A Grip on Sports: It’s the season of giving … and of signing … and of winning

A GRIP ON SPORTS • One of my favorite memories of adulthood is Christmas shopping. Not for other adults, but for my children. Every Christmas present had the potential to be a memory they would talk about forever. And the stories about trying to find that “it” gift? Those still resonate.

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• Which brings us to Christmas, 2021. No more searches for child-centric gifts. No more standing in line at Target or Shopko. Come to think of it, no more Shopko, actually. No more having to endure 347 different renditions of “Little Drummer Boy” over the loudspeakers. No more of the joyous feeling that comes with discovering that perfect stocking stuffer for the 7-year-old at home who expects Santa to deliver.

But we want that feeling back. At least virtually. So here we are, handing out gifts for the Inland Northwest’s sporting community less than two weeks before the big day. It gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

• To Gonzaga coach Mark Few: The emergence of a Corey Kispert-like 3-point shooter that spreads defenses and gives his Zags the at-least-once-a-game dagger Kispert delivered last season.

• For WSU coach Jake Dickert: A Wednesday early signing day stocking full of defensive and offensive linemen who will deliver presents in the form of domination up front for the next two or three years.

• To our friends in the media: Earlier start times and quick games.

• Hey Aaron Best, open that box in the corner: Yep, a transfer quarterback with a couple years of eligibility along with the hard-to-find ability to take up the slack Eric Barriere will leave behind.

• To the Zags: USF remains undefeated, BYU finishes the year on a high note and Saint Mary’s picks up a few more wins. That will bring the gift of higher NET rankings for the conference, helping the Bulldogs come Selection Sunday. Also included in the box is a gift card for another undefeated West Coast Conference slate for GU.

• Seahawk fans: A loss to the Rams this Sunday so you can get on with your lives. This season is not officially over – the Hawks are not Miracle Max’s “dead, dead” just yet – but it might as well be. Put it out of its misery L.A.

• For new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff: A honeymoon year that includes a conference-friendly revamp of the college football playoffs, the re-emergence of conference football powers USC and Oregon and another March like last year.

• A big box for the Mariners: Big enough to hold one more starting pitcher and Seiya Suzuki. Opening such a gift would also open more possibilities the M’s end their two-decade-old playoff drought.

• To the Whitworth Pirates men’s basketball program: Another run through the Northwest Conference and, lo and behold, a couple weekends of NCAA Division III basketball playoffs at home. For this to happen, however, Santa Claus will have to swoop in with Rudolph and blind the folks in charge of making the postseason schedule.

• For the new downtown football stadium: A friendly winter construction season. It would be nice for the venue to be finished on time.

• To Kyle Smith and Kamie Ethridge: A Phil Knight-level benefactor who would love to see the Cougars play their home games in an 8,000-seat, state-of-the-art facility. Attached to the gift box is a card that magically grants Smith’s team a little more consistency as the upcoming Pac-12 season unfolds.

• That’s our wish list for now. I’m sure we’ll come up with a couple more “if I don’t get this, I’ll just die” items Dec. 23. Isn’t that what little kids always do?

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Gonzaga: One reason the Zags are ranked fifth in the nation is the emergence this season of a more-dominant Anton Watson. Jim Meehan covers the Watson revival this morning while Theo Lawson takes care of the rankings. … Jim also spent some time yesterday talking with Larry Weir for the latest Press Box podcast. … Around the WCC, BYU is still trying to adjust to the loss of two bigs. … Portland won its eighth game last night.

WSU: You know, the Cougars played a tougher football schedule than anyone expected back in August. That’s my takeaway from Colton Clark’s story looking back at their opponents. A big part of that is Utah State’s emergence. … Max Borghi announced on Twitter last night he’s headed for the NFL draft. That was expected. What his statement didn’t say was whether he will participate in the bowl game. … Kicker Jason Hanson is a member of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame. He was inducted this past weekend. That leads off our weekly local briefs column. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, we can pass along Jon Wilner’s thoughts on Oregon’s new coach, as they are available on the S-R website. He also has his thoughts on the past week in the conference and California’s Justin Wilcox being in line for a new contract. Both of the latter are from the Mercury News’ site. … Washington is losing players right and left. That happens to teams that change coaches. … Will it happen at Oregon, what with a new coach, Dan Lanning, in place? Yes, but maybe not as much as expected. … Kedan Slovis, who was supposed to be USC’s savior just a year ago, has entered the transfer portal. … After five years, an Oregon State linebacker is going to make his first start this weekend. … We’ve never had to write this before: Utah is beginning its Rose Bowl preparations. … A UCLA defensive lineman is going to skip the Bruins’ bowl game. … As we mentioned above, the early signing period begins Wednesday. Arizona expects to have a decent class. … In basketball news, Jeff Metcalfe has some thoughts on the conference’s women. It’s part of an expansion of what Wilner has done with his Pac-12 Hotline. … Arizona State has an opportunity to build its resume when it plays at Creighton. … They are still making introductions in Tucson.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, I’m not sure I ever passed along the news Idaho State hired a new football coach. If not, I’m sorry. Charlie Ragle has hired his defensive coordinator. … Montana had the FCS’ best punter this season. He’s headed elsewhere for next year. … In basketball news, Montana won last night.

Soccer: The Spokane Public Facilities District board is scheduled to decide between two competing proposals for the downtown stadium. The original proposal came from the USL, the newest from a new MLS program. Jim Allen has all the particulars in this story. 

Seahawks: Was Rashaad Penny’s performance Sunday a fluke or a harbinger of the future? All his career-best day did was ensure he’ll get another shot this week. … Tyler Lockett and Russell Wilson can make magic together. … As always, there are answers available for your questions. … With the Rams defeating Arizona last night, it doesn’t look as if the Cardinals will be resting folks the final week of the season. … Pete Carroll wants his team to test negative but to stay positive in its dealings with COVID-19.

Kraken: After a disappointing homestand, Seattle still hopes to get into the playoff conversation.

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• Funny thing. I don’t think I ever looked harder for a Christmas gift for one of my sons than I did this year. Weird huh, as they are both grown men. But I wanted to get the eldest a … well, maybe I should not say just in case he reads this. (That would be a huge upset.) Anyway, it wasn’t easy but the really cool present is tucked away in the longtime hiding place. There is no way he has seen it over the past couple months. Is there? Until later …