Grip on Sports: Father’s Day weekend starts out with a crash

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Baseball. Golf. Searching for that perfect Father’s Day gift. It should be a busy Saturday. Read on.

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• Sadly, we don’t have to search for a Father’s Day gift anymore. Unless you count buying yourself a new pair of tongs for the barbecue, putting a ribbon on it and pretending it’s from your offspring as fitting that bill.

But we digress from the point of this column. That would be keeping you up-to-date with local sports. That we can do, below. As for stories from outside the area, they are sparser today.

As you may know, we are on the road. And we depend on the wi-fi of strangers to get our work done. This morning, everything was going fine for the first hour or so. And then it all came crashing down. I’ve tried to recover, but I’m sure it’s not as in-depth as it once was.

Sorry.

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WSU: Basketball coach Ernie Kent is a grandfather. That’s cool. Jacob Thorpe has the story. … Around the Pac-12, Oregon State will kick off its World Series adventure today. … Oregon isn’t in Omaha but that didn’t seem to matter about this choice. … Arizona State’s athletic director Ray Anderson is staying patient.

EWU: So just who will win the Big Sky football title this fall? Jim Allen has his choice. … Jim also has a story on a former basketball player who returned to Cheney recently.

Indians: The season opener was delayed for a day. Then the outcome was delayed for a while as the Indians rallied to force extras, then finally fell 5-4 to Boise. Whitney Ogden has the story and James Snook the photos. … Eugene has yet to win but Everett got its first last night.

Empire: It doesn’t matter what indoor football league you may be playing in. Lose half your games and you probably aren’t going to the playoffs. Such was the case this season for the Empire, who lost 45-42 in Salt Lake City last night to end its season. Spokane lost six of its final seven games.

Golf: The U.S. Open will be decided this weekend. Jim Meehan’s column is about local amateurs who tried to make the field. … Erin Hills fought back yesterday a bit. The best in the world had trouble and missed the cut.

Mariners: Dave Nichols has his Mariner Log today. My guess is he feels as if he’s been riding a rollercoaster with the up-and-down nature of the M’s season. And, yes, we did add links to the bottom.

Seahawks: This just in: Pete Carroll is optimistic. You heard it here first – and second, and third. … Who will be on the Hawks’ 53-man roster? Maybe this guy.

Sounders: The attack should be better in New York.

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• Tomorrow we will post your stories about fishing with dad. And then some links. It is Father’s Day after all. Until then …