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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: From injuries to losses, this week’s eclipse may work as an excuse for everyone

Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle George Fant is taken away on an injury cart after he went down on a play against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of an NFL football preseason game, Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, in Seattle. (Scott Eklund / AP)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Hold on a second. Thousands of Atlantic salmon were released into the Puget Sound and the eclipse is being blamed? Brilliant excuse, awful happenstance. Though I’m not sure whether to grab the fishing pole and head to Bellingham – it has to be cheaper than shopping at Whole Foods – or start working on a Disney-like screenplay about an escaped salmon lost in the San Juan Islands. Read on.

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• Just so you know, I put the screenplay idea in the first paragraph so when someone does make a movie about it, they have to kick a little money this way.

But using the eclipse as an excuse seems to be a catch-all that can give to the sporting world all season. Especially considering the damage to the nets first happened last Saturday, two days before the eclipse.

I know, the tides were exceptional, but isn’t that predictable? And something for which a responsible business would have a plan?

Pete Carroll missed an opportunity last Friday. He could have blamed George Fant’s knee injury on the moon’s increased gravitational pull, it being so close to the earth and all. If not for the moon’s gravitational force, Justin Britt would have rolled three feet to the left and missed Fant’s leg entirely. Or something like that.

And last night’s 4-0 loss to the Braves? Too many Mariners were affected by the near-totality of the event in Atlanta some 36 hours earlier. The delayed effects on their eyes led directly to Kyle Seager dropping Mike Zunino’s soft toss in the fifth-inning rundown. Or something like that.

If Montana State becomes the third consecutive FCS school to open the football season at Washington State with a win, Mike Leach can blame it on the inability to see last Monday, costing the Cougars a crucial hour of preparation time at a critical juncture. Or something like that.

Joevin Jones leaves the Sounders without permission? He was afraid of the eclipse. Oregon doesn’t bounce back in Willie Taggart’s first season? Blame the eclipse. Washington loses one of its non-conference games? The ecli … no, that’s not going to happen, even in the moon crashes into the sun. The Huskies’ non-conference schedule is too soft for a loss.

• For all the grief the WIAA receives, including at times in this space, the organization does have the high school athletes it oversees at heart. Most of the time, the powers that be in high school sports in this state get it right.

The organization certainly did this week, with the decision to allow Rodrick Fisher another season of eligibility. The East Valley senior will get to play for the Knights this fall as he finishes earning his degree and gets ready to play football and run track at WSU.

If you don’t know Fisher’s story, Greg Lee had the definitive look last year. It’s worth catching up with.

And it’s worth giving the WIAA’s District 7 officials an attaboy for making the correct decision.

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WSU: On a light day in Pullman, Theo Lawson made good use of his time by catching up with former Washington State players in NFL training camps. … Cody O’Connell is a first-team, preseason Associated Press All-American. Theo has that story as well. … WSU and Eastern goalkeepers earned conference honors this week. … Former Washington State running back Squally Canada gets a chance to defeat Portland State on Saturday. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, what players do their teammates think will break out this season? … Jon Wilner begins a series on the Pac-12 Networks with the success stories. … The AP All-American team earned a lot of ink up and down the West Coast. … Washington is building its success up front. Though its linebackers aren’t bad either. … Will Gary Andersen’s third season be a big one for Oregon State? … With Justin Herbert leading the way, Oregon expects Willie Taggart’s first season to be a bounce-back one. … The longtime face of Stanford sports, Bob Murphy, died yesterday. … Colorado quarterback Steven Montez wants to be a pain to defenses in a couple ways. … Utah welcomed back a key defensive player as the offense makes a transition to a new quarterback. … UCLA is holding a mock game at the Rose Bowl this weekend. … USC has a lot of traditions, including winning. … The Trojans’ former kicker wants back in school. … Arizona must win for Rich Rodriguez’s seat to cool. … A freshman defensive lineman has been a big surprise for Arizona State.

Gonzaga: Nigel Williams-Goss only played for Gonzaga for one season, but he built up a large reserve of goodwill leading the Zags to the title game. He was back in town yesterday to hold a youth basketball camp and Jim Meehan was there. Jim has a story on the camp and one on Williams-Goss’ plans. Kathy Plonka also has a photo report from the camp Williams-Goss held in Liberty Lake.

EWU: A lot was happening in Cheney yesterday, with Jim Allen keeping track of it all. On the basketball front, Tyler Harvey signed with a team in the French league. And the Eagles will team up with Idaho for two men’s/women’s basketball doubleheaders this season. … From the football field, Jim has a story on the Eagles’ cornerbacks and more on the splash Cooper Kupp is making in Los Angeles. … Around in the Big Sky, last season was the best Weber State has had in a long time. … Montana State coach Jeff Choate doesn’t feel pressure to win. But he will play quite a few true freshmen this season. … Southern Utah should have one of the conference’s better offensive lines.

Idaho: The Vandals’ Aikeem Coleman and WSU’s Hercules Mata’afa are on the Ted Hendricks Award watch list.

Indians: A walk-off 4-3 loss at Tri-City last night dropped Spokane two games back in the Northwest League’s second-half race. … The Indians return home tonight for a three game series with the Dust Devils and brothers Ismel and Luis Lopez will be ready. Whitney Ogden has a feature on the two Spokane pitchers. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Vancouver stayed tied with Tri-City with a win over Everett. … Hillsboro and Eugene won.

Mariners: From a Little League-style rundown to another starting pitcher unable to get through five complete to bats about as lively as wet fettuccine, it was forgettable night for the M’s. They can’t have too many of those anymore. … Another relief pitcher had to go on the disabled list.

Seahawks: Injuries seem to be playing an outsized role in the Hawks’ narrative right now. To whit: K.J. Wright returned from a knee procedure and practiced; C.J. Prosise’s latest in a string of injuries might be a tipping point; and the battle to replace injured left tackle Fant has a couple frontrunners. … The offensive line needs to change the story line. … A linebacker likes it here.

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• I’m meeting an old friend – old being used in two ways here – for lunch. That’s the highlight of my day. What you got? Until later …