A Grip on Sports: Another Sunday, another Super Bowl featuring a key player with Inland Northwest connections
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Anything going on today at your place? Or will it be another quiet Sunday? The weather in Spokane is expected to be decent, with the temperature maybe even getting up to near 50. So it might be a good afternoon to go on a walk … wait, what’s that? Super Bowl? Crud. Anyone know where we can find a vegetable platter?
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• How about a valentine? We hear that’s almost here as well. Geez, why doesn’t anyone remind us about this stuff? The days have a tendency to roll by in February, don’t they?
We’ll be hunkered down in front of the TV for sure this afternoon. After all, the S-R folks are paying me to watch. And to do one of my trademarked TV Takes. We’re going to focus on Cooper Kupp, the can-do kid from Yakima and Cheney. You know, Eastern Washington’s version of Palm Springs and Beverly Hills.
Before then, however, we will have to plan out the food menu. We know. Late. We’re a little busy right now during the week. And on Saturdays.
It doesn’t really matter, though. We have no dog in the hunt, as Jim Walden might say. We don’t actually care who wins today.
That’s because we like both franchises, something we’ve shared before. The Rams were the team of our youth, all the way through their debacle era in St. Louis. (It’s hard to get mad about a city stealing your hometown team when your civic leaders stole it from another city – Cleveland – back in the day.)
My eldest son was born after a Ram game, a Monday night one we watched to its conclusion and then left for Sacred Heart Hospital (Kim wasn’t about to miss a game with the Cowboys).
And the Bengals? As we’ve mentioned here before, we adopted them in grade school when the expansion franchise joined the NFL. The reasons? Lost in the mists of time, though my dad’s affinity for Paul Brown had something to do with it.
If, as we expect, the Rams romp, we will be OK with it. If the Bengals pull a huge upset – in our eyes – and earn the franchise’s first title, we will be OK with that as well.
So let’s get out of your way and let you get ready. But we weren’t kidding. With the supply chain issues and all that, anyone know where you can find a vegetable platter? It’s the one thing we promised Kim for this afternoon and we forget to grab one yesterday.
She’s going to give me that look.
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Gonzaga: We know. Oddsmakers miss all the time. But last night they didn’t. They had the Zags as a 16.5-point favorite. The final was 74-58. Let’s see, minus the – OK, 16 points. That half-point was pretty crucial for Saint Mary’s supporters. Jim Meehan was in McCarthey and he has this game story. … Theo Lawson has more on the game that was in doubt late as well as the difference makers. … Jesse Tinsley has the photo gallery. … The folks in the office took care of the recap with highlights. … They also put together the story on the women rallying late to win 83-82 on Melody Kempton’s shot at the San Francisco buzzer. … Around the WCC, San Diego got past Pacific. … San Francisco earned an important win against Santa Clara. … It took Alex Barcello’s best college game for BYU to earn a win over host Pepperdine. … Portland got past Loyola Marymount. … BYU’s women won again, this one over Saint Mary’s.
WSU: A win over Arizona State seemed crucial to Washington State’s NCAA at-large hopes. So it would stand to reason a home loss to the Sun Devils has to hurt. But that’s what happened last night, as ASU pulled off the 58-55 upset. Colton Clark has the game story. … Theo spoke with Jim Walden this week – like anyone, Theo went in as a 50,000-word underdog in that conversation – about his relationship with Joe Burrow’s dad Jim. It goes back a long way. … Jack Thompson backed up one of my favorite NFL quarterbacks, Ken Anderson from Augustana College, when the Bengals went to the 1982 Super Bowl. Colton talked with Jack this week about that experience. … Mark Rypien was the Super Bowl MVP in 1992. He spoke with Jason Shoot about that experience. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Washington started fast and then just disappeared (as did its hopes of proving something), losing to fourth-ranked Arizona 92-68. Could Tommy Lloyd’s UA team be No. 2 in the nation on Monday? Probably not. … USC owns Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins. The Trojans won their fifth consecutive game against them last night. … Oregon’s loss to California – the Bears had a 24-zip run at one point – could prove costly. … Utah had a lead. Again. And lost it. Again. Colorado rallied late for the victory. … Stanford went into Corvallis and handed Oregon State another loss. The Beavers have lost nine consecutive games.
EWU: Jim Allen’s final segment on Kupp, covering the receiver’s time in Los Angeles, is in today’s paper. Once again, it shouldn’t be missed. Nor should Tyler Tjomsland’s photographs from Los Angeles. … The Eagle basketball team won its second consecutive home game, topping Idaho State on two late Steele Venters’ free throws. Dan Thompson has the game story. … Around the Big Sky, Montana State has a game lead over Southern Utah in the standings after its win over Northern Arizona, the Bobcats’ 11th consecutive win. … Montana had little trouble with Portland State.
Idaho: Of all the wins UI has had this season at its new arena, none were more significant than last night’s 83-79 decision over Weber State. Peter Harriman was there and has this game story. … The Wildcats have title hopes but those are a lot longer now.
Preps: The middle Saturday of district basketball playoffs is a wild day. Dave Nichols spent it at Mead, where the girls and boys both won home 3A playoff games. … Dave also has a roundup of other action from yesterday.
Chiefs: Spokane returned home Saturday night for Ryan Smith’s first Arena game as interim head coach. And the Chiefs won. They defeated red-hot Portland 3-2. Dan Thompson has the game coverage.
Seahawks: So who wins today? A consensus of local folks seem to be leaning toward Kupp and the Rams. … There is no chance today’s halftime show will be as good as the one Michael Jackson put on. Or even Prince. … OK, some Hawks news. They have shaken up the defensive staff. What does that mean?
Mariners: No, spring training isn’t starting on time.
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• Who decided to put Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 13? That means Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. Two pressure-packed, make-a-great-dinner days back-to-back? That’s just cruel man. Until later …