Grip on Sports: Just look at the last name; of course we have gripes but none are with last night’s results

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We are working on very little sleep today – in a roundabout way it is Gonzaga’s fault – which raises our quotient of smarminess. You’ve been warned. Read on.

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• A few thoughts for a Wednesday. They are tinged with snark.

• The same ESPN group that covered the Huskies in the infamous “cupcake” game will be back in Seattle to cover this week’s must-win battle with Utah. And one of them had some things to say about UW last weekend on Twitter.

Mark Jones, who called Chris Petersen “irascible and somewhat cantankerous” during that California game (as if that’s a bad thing), listed some of Bryce Love’s stats in a tweet and then added this phrase: “Huskies got their feelings hurt when I tried to tell em weeks ago,” and added the 100 percent emoji.

Really? Is the last word that important?

Jones comes off sounding petty and small. Though we must admit, on Twitter, a lot of things are written that are worse than just petty and small.

• The three UCLA basketball players who were accused of shoplifting while in China are back in the states. They will face the Los Angeles media today (and they thought the questioning from Chinese police was tough). And UCLA should announce their fate.

The evidence has been reported as being pretty damning. There have been reports of video of multiple incidents. If it’s true, and they did attempt to shoplift, they will probably be disciplined pretty severely by either the school or the conference, which sponsored the trip.

We know what would happen to them if they were Washington State football players. If proven, they violated one of Mike Leach’s three laws. Theft gets you booted. Agree with the severity or not, you have to admit Leach has certain standards and he doesn’t waiver from them.

• We spoke of cupcakes earlier. They are a tasty treat, right? And they also serve a purpose, in their athletic sense.

A college coach is only occasionally sure how his or her team will come together to start a season. If there are high expectations placed on a team with heavy turnover – ooh, turnovers; better than cupcakes, right? – a series of cupcake non-conference games can serve as glorified scrimmages, allowing an inexperienced team to meld together.

Gonzaga has begun this season with two of the treats, Texas Southern and Howard University, at home. The Tigers were an NCAA team last season and were a good opener in that they are organized and talented enough to supply a test for the new GU puzzle pieces. And Howard has some talents that can cause problems for an unfocused team.

The Zags had no trouble with either. The contests also allowed the coaching staff to try some things that will pay dividends down the road. After Utah State visits Saturday night, the schedule toughens up in a hurry, with the PK80 tournament over Thanksgiving in Portland.

There are no cupcakes there.

• Stanford might have thought it was scheduling a cupcake in Eastern Washington, but if the Cardinal did, they were mistaken. And they broke a tooth.

The Eagles, under first-year head coach Shantay Legans, went into Maples Pavilion and handled a Pac-12 team for the first time in years, winning 67-61.

Not only can Eastern score as per usual – Bogdan Bliznyuk had 23 points – they are defending well too. That’s a nice combination. A winning combination.

• One last gripe. Taxes. Whether you think we are overtaxed or undertaxed, you probably hate the complexity of the nation’s code.

Unless a deduction helps personally.

Which is why I am passing along this story on a couple changes concerning college athletics proposed in the newest tax plan floating around Washington, D.C.

All I have to say to those folks who would disallow my tax break to the UC Irvine athletic department: You will pry my donation deduction from my cold, dead fingers. Or something like that.

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WSU: Cougar fans can hold 14 fingers in the air and chant, “We are No. 14” over and over if they want. Washington State is No. 14 in the most recent college football playoff rankings. Theo Lawson has the news that ranking is four spots higher than the Cougs’ cross-state rivals. … Theo also has his Pac-12 power rankings for the week. … The college football playoff rankings seem to be a big deal. As are power rankings.

Elsewhere in Pac-12, it’s the time of year when bowl projections are all the rage. … Washington hosts Utah this week needing to win, sure, but needing a Stanford loss to Cal even more. The Huskies can control only one of those things. The Utes have a say in that, though their offense seems a bit overmatched by UW’s defense. … When Arizona and Oregon meet, there will also be a meeting of brothers. And fellow recruits. … Oregon State and Arizona State match up, with only one team on the cusp of bowl eligibility. … The Big Game may have a big impact on Bryce Love’s Heisman campaign, though there are other ways to win. … This is rivalry week in Los Angeles as well, with lots of good stories available about the game, though there is little on the line except pride – and possibly Jim Mora’s future. Anyway, the focus has been diluted by the UCLA basketball idiocy. … Colorado joins WSU with a bye. … In basketball, both Arizona State and Colorado picked up wins.

Gonzaga: The final score was 106-69 but as we mentioned above, the Zags received a lot of benefits from last night’s win over Howard. Jim Meehan delves into them in his game story and his three keys to their victory. He also delved into the importance of the game to Johnathan Williams, who scored his 1,000th collegiate point. … John Blanchette spent time in his column examining a group that had a chance to cook a bit in the first two games, the youngsters. … Whitney Ogden looked at Howard’s tough road schedule and some exciting early plays. … We had our TV Take from last night as well, while Dan Pelle and Colin Mulvany combined on a photo gallery. … Athletic director Mike Roth already has chosen a new soccer coach. … Elsewhere in the WCC last night, Portland defeated Walla Walla at home. … BYU has to learn to play without Nick Emery. 

EWU: We can pass along the game story from the upset in California last night. … We also can pass along Jim Allen’s story about Saturday’s football game against winless Portland State. I was going to spend some time griping about the FCS playoffs but decided it was too early. Let’s just say if Eastern and Montana win this week and the Griz earn a berth while the Eagles are left out, we will be doing some griping Monday. … The Eastern women’s basketball team picked up a road win last night as well. … Around the Big Sky in basketball, Portland State earned another win while Idaho State lost to Utah Valley at home. … The Eastern win, when paired with Montana’s win at Pitt, should help the conference in the NCAA’s eyes. … In football, there are rivalry games and really important games this week.

Seahawks: The NFL is still asking questions about Russell Wilson’s quick return to the Arizona game. … Byron Maxwell makes a return to the Hawks’ roster, but his turnaround has nothing on what happened to Jeremy Lane. … There were other roster moves yesterday as well.

Sounders: In most professional sports, a veteran coming off the bench is valued. The same is true in the MLS.

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• I have pounded down about a gallon of coffee this morning. My fingers are flying over the keyboard, only occasionally landing on the right letters. I apologize for any mistakes above. Except for the ones of opinion. They are not mistakes. Ill-informed and trivial, maybe, but not mistaken. Until later …