Grip on Sports: Thanksgiving football memories are always good, except when they flood back

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s Thanksgiving. In my lifetime – and that’s not a short span my friends – that’s meant three things: way too much food, great football and at least one “disagreement.” The first one is universal, the third one too personal to touch on here so we’ll focus on the second one today. Besides, this is the sports page, Read on.

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• I bet if you asked sports fans around the nation to name their favorite Thanksgiving football game, they all would be able to do it. It might be an NFL game (remember Leon Lett and the snow in Dallas?) Or it could be a college game. Most, I’m sure, would date back to their youth, when Thanksgiving memories – good and bad – are formed that last a lifetime.

That’s where mine comes from. And it is both good and bad.

We are headed back to 1971, a simpler time, as Homer Simpson likes to say. Isaac Hayes was talking about “Shaft.” Topol was atop the roof and the box office. And I was 15, that awkward year before the freedom of the driver’s license.

Thanksgiving was upon us and, being I lived in Southern California, it was more-than-likely warm. Mom was cooking, sure, but dad and I had other plans.

We were going to plop ourselves in front of the RCA and watch the Game of the Century. Actually, we were going to watch the second Game of the Century in about a half-dozen years, but that was OK.

This one featured second-ranked Oklahoma and its potent running game, against No. 1 Nebraska and Johnny Rodgers.

Both teams had great defenses. Both had solid quarterbacks. And we had Chris Schenkel and former Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson calling the game on ABC. The turkey was in the oven, the game was beginning and the day was perfect.

Until mom decided to do a load of wash. And didn’t notice the drain hose had worked its way free from the drainpipe.

As I remember it, Rodgers, who would win the Heisman that season, had just returned a punt 72 yards for score. Dad and I were screaming, as Sicilian males do while watching a sporting event.

Then mom screamed. Dad, still in his mid 40s, jumped off the couch and ran to the garage, home of our cars, sure, but also the storage area for my dad’s business.

I followed, slowly, one eye still on the color TV.

What followed was heartache. The washer had flooded the garage, dumping the soapy remains of my dad’s jeans and my Izod shirts, on the floor instead of down the drain.

My mom was horrified. My dad was, well, angry might not cover it. (Did I mention he was Sicilian?)

But anger didn’t stop him from getting at the mess right away. Couldn’t we watch … nope. The cars were pulled out, the mops were grabbed and dad and I – mom had dinner to finish – spent the next couple hours saving my dad’s work records – cardboard boxes have a way of absorbing water – and pushing the sludge out the front of the garage.

We missed the game of the century cleaning up the flood of the century.

And made another memory. Just not of Nebraska’s 35-31 victory.

• What’s sadder, unrequited love or unrealized potential? The Mariners gave up on some potential yesterday – including a guy many M’s fans have had a crush on for years – to fill a couple needs.

Right now, the trade of Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to the Diamondbacks for Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger and Zac Curtis is in the honeymoon phase.

The Diamondbacks, under first-year general manager Mike Hazen, now get to love the potential of Walker – and to lesser degree, Marte. Will it be requited? Maybe, maybe not. Neither lived up to their potential in Seattle, though, to be fair, Marte was given just one injury-interrupted year to show what he had.

In return the M’s get one of the National League’s best leadoff hitters last season, a spot Seattle needed to fill. Did they get the shortstop they needed? The baseball world seems to be saying yes, but the Diamondbacks did play Segura, who hit .319 with 20 home runs, at second base most of the time last season.

If he truly is a blow-your-socks-off shortstop, why is that? Is Nick Ahmed, the player the Diamondbacks used there, that good?

No matter. Segura is now the M’s guy. In addition, Seattle received Haniger, an outfielder with an upside, reportedly another of those athletic guys Jerry Dipoto loves and the M’s, playing in Safeco, need.

The left-handed pitcher? That would be Curtis, who some call a throw-in. However, one baseball person I follow on Twitter, and whose opinion I respect, feels has an intriguing upside.

So there you have it, Dipoto’s first big deal of the offseason. It won’t be his last.

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WSU: With only one more day until the Apple Cup of the Century – and yes, in 2016, that is probably true – there is a lot to catch up on. Yesterday, the current S-R WSU beat writer, Jacob Thorpe, teamed with the former S-R WSU beat writer, Christian Caple, for a live chat. The retired S-R WSU beat writer, Vince Grippi, took a nap. … Jacob also covered the weather report yesterday, looked at the Washington defense and picked all the Pac-12 games except the Apple Cup. … John Blanchette, who has been through more Apple Cups than most of us, wonders what happened to the rivalry talk that made this game so much fun. And then he gives us a sample. … WSU’s flag will fly on GameDay again Saturday no matter what happens in Pullman. … Chris Petersen and Mike Leach are different, sure, but the Times’ Larry Stone thinks they are more alike than they might admit. … Stefanie Loh wonders if this is Luke Falk’s last Apple Cup and tells the story of Parker Henry and his mom. … This Apple Cup will play well in Pullman. … The volleyball team defeated USC.

Elsewhere in Pac-12 football, most of the games this weekend seem easy to pick. Not the Apple Cup, mind you. And all are worth watching to someone. … The most important game, non-Washington, is Utah’s visit to Colorado. … The other game tomorrow is the desert’s rivalry game, Arizona State at Arizona. … UCLA finishes up the regular season at California and Oregon travels to Corvallis to face Oregon State in the Civil War. … The two non-conference games feature Notre Dame at USC and Rice at Stanford.

Gonzaga: The Zags open their Thanksgiving weekend tournament today against Quinnipiac in Orlando. It won’t be close. Jim Meehan is in warmer climes and has this advance and the keys to the contest. We’ll be watching the broadcast this afternoon and have our TV Take afterward for you. … BYU lost to Valparaiso again and it was another heartbreaker.

Idaho: The key to the Vandals’ football success this season? Josh Wright tells you the answer in this story.

Chiefs: Spokane traveled north of the border and earned a win Wednesday night, getting past Kamloops 3-2.

Preps: The high school football playoffs roll on this weekend and Greg Lee will be there. He has a feature on a Liberty standout as well as a look at this week’s games.

Seahawks: Doug Baldwin always wanted to throw a pass. He just didn’t want to throw it around the goal line. He wanted to catch one there. So he let Darrell Bevell know about it. … Bobby Wagner is having an MVP-like season. Russell Wilson may have an MVP-like ending to his season. … The running back hole? It will be filled by a former wide receiver. And a former USC Trojan.

Mariners: The trade filled one hole yesterday, but the M’s still have more to fill in the bullpen.

Sounders: The second leg of the Colorado series will be played at altitude. The Sounders don’t think it will mean much. We will see.

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• Have a great holiday. Don’t get on weird uncle Paul too much. He’s a good guy, deep down. We have to get out of Spokane early tomorrow morning, so we’ll be back here early. And then head to Pullman. Until later …