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Grip on Sports: It’s not even August and football is already dominating the conversation

Michigan State defensive end Malik Mcdowell is seen before a drill at the 2017 NFL football scouting combine Sunday, March 5, 2017, in Indianapolis. He was picked in the second round of the NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks but missed the first day of training camp while recovering from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. (Gregory Payan / Associated Press)
By Vince Grippi vincegrippi55@yahoo.com

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It is the last day of July. And at least two-thirds of the stories we read today are football related. The NFL. College. It’s the middle of summer and the sports still dominates. Forget Elvis. Football is the real king. Read on.

••••••••••

• Want to know what’s going on with the UW Huskies? There are at least 10 stories linked below dedicated to the beginning of preseason practice.

How about the Seahawks first day? I wouldn’t even begin to count the number of pieces on the off-field deals, let alone what went on the first day in Renton.

If you want to spend this last Monday of the month – and the major league baseball trade deadline – reading about football, you might be done in time to take a break at work and have lunch. And then you can probably find a few more stories.

We won’t get in your way.

• By the way, if you are wondering why college football is starting earlier this year, there is a reason. It’s another one of those unintended consequences of a well-meaning NCAA rule change.

•••

WSU: The Cougars’ practices begin Wednesday in Pullman. Friday, they head down to Lewiston for a week of fun in the sun (for those watching, maybe; the players will be working). A new reporter will be on the beat, Theo Lawson. … Now for the stories from around the Pac-12. We mentioned the Huskies. Chris Petersen spoke with the media yesterday and there were more stories written than appeared in the New York Times the day after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon (I think). I’m pretty sure I’ve linked them all here. … The Arizona players are tired of losing. … Oregon State has been practicing a while and now the Beavers have lost a player. … There is a new coach at California. The challenges are the same. … Speaking of new coaches, Oregon’s Willie Taggart opens camp promising to shake things up. … Utah has a history of developing outstanding defensive linemen. … Josh Rosen is back at UCLA. But he’s different. … There are a lot of stories from USC as well, including another quarterback commit and a weird one about the Trojans’ kicker leaving. … Should college football practices be open to everyone?

Indians: Momentum is a funny thing. Spokane didn’t have it the first half of the season. It seems to be in the Indians corner now. They won again yesterday in Everett with a ninth-inning rally. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Eugene picked up another win over Hillsboro.

Preps: Shadle Park grad Jakobe Ford had a great Junior Olympics. 

Mariners: The M’s don’t seem to be in the market for a major player who might put them over the top this season (for a variety of reasons). I wondered how that news was going over in the clubhouse. So I imagined a scenario. That’s the column this week. … The best starting pitcher in the American League right now? It could be James Paxton, who won six games in July. He shut out the Mets yesterday (as the M’s won 9-1) and didn’t feel he pitched well. … Leonys Martin is back as Mitch Haniger is put on the disabled list again. … D.J. Peterson, the Mariners first-round pick in 2013 and the 12th overall, was designated for assignment yesterday. … Former Mariner third baseman Adrian Beltre picked up his 3,000 hit on Sunday. He will be in the Hall of Fame someday.

Seahawks: The first day of practice is usually one of celebration and excitement as the season unfolds before everyone. There was a little of that yesterday as the Hawks began the season, but there was also some trepidation. That’s because first-round pick Malik McDowell wasn’t at camp, injured in an offseason ATV accident. His future is uncertain. … There was still a lot to be learned and a lot of opportunities to be seized. … And there is contract talk. Always.

Sounders: Most professional soccer leagues around the world practice relegation, moving good teams from lower leagues up and demoting bad teams from higher leagues. The MLS doesn’t. But there are a lot of reasons why it should.

•••       

• Today is a travel day for me. Heading back to my favorite place in the entire world: my backyard. I can’t wait to light up the briquettes, grab an ice-cold Diet Coke and sit under my tree, shaded by the knowledge summer will last another month or two. I’ve missed it. Until later …