A Grip on Sports: Seahawks, Little League highlight TV schedule the last weekend before college football starts

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Thank goodness it’s Friday. We can concentrate on the weekend ahead – hey, more NFL exhibitions – and quit worrying about the soap opera south of Spokane. Well, not completely but for a little while.

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• We have a habit on Friday of reading through the broadcast listings for the weekend and sharing what we think are the highlights. Why should we change just because the Spokane weather might be just about perfect? The professional couch potato can come up with an excuse to stay inside even if it’s 75 and sunny beyond their walls.

“Hey, hon, I would, but, you know, the Little League World Series is on. My cousin’s neighbor’s best friend’s nephew plays for one of the teams and I promised I would watch their game.”

Or … “The FedExCup playoffs are on dear. I can’t miss the playoffs.”

Or … “The Seahawks are playing. Leave me alone.”

That last one might just be the last excuse you’ll ever need. After all, most divorce court hearings are held during the week, when sports aren’t dominating the television docket.

Anyhow, the highlight of the weekend may just be those little guys playing in Pennsylvania. They didn’t have the opportunity last year and though the clubs from overseas weren’t invited to this one, 16 U.S. teams will vie for the title of Little League World Series champion.

You know how I know it’s important? ESPN dedicates just about every hour of the flagship’s time to it.

That’s not exactly what happens with NFL exhib … er, preseason games. They are kind of hit-and-miss nationally, with the Seahawks’ game with Denver on Saturday night basically available in the Northwest and the Mile High City. I get it. Who else cares? After all, the stars will play limited minutes, the majority of the contest will feature guys fighting just to make the roster and the results don’t mean a thing.

Sure, the admission price is the same but that’s because people will pay it just to say they were at a Seahawks game. Watching on TV? That’s free – if you don’t believe your time is worth anything.

Many of us are in that category, right? How else do you explain golf’s ratings? My dad used to watch golf all the time when I was a younger man but I swear every time I walked into the TV room he was snoring. Not me. If golf is on I may be sleeping, but there is no snoring. I don’t snore when I sleep. No way.

What else is available? The usual Friday night Indians’ game from Avista on SWX, though there is a small chance of showers during the game. The Mariners are in the thick of the wild-card race again but face a key weekend in Houston, their personal house of horrors the past five years or so. And Saturday is filled with soccer action on seven different channels, including Seattle at Columbus on Fox starting at 2:30 p.m.

Don’t worry, though. We’re only a week away from college football and Saturdays getting back to normal. It has been a while, hasn’t it?

• We alluded to the soap opera happening in Pullman. It took a bit of a turn yesterday when Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich met with the media and professed to be poised to follow the governor’s mandate concerning the vaccine.

Did he say he would change his mind and be vaccinated? Not exactly. Which keeps the guessing in play and keeps the Cougars in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Meanwhile, in Tucson, Arizona touted on Twitter a 100-percent vaccination rate within its football program.

“We are proud to say our football program is 100% vaccinated. Our players, our staff and all who are affiliated with our program have worked very hard to accomplish this goal. We take our health very seriously, and we are committed to a 12-game season and beyond. We are also committed to staying healthy and are hopeful that campus can follow our lead.”

It seems the two programs are not just far apart geographically but in this as well.

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WSU: Colton Clark has a story on Rolovich’s comments but that’s just a sliver of what he produced Thursday. He also has the usual observations from practice as well as the news transfer quarterback Jarrett Guarantano was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. Guarantano has yet to win the Cougars’ starting spot and there is no guarantee he will. … We have golf news concerning Pullman as well, with Jim Meehan focusing on Max Sekulic’s recent win in the Northwest Open. That leads off Jim’s weekly golf notebook. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college sports, Jon Wilner’s notebook in the Mercury-News may not be exactly accurate when it comes to Rolovich. … It looks as if the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC will formally announce some sort of alliance soon. … The conference race, highlights and top players are all discussed in this Athletic piece. … And this mailbag from the same site looks around the country. … Oregon’s practice included glimpses of greatness from an edge defender. … Sam Noyer is playing his last season at Oregon State. Will it be a good one for the Beavers? … Colorado has more depth at running back this season though the Buffs ran the ball a lot last year. … There is little separation at Utah among the quarterbacks. … The same could be said about Arizona, though whoever is throwing the ball is immaterial to the Wildcats’ best receiver. … USC athletic director Mike Bohn told the media yesterday he is committed to the football team winning. How groundbreaking. … Arizona State is among the favorites in the conference. … In basketball news, Oregon State has a new assistant coach. … Arizona lost assistant Jason Terry to the G-League. … Finally, there is no other reason to pass this story along out of Colorado other than it is really interesting.

Gonzaga: Jalen Suggs may have seen his NBA Summer League experience cut short due to an injury, but he learned a lot from it. And impressed those who matter.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, it seems as if it is defensive line day around the conference with stories from Montana State and Montana. … The Bobcats are also impressed by a new quarterback. … The running backs at Weber State are ready to share the load.

Whitworth: The Pirates began the 2021 preseason camp this week and Dan Thompson was there. He has this story that not only highlights the “normal” nature of the practice but also looks at the staff changes and the group of players who took advantage of the extra year of eligibility.

Indians: Spokane’s late-season push continued last night with a 4-3 win over visiting Hillsboro. Not only does Dave Nichols have the game story, he also has another piece on the person who threw out the first pitch. There are good reasons for that. … Before heading out to Avista Stadium, Dave spoke with Larry Weir for the latest Press Box podcast.

Mariners: Speaking of late surges, the Rangers made one yesterday, erasing a five-run Seattle lead in the ninth inning. And yet the M’s found a way to win in 11, 9-8 thanks to Ty France’s two-run home run and some questionable Texas base running. … The win inspired Scott Servais to gush about his team afterward.

Seahawks: It was Turnover Thursday at practice. … Newly healthy receiver Dee Eskridge has been working long hours. So has DK Metcalf. … A former Seattle backup defensive back is now on the Hawks’ coaching staff. … Nick Bellore supplies more than just on-field contributions. … There is more than one Brown on the roster.

Kraken: The expansion draft always reveals a gem or two. … The NHL’s season may just be more like the last one than seemed possible a month ago.

Storm: Seattle will visit the White House to celebrate its WNBA title from 2020.

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• The golf links beckon. Literally. We are playing in North Idaho today on a course with few trees and lots of open space. Our goal is to get our round in before the thunder clouds start to gather. Or I run out of golf balls. It’s a race of sorts. Until later …