Mike Leach , Taylor Taliulu , Peyton Pelluer and Gabe Marks . … Ernie Kent also met the media yesterday and Jacob has that video. … The Apple Cup will be on Fox and start at 12:30 Black Friday. … Luke Falk is playing better than any other quarterback in the Pac-12 right now. And WSU is playing as well as anyone in the conference. … The last weekend was not good for the conference nationally. … The WSU women won its second basketball game last night.

• Gonzaga: The Bulldog women had a recruiting class that mixed a local player with one from a long way away. … BYU played an overnight game last night and lost at Long Beach State . … USD is on the road for six games before playing at home.

• EWU: If the Eagles want to make the postseason this year, they have to win their game against Portland State on Saturday and then cross their fingers. As Jim Allen explains , their recent play has left their fate in the playoff committee’s hands.

• Whitworth: A 9-1 season means Whitworth has more than a dozen players on the NWC all-conference football teams.

• Chiefs: Everett is on the long road trip through Canada everyone makes. For some players, it’s just going home.

• Seahawks: The obits on the Hawks’ NFC West hopes have been written. Next up is think pieces on their chances for the playoffs . It doesn’t look good . A 6-1 finish is probably in order to ensure survival. … Thanks to an early deficit and some bad penalties, the Hawks never really got into their offensive game plan against Arizona. … The defensive secondary is a little thin these days. … So will be other spots thanks to a couple injuries . … There were a few minor roster moves yesterday.

• Mariners: The latest piece DiPoto has added ? It’s an athletic centerfielder and former Ranger, Leonys Martin . The left-handed hitter (and a middle reliever) cost Seattle Tom Wilhelmsen, James Jones and a player to be named later. The M’s probably have their starting outfield now, with Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez platooning in left, Martin in center and Nelson Cruz in right.

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• When the dogs go outside this time of year to chase rodents or do something else, they always return with wet, muddy paws. Which means I have to bend over and wipe them one by one. It’s enough to make you contemplate only having fish as pets. Until later …