Grip on Sports: The last time an eclipse like this happened, the Sonics won an NBA title. Maybe this will be the M’s year?
A GRIP ON SPORTS • We have to acknowledge it. No way to avoid it, except maybe stay indoors. There is a near-total eclipse of the sun this morning. How rare is it? So rare, the last one visible in the United States occurred while I was still single. Maybe this one will signal something even more rare. Maybe the M’s will go on to win the World Series. Read on.
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• Ancient folk – and by that I don’t mean senior citizens like myself, but those humans who lived back before, say, science – used to see eclipses as a harbinger of doom or some such nonsense. One culture used to think it was a giant crocodile taking a bite out of the sun. How silly. Everyone knows it is alligators that get that large, not crocodiles.
We are more enlightened these days. We understand today’s eclipse is just a natural phenomenon, caused when the moon takes a big bite out of the sun.
The sun isn’t going away forever. At least I don’t think so. Science has been wrong before.
Remember when Jerry Lewis, who died yesterday at the age of 91, was that kind of nutty professor. He wasn’t right about a lot of stuff.
But a former Spokane icon, Bing Crosby, once played a character who used the Farmer’s Almanac and its eclipse guide to avoid being burned at the stake, so there’s that.
I do believe the folks doing the burning in that movie were angry Steeler fans and were tired of Crosby’s character crowing about the Patriots. Isn’t that the plot of the feel-good movie of the summer?
Anyhow, if an eclipse does signal something, could it please signal the end of the Mariners’ ineptitude?
We did some checking and the last time there was an eclipse like this in Washington, the Sonics went on to win an NBA title a couple months later. Cause and effect?
Since that last eclipse occurred, the Seahawks have won an NFL title, the Huskies a national one and the Cougars played in the Rose Bowl. Eastern picked up a national title, Gonzaga played in the final game with one on the line and Spokane had a mayor re-elected.
When the sun disappears in the middle of the morning and then reappears minutes later, anything seems possible. Even the M’s winning the World Series.
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WSU: It less than two weeks until the 2017 season opener, but the Cougars are still able to look ahead, all the way into 2018 and beyond. They received a commitment from a wide receiver yesterday. Theo Lawson has more in this story. … Robert Taylor won’t be around to play then, but he’s trying to make the most of the days he does have. Theo also has a feature on the safety. … Around the Pac-12, Washington’s backup quarterback has a lot of experience for a guy who rarely plays. … Oregon State has one guy it wants to always count on. … Oregon’s depth makes Willie Taggart smile. … Colorado doesn’t have a lot of experience up front on defense. … Utah is trying to build depth in the defensive backfield. … UCLA’s players weren’t about to complain when they received an unexpected day off. … One Arizona player is happy to just be a player and not a national celebrity.
Gonzaga: The women’s soccer team has started the season well.
EWU: It’s not often when this happens in North Dakota.
Indians: Tri-City is tied with Vancouver atop the North Division’s second-half standings. The Dust Devils padded their edge over Spokane last night with a 5-3 home win. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Everett picked a bad time to have a losing streak. … So did Eugene. … Hillsboro picked up a win.
Mariners: We crunched the numbers yesterday. Not just the financial ones, though there was a bit of that, but the ones that make baseball such a fun game. And the conclusion by this non-mathematician is simple: The M’s offense should be good for a while. That’s the thrust of today’s column in the S-R on the Mariners. … The M’s offense wasn’t good yesterday, shut down by a local kid in a 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay. … Taylor Motter, and his hair, is back with the M’s after hitting .350 at Tacoma.
Seahawks: With George Fant out, the Hawks signed an offensive lineman yesterday. … Blair Walsh likes it here in Seattle and he’s not afraid to show it.
Sounders: It doesn’t matter if the score is 4-0 or 2-1, with the winning goal coming on a penalty in stoppage time. Three points are three points. And that’s what Seattle earned Sunday when Clint Dempsey scored as time ran out.
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• I have glasses, ones I’ve kept for a couple of years following another, less spectacular eclipse. The skies are clear. So I’ll be outside ready to experience Mother Nature at its finest. But I’m also hedging my bets. I’m thinking of sacrificing a flank steak on the grill to the Son God just in case. Until later …