Grip on Sports: Only Stanford stands between WSU’s seniors and another milestone

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s Friday. There is snow reportedly falling in some parts of Spokane County. Excitement abounds. So we do our part with a few notes, ranging in importance from crucial to so-so. That’s how we roll in this type of weather. Read on.

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• We are the newspaper equivalent of studded snow tires. We crunch our way down the street, digging into the pavement but getting where we want to go. (By the way, we still have no idea how to spell “equivalent.” If it weren’t for spell-check it would appear a different way every column.)

Our first destination today is Pullman, where almost two-dozen seniors are getting ready for their final college football game. Win tomorrow versus Stanford and this group will once again reach a milestone not seen in the Palouse since the legendary early 2000 groups: They will post a 7-0 home record.

That’s as perfect as it gets. From quarterback Luke Falk to a couple of really big (and good) offensive linemen to defenders who put the speed in the Speed D, 2017’s seniors will go down as some of the best in school history.

• The next stop on our tour is in Seattle, where the Mariners were expected to make a splashy offseason signing that would get the fanbase fired up. No, we’re not talking about veteran utilityman Andrew Romine, who they signed yesterday. We are talking about Japanese phenom Shohei Otani, the two-way star who most scouts believe will have a huge impact in the states.

Alas, Major League Baseball, in its infinitely limited wisdom, has picked this offseason to force an agreement worldwide concerning player transfers and signings. It’s not getting done, and part of the reason is Otani’s Japanese club and its desire to be grandfathered in. The old way would mean $20 million, a number the club doesn’t want to forfeit.

Unless this gets worked out, Otani won’t be on the market this offseason. Seattle, with its deep Japanese history, its proximity to the country and its willingness to entertain playing him in the field and on the mound, is considered one of the frontrunners for his services. For now.

• Our next stop is down the coast at the home of Peets Coffee, our favorite. The University of California announced yesterday the school administration would assume some of the estimated $230 million debt the athletic department incurred while retrofitting Memorial Stadium.

See, the department was ordered by the school’s regents to make it earthquake safe – as if that wasn’t a necessary requirement in the Bay Area – which about doubled the cost of the remodel.

The stadium and football building debt is crushing the department to the tune of about $18 million per year, a number that will rise to $30 million in a few years. If the university assumes a large portion of that, it will help Cal balance its budget and set a precedent for other schools in the state.

• We return home via Sodo, where the Sounders defeated Vancouver 2-0 last night before almost 40,000 fans in CenturyLink. The win allows the defending MLS champions to move to the Western Conference finals, where they will play either Portland or Houston in another two-match series.

Though the Timbers won the Western Conference regular-season title and are a stouter opponent, we’re guessing most Sounder fans would rather play their rival instead of the Dynamo. It would raise the series’ stakes that much more.

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WSU: For some of the Cougars, Senior Day is the only day their parents have seen them play in person. Theo Lawson writes about one such player, Frankie Luvu, and explains why. … Falk is once again up for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the top former walk-on. Theo also has that story. … There is more, as usual, on our WSU football page, including Theo’s interviews with a couple of assistant coaches. … The Times Stefanie Loh writes about the senior class and one in particular, Cole Madison. Stefanie also has a story on Erik Powell and an award nomination. … Yes, Mike Leach has a boundless curiosity. … Stanford is making a change at quarterback, inserting a better runner into the lineup.

Elsewhere in Pac-12, we can pass along power rankings and picks. It’s what we do later in the week. … The weekend begins tonight when a beat-up UCLA team travels to Utah, which has struggled in the past month. … The best game of the weekend, non-Northwest edition, is the last one, with USC hosting Arizona. The winner should represent the South in the conference title game. … Arizona State dropped the ball last week against the Trojans but hope to recover against Colorado. … Oregon State travels to California, hoping to build on the momentum of two close home losses. Yes, losses. … Washington routed Oregon last year, another nail in Mark Helfrich’s coffin. It’s a different Duck team that will come into Husky Stadium. … In our lone basketball story, Washington hosted St. Martin’s in an exhibition game and won a tight one. … Wait, we have another basketball story, this one on Oregon State.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs open the season with an exhibition Saturday, but Jesse Wade won’t be available. Jim Meehan has the news the freshman guard is dealing with shoulder issues that could keep him sidelines awhile. … The women invited the media to practice yesterday in preparation for their exhibition opener Sunday. Jim Allen has a story. … The women, picked to win the WCC title again, checked in at 31st in the AP preseason rankings.

EWU: Because the Big Sky has so many teams, league schools can schedule non-conference games against each other. The Eagles and Northern Arizona took advantage of that. Jim Allen has the story. … Jim also held a live chat yesterday and posted a transcript. … Finally, he has a story on the soccer team, which is hosting the conference tournament this weekend. … Around the Big Sky, only one conference school was among the FCS Top 10 playoff teams announced yesterday. That would be conference-leading Northern Arizona, which plays at Montana this week. … Idaho State and a fifth-year senior linebacker will face UC Davis. … … Southern Utah hosts struggling North Dakota. …  Montana State steps out of conference.

Idaho: The Vandals traveled to Troy yesterday and not only lost a close one, but also may have lost their quarterback. Peter Harriman writes about the game in the S-R this morning. … The volleyball team picked up a big win last night.

Preps: Most high school football players will be playing their last game of the season this weekend and, for many of the seniors, it will be their final game ever. We can offer a roundup of last night’s football action as well as ones from volleyball and girls’ soccer.

Seahawks: The Hawks seem to have fun on Thursdays. But there was a large contingent of players who didn’t take part in practice. Will they play against the Redskins? … Will C.J. Prosise play against Washington?

Mariners: The season is over. Now the offseason begins. The M’s will try to win that as well, though as we wrote above, one of their targets appears to be off the market already.

Sounders: How much does Seattle need Clint Dempsey? How about two goals worth in a 2-0 Western Conference semifinal win over Vancouver?

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• We have a busy day tomorrow, so busy in fact we’re only going to put up an abbreviated column in the morning. Sorry, but we will post links to the Spokesman’s stories and that’s about it. We have to get out of the house really early. We will, however, still have our three takes on the Stanford game, though we won’t be on the postgame radio show. There were some logistical problems getting that done tomorrow, so Derek Deis will have a surprise guest. Until later …