A Grip on Sports: Not even cold and wind can stop sports in the Inland Northwest this time of year

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The ups and downs of spring have been on full display this week in the Spokane area. The weather buffet has included a bit of wind, hail, rain and sunshine. With that in mind, we decided to touch on a bunch of items as we hope the next weather feature on the agenda is warmth.

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• We start on the baseball diamond, where the Mariners’ season opening game, scheduled for Thursday in Minneapolis, has already been postponed. Friday is when the season will start. We are a hardier bunch around here. Cold and windy didn’t stop Gonzaga and Washington State from playing in town Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs and Cougars are on different paths this season. So it probably came as no surprise the Zags won 12-0 before the bundled-up crowd.

The fact there were people at the game, probably grumbling about the biting cold, is still a positive, however. After the past two years, any sporting event with fans has to be celebrated.

It feels normal.

• There will be fans walking Augusta National today, albeit only for the Par 3 contest. But one person won’t be playing. Jack Nicklaus.

The greatest golfer of all-time (and our personal favorite) has called it quits. As he told Golfweek recently, Nicklaus has decided he’s too old, at 82, to participate. Which makes us a bit choked up.

We’ve been through it all with Nicklaus over the years, though we don’t remember his early years. But by the time we became enamored with the sport, he was the best. And continued to hold that mantle as we grew up, married and had kids.

We were sad when he began to fade as a competitor. Ecstatic when he won the 1986 Masters at age 46. And resigned when his career wound down. Now he’s stepping away even more, leaving only his ceremonial duties on the first tee Thursday (joined this year by Gary Player and newbie Tom Watson).

Time passes.

• Staying in Georgia, Tiger Woods, who is also in the picture from Tuesday night’s Champions Dinner, will play this weekend. How well he will do not that long removed for a horrendous car crash is still to be determined. But he’s going to give it a go.

And once again golf’s most powerful player showed his dominance of the sport, even if he has only an outside chance at competing.

The golf world revolves around Woods still. Which is sad in a way. There is so much young talent and so many great stories, we wonder why the golfing public remains attached to a 46-year-old who … oh. We get it. We felt the same way about Nicklaus in 1986.

Carry on.

• The college sports news cycle is dominated right now by transfer news. So why should Washington State be any exception? Noah Williams, whose dad Guy spent three years in Pullman, is moving on after, wait for it, three years in Pullman.

Big things were expected of the fan favorite – unless you are a Husky fan – heading into the season. But, for whatever reason, he didn’t reach those expectations. Instead, his playing time diminished as the Cougars posted 22 wins.

And now, like more than 1,000 other Division I players, he’s entering the transfer portal in search of something better.

Hopefully, he’ll find it.

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Gonzaga: The Zags finished the 2021-22 season as the nation’s fifth-ranked team, at least according to the coaches. Jim Meehan has that story. … Where they will be ranked to start the 2022-23 season is a bit of a mystery, considering how varied the way-too-early rankings have them. Theo Lawson has that story. … Jim also has a story about assistant Roger Powell Jr. having applied for a head coaching position. … We mentioned the baseball game above and linked the story there as well. Justin Reed wrote it.

WSU: The Cougars hit the indoor practice field Tuesday and Colton Clark was there. Coach Jake Dickert made it clear Washington State will run the ball more often than it did in its first scrimmage. … Colton also wrote the Williams story we linked earlier. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, Jon Wilner has some thoughts in the Mercury News concerning football and upcoming media rights negotiations. … Washington’s Sam Huard wants to avenge the Apple Cup. But first he has to win the quarterback job. … Oregon rolls along this spring, adding players as it goes. … There is talent if not depth at some Colorado spots. … USC is slowly learning Lincoln Riley’s offense. The quarterbacks are at the forefront of that. … Utah has a battle for the backup quarterback spot. … Arizona State is finally entering the world of NIL with both feet. … Arizona is still practicing and Jayden de Laura is still making plays.

EWU: For the first time since 2020 – yes, two years ago – Eastern is holding a spring camp. Justin Reed was in Cheney as Aaron Best’s team went through their first workout.

Preps: It’s spring break for the Washington schools, so Dave Nichols’ roundup is full of baseball doubleheaders. … A couple of local female athletes have been inducted into the Pacific Lutheran athletics hall of fame. That news leads the S-R’s local briefs column.

Mariners: The future is now for this trio of Mariner players. … As we mentioned, the season will begin Friday. The M’s still have a question or two, including Cal Raleigh’s future. … The M’s lost their final exhibition game. … Baseball is entering the digital age as far as pitch calling goes.

Seahawks: Hey, it’s mock draft time. Expect the Hawks to trade a pick or two. … Two new Seattle players, including Noah Fant, talked with the media yesterday.

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• Our automobile is undergoing somewhat minor surgery today. And a good friend is also. Good luck Kent. As for Blue Angel, our Rav4, we’re sure she will be as good as new this afternoon. Until later …