Grip on Sports: The preliminaries are over, it’s time to get back to football

A GRIP ON SPORTS • What day is it? That’s right, Friday. July 28. The Pac-12 football media days are over for 2017. Now, for the next month, we can focus on what’s really important. Practice. Read on.

••••••••••

• Yep, college football practice is underway. Not in Pullman or Cheney, that’s still a bit down the road. But in Corvallis and Tempe and other places, college football players are running around in T-shirts, helmets, shorts and cleats, fulfilling rule mandates to “be in football shape” before they don full pads.

As if these kids ever get out of shape anymore.

Not with the offseason workout regimes they have to undergo. The weight lifting. The running. The steps. The sand hills. July may be a day at the beach for the rest of us, but college football players use the month for classes and getting fitter for September, October and November.

So don’t lament their “summer” being over already. There isn’t much of an offseason for them. Not like general student population.

Their job – and that’s what it is, a job playing football, supplementing their educational responsibilities – precludes much time off. There is always someone else ready to take their spot if they slack off.

College football’s unemployment rate is basically 100 percent. There are always players ready to step in. So the 12-month a year job program has to be maintained. Fulfilled. Focused upon.

We see the tip of the iceberg. And that tip floats to the top now.

• Mike Leach is a funny guy. Not comedian funny, maybe, but funny-for-a-football-coach funny. And that sense of humor was on display yesterday. He took his turn at the podium for Pac-12 media days and had the journalists gathered in Hollywood laughing.

But we have to disagree with Leach about one thing.

“An item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling between them, eaten as a light meal.”

That’s the dictionary definition of a sandwich. Meat between two pieces of bread.

A hot dog, by definition, is a sandwich. The meat may look different, but it is meat. And it’s between two pieces of bread.

•••

WSU: The coverage today is supplied by Jim Allen, who was filling in for our newest Washington State beat writer, Theo Lawson. Lawson begins on the beat Monday. So Jim has the story of Leach’s appearance as well as a notebook from Thursday’s events. … There is coverage of WSU’s time at the podium from the News Tribune and the Times as well. … Around the Pac-12 and its overdone media days, there are coaches who must win this season to keep their jobs. As always. … The new early signing period may have unintended consequences. As always. … Two-a-days are a thing of the past. … Utah sees its opportunity to surprise folks hinging on the offensive line. … Keller Chryst isn’t ready to practice just yet. But the Stanford quarterback is close. … USC has a star quarterback, a relatively new coach and an old burden, being the favorite. … Arizona State is already practicing and coach Todd Graham knows what has to improve. … The defense has to improve if Oregon wants to bounce back. And some youngsters have to step up. … Washington’s Jake Browning has bonded with a rival.

EWU: The Raiders released former Eastern player Taiwan Jones. … Portland State hired a defensive line coach who was working at WSU.

CCS: The community college has a new baseball coach, though Bryan Winston has been around a long time.

Indians: Spokane made it two consecutive wins with a 6-4 victory over visiting Everett last night. Greg Lee was there and has this game story. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Hillsboro swept Boise and Eugene held off Salem-Keizer.

Mariners: It was a day off yesterday before the M’s begin a three-game series with the Mets at Safeco. But we have a couple stories, including one on James Paxton’s Maple Grove and another on James Pazos working on his slider.

Seahawks: Forget everything else. The offensive line is Job One for the Hawks.

Sounders: An interesting day in soccer, with the L.A. Galaxy hiring former Sounder coach Sigi Schmid just prior to a matchup with Seattle. … The U.S. Women’s National Team lost for the first time to Australia. … Jordan Morris is a winner.

•••       

• The weekend looms. And then, for me at least, it’s back to Spokane for a month of yard work. It may be warm now but as Ned Stark always said, winter is coming. Until later …