Grip on Sports: A rout one season can turn into motivation the next

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Revenge is a dish best served cold. At least that’s how the old saying goes. Well, it will be in the mid-70s Saturday night in Tucson, so it might not be true. Read on.

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• The saying is not about the weather? It’s about waiting patiently for a chance to get even? Oh, that makes more sense.

And better fits the Wildcats, who dearly want some revenge.

See, Washington State sort of dominated Arizona last season. Except “sort of” isn’t the right phrase. Last year, in Pullman, Luke Falk and friends blasted UA 69-7, scoring 31 points in the second half. That total included two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, though both came from backup Tyler Hilinski. Still, WSU throwing it into the endzone with less than 3 minutes left up 62-7 has to stick in Rich Rodriguez’s craw a little bit.

But maybe not as much as how efficient Luke Falk was. The WSU quarterback finished 32-of-35 passing for 311 yards and four touchdowns. The year before, in a 45-42 Cougar win in Tucson, Falk threw for 514 yards and five touchdowns.

So, even if Arizona isn’t talking about revenge – all Rodriguez told Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star about watching the game film from last year is “It makes me want to throw up. You can imagine, I’ve wanted to throw up all week.” – the Wildcats would like nothing better than to walk off their field Saturday night feeling the same way WSU felt in Pullman. No matter what the temperature is.

• When I got on my plane last night at LAX, the Dodgers were winning 3-1. As you might expect, the people huddled around the bar TV were happy.

When I got off the plane in Seattle, running to my Spokane connection, the score was no longer 3-1. Or in the Dodgers’ favor for that matter.

Los Angeles’ strength, its bullpen, collapsed on Wednesday night. Brandon Morrow, Josh Fields – trivia question: which franchise drafted those two pitchers? – and Kenley Jansen, among others, just couldn’t get the job done.

The Astros won 7-6 in 11 innings and now head back to Texas with a chance to close out the Series. If that happens, I will be able to tell my grandkids (if there ever are grandkids) I saw the Dodgers’ only World Series win in 30 years.

• Speaking of temperature, it was more than 100 degrees in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday and Wednesday. When I got into my car at Spokane International early this morning, the thermometer read 37 degrees. As you might have guessed, it was a shock to the system.

In all my years traveling from Spokane to warmer climes in the winter I can’t remember a greater temperature range. I came this close to aiming the Toyota south and not stopping.

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WSU: Luke Falk is, by all but one measure, the most successful quarterback in Washington State history. (We will get into the one sour note come Apple Cup time.) And, to him, success is measured one way: wins. Theo Lawson has Falk’s thoughts on that. … Theo also has his picks for this weekend’s conference games as well as a transcript of yesterday’s live chat and interviews with defensive coaches. The last can be accessed through our WSU football page. … Ryan Leaf has a new calling in life. … Tay Martin’s hometown newspaper extolled the freshman’s breakout game against Colorado. … Speaking of youngsters, Stefanie Loh delves into the makeup of the linebacker corps.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, we have to pass along all the picks and power rankings for the week because the games start tonight. Yep, Oregon State hosts Stanford and though Bryce Love may not play, not one believes Beavers have a shot. … Washington, coming off its first loss and then a bye, will host a UCLA team that is tired and struggling. … Neither Oregon or Utah, who know each other well, can afford another loss. Or the loss of another quarterback. … California heads to Colorado in the battle of two surprising teams, only one in a good way. … The buzzards are circling USC again and if the Trojans lose at Arizona State, expect them to descend. 

EWU: Eastern will also start its basketball season early, due to the NCAA’s charity waiver. Jim Allen has the story. … Around the Big Sky, either Weber State or Montana will be out of the Big Sky race after their showdown Saturday. … Southern Utah’s turnaround is surprising. … Some visitors inspired the UC Davis players. … Idaho State and Montana State know each other well. … Portland State is thinking about the future of basketball. 

CCS: The mens’ soccer program has won a regular season title.

Chiefs: Spokane’s Alberta adventure continued with a 7-4 loss at Medicine Hat.

Preps: It is Thursday morning so we do have quite a few prep stories to pass along, including Dave Nichols’ Pick Six with Sam Adams. … Whitney Ogden has a feature on two Lakeside sisters who are hunting another state volleyball title. … The improvement from Central Valley’s Evan Peters helped the Bears to the GSL title. … We can pass along roundups from volleyball and girls’ soccer action last night. … The Times reports some female soccer players have to make a tough choice.

Seahawks: A shrewd move or clutching at straws. No one in the NFL seemed to want Dwight Freeney. Or he didn’t want anyone but Seattle. You decide how it really is with the veteran defensive lineman, who will be in uniform this weekend. … Doug Baldwin really knows how to work a room. … Jeremy Lane has been replaced in the starting lineup by a rookie. … Maybe the injuries aren’t as bad as feared.

Mariners: As you might imagine, the Dodgers’ bullpen meltdown came as a surprise to everyone, including those folks who document the season. But if you’ve watched Houston play all year, as M’s fans have, you knew the Astros’ bats weren’t going to stay silent the entire series.

Sounders: The Vancouver Whitecaps whitewashed the visiting San Jose Earthquakes last night, winning 5-0 and setting up a two-match showdown with Seattle.

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• Why do software companies feel the need to constantly update their products? Asking because while I was away my favorite browser on my home computer changed a bit. And developed a bug. A bug that cost me an hour’s worth of work this morning. Thanks brainiacs. Until later …