A Grip on Sports: There is nothing new to cheer on these days, but we can still watch the stars of yesteryear play

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Easter is over. The next big date on the calendar is Wednesday. Tax day. And then? Next on the agenda is planting the tomatoes.

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• There really isn’t much new – or news – in the world of sports right now. So we have a proposal. Let’s make gardening a competitive sport. See who can grow the biggest tomato in, say, hardiness zone 6B and put that on television.

Maybe I’ll send an email to Sam Adams this morning and suggest it for SWX.

It has to be better than watching another re-run, doesn’t it? What’s that? No? You’re probably right. Though it would be fun to see the look on Mabel’s face when she stepped outside one morning, only to find squirrels had stolen her largest Early Girl.

Yesterday, the gardening competition would have had to compete with Tiger Woods’ adventure in Augusta last year. That would have been no contest, even if faux-Bill Walton had been narrating. If golf is not your thing, there were old baseball games on – I watched a bit of an All-Star Game for whatever reason – as well as basketball and football. Whatever is available in the archives is finding its way to your television screen.

And why not? There is nothing new. And won’t be.

Personally, I happened upon a Root replay last evening of a game I hadn’t seen in its entirety in more than 20 years. Gonzaga’s one-point win over Florida in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

The first Elite Eight game. “The slipper still fits” game. Casey Calvary’s putback game.

Those are the elements I remember too. Elements I’ve replayed in my head a thousand times over the years. The game that really launched the Zags to where they are today.

But I didn’t remember a lot of it. And some of the things I saw actually surprised me.

Gonzaga has built a legacy based on offense, and the 1998-99 team, Dan Monson’s last in Spokane, could certainly score. They played at a fast pace and had guys who could attack in many different ways. But the Bulldogs that season were really good defensively, especially out front.

Sure, Quinton Hall’s quick hands and feet are unforgettable. Hall was a disruptive force. The key on that end, however, was Matt Santangelo.

Everyone remembers Santangelo’s importance at the point, offensively. He was the guy who controlled the Zags’ fastbreak, the guy who made sure the ball was in the right place at the right time, one of the best ever at GU doing that. And throughout his Gonzaga career, he was the guy who usually made the decisions as the shot-clock wound down.

But Hall’s ability to disrupt on defense wouldn’t have been possible – maybe the better term is “wouldn’t have been as effective” – if not for Santangelo’s skills on that end. It didn’t matter whether the Zags were playing man or zone, against Florida, Santangelo was in the right spot, on- or off-ball, on almost every second of every possession. It allowed Hall the confidence to know if he took a chance, and failed, it wouldn’t hurt.

And there were times Hall gambled and missed. But Santangelo was there to help, to make the Gators make an extra pass before they could get a look. By then, the rest of the Bulldogs had caught up. This skill was a huge reason Florida had made only one 3-pointer until midway through the second half. Shooting under duress will cause such failures.

The other revelation … wait, that’s not right. The other reminder was just how athletic Casey Calvary really was.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Tacoma was a difference maker in so many ways. He scored and rebounded, sure. Did both on the most important play in Gonzaga history. But he also protected the rim, he saved turnovers by scaling the sky to grab errant passes and he ran the court with a passion. If not for foul trouble – no, Verne Harris wasn’t officiating – his line that game would have been unfathomable. As it was, his minutes on the court – all 25 of them – were near perfect. He missed just one shot, grabbed five rebounds and didn’t commit a turnover – all the while playing with less aggressiveness than usual due to quick fouls.

OK, so I admit it. My premise to start this column may have been misguided. Who wants to watch tomatoes grow when you can watch games like this one? Games that spurred the growth of a basketball program. Watching the Elite Eight contest last night was a nice addition to a long weekend spent prepping the yard for the spring and summer ahead. In a sense, that game did the same for Gonzaga’s future.

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Gonzaga: Maybe the next great guard at GU is Jalen Suggs. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Charles Minlend is leaving the West Coast. In a surprise, the USF star will transfer to Louisville for next season. The Cardinals weren’t even listed on Minlend’s final seven.

WSU: Morgan Weaver was a star last season for the Cougar soccer team. So much so, she was taken second in the National Women’s Soccer League draft. But her rookie year as yet to get going, which means she is just trying to stay ready like every athlete everywhere. … Around the Pac-12, the most sought-after West Coast basketball recruit announced yesterday he will attend Stanford. Ziaire Williams is expected to be a one-and-done player. … A UNLV grad transfer is headed to Oregon for his final season. … If you don’t remember Joe Burton playing for Oregon State, sorry. He was fun to watch. He’s still fun to watch. … In football news, Arizona State hasn’t had all that many first-round picks in the NFL draft. There may be one this year. … Colorado’s inside linebackers may be the strength of the defense. … Utah had such a great defensive line, all three seniors will probably be drafted. … I understand the logic behind this, but I vote no.

Chiefs: Jake McGrew didn’t really get to show his skills over his Spokane as often as he would have liked. Multiple knee surgeries took care of that. But he was a force for the team in the last, truncated season, as Dan Thompson explains in this story. … Three Chiefs earned Western Conference All-Star honors recently. That fact leads off our local briefs.

Seahawks: The newest Hawk tight end has some interesting backstories. … Former Hawk quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was killed in a car crash Sunday night in Alabama.

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• Kim and I have been chatting about what life must be like right now for those of you who have young children at home. We’re past that stage of our life, but we remember much of it as if it were yesterday. It wasn’t. For those of you that it is, however, I think this column from John Canzano might hit home. I hope all of you are getting through this time of stress and worry with your family bonds growing stronger. Until later …