A Grip on Sports: It’s turning colder, which means winter, and winter sports, are getting closer

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The heater came on this morning. That might not seem like a big deal if you live in, say, Hawaii, but it marks a passing here in the northern climes. Yes, winter is coming. And all that means.

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• It’s ironic the heater woke us on the day after the NBA began its interminably long season. Or the week college basketball’s preseason polls were released.

Cold weather and hoops are about as interrelated as the Targaryens. When the cold winds blow out of the north, it makes sense to retreat to a gym and the warmth of James Naismith’s best invention.

Oh, sure, football season is still upon us. And will be until well after the holidays. But when winter begins to wear on, the push and shove of that game will fade. Baseball’s spring training will still seem as a dream. Basketball will carry us through the days when the sun refuses to shine and the sky seems filled with a grayness that threatens to overwhelm our psyche.

The first few days of the heating bill’s spike, there is still enough going on to allow us to ignore James Harden’s air balls and Steph Curry’s 35-footers.

Though the Mariners are finished, baseball’s playoffs roll toward another November finish. Every level of football, including the NFL, moves closer to the regular-season’s second half. Heck, even hockey is there if you want to turn on the TV and see what your driveway is going to look like in two months.

But in the not-too-distant future, we’ll have no choice but to watch flops and dunks, zones and presses, as that will be the mainstay of each nightly SportsCenter. And the home of more bad beats than we can count.

Winter is coming folks and it has the stark bite of a starving direwolf. Thank goodness basketball will be there to warm our hearts.

• No matter what happens the rest of the season for the Cougars, watching their games is must-see TV. For one reason. You have to watch Daiyan Henley play.

The linebacker, a transfer from the University of Nevada, has been a revelation. His emergence took the Washington State defense from decent to solid and beyond.

The strength of this group of Cougars, coming into the season, seemed to be its edge rushers. The guys up front who could get upfield and disrupt and offense. Turns out that’s, in one way, true. They are really good. Aggressive. Playing with abandon.

But the only reason they can play that way is trust. A trust that if they miss, if they aren’t successful, a big play won’t result.

Henley assures that. He is a tackling machine. If he touches a ball carrier, he is nearly flawless in bringing them down. An eraser if you will. He erases misses. Allows his teammates freedom.

And when he joins in the pass rush? He’s about as good as it gets in pressure. Almost as good as he is shooting a gap and bringing a running back down in the backfield. He’s a Sunday linebacker playing on Saturday.

The Associated Press acknowledged that yesterday when Henley was placed on its midseason All-American team. It’s a deserved honor but one that surprised us – and not just because we were unaware there was a midseason All-American team.

Henley played in Reno last season. That’s about as far from college football’s bright lights as one can get. But Pullman isn’t exactly Broadway. Or even Peoria. It takes a lot for a player to shine there. Especially a defensive player. Henley has earned his All-American spot. Earned it with his play.

He’s a star. One that’s visible for the next few weeks.

• Back to baseball. It is a good thing the game’s powers that be in New York came to their senses and ensured the Yankees moved on. Even if they had to drench the city in a downpour Monday to help the league’s signature team recuperate enough to do it. And entice local hotels to make life miserable on the Guardians.

Now the American League championship series, which opens tonight, pits two teams no one outside New York or Houston can root for without losing a small part of their soul.

Really. It’s the Evil Empire vs. The Cheaters. Who you got? Or do you care? We don’t. Though there is a saving grace. It’s impossible for both teams to lose. The World Series will feature at least one villain.

The only problem is there is no knight in shining armor. Doesn’t matter who wins the National League series. Philadelphia? San Diego? Name more than three players on either team. Go on. We’ll wait.

Remember those hundreds of knights who rode into the valley before St. George finally killed the dragon? Neither do we. The Series always carries its own drama. But this year the matchup won’t add much more.

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WSU: You knew Colton Clark would have the Henley news covered, right? He does. … Jim Allen does the same with the news Kamie Etheridge’s contract has been extended. The women’s basketball coach added a year recently. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, Jon Wilner looks at the conference football season at its midway point. … He also has his bowl projections in the Mercury News this morning. … If you have questions about Washington at the midway point, we can pass along answers. … Oregon State is a big favorite this week against visiting Colorado. The Beavers have done well in that role. … The Buffs lost a former starting quarterback this week. … Oregon is also favored, though not by as much. The Ducks have a tougher assignment in undefeated UCLA and its record-setting quarterback. It’s a matchup of top 10 teams. … Utah has a week off before its matchup with WSU. The Utes played better defense in the second half against USC. … Lincoln Riley has already taken a team with a late loss to the college football playoffs. … Arizona State has to stop Stanford’s passing attack. … Arizona lost a player to the portal. … In basketball news, the A.P. women’s poll is out (see below). Stanford begins the season ranked second behind defending champion South Carolina. … Oregon is ranked as well.

Gonzaga: Though neither Gonzaga nor Washington State are ranked among the women’s top 25, both are receiving votes. Jim Allen has more in this story.

Idaho: If there is one thing the win in Missoula proved, it proved the Vandals are legit. But it also proved some other things. Like they know how to celebrate a rivalry win. Their social media presence this week has been fun to experience. … Around the Big Sky, Sacramento State has double the challenges for Montana. … Montana State has just as many facing Weber State. … Northern Colorado’s young starters will be tested by UC Davis.

Preps: The postseason got underway in slowpitch Tuesday and Dave Nichols has all the results in this roundup of all sports. … Volleyball rolls on, especially for undefeated Freeman. Madison McCord delves into the Scotties’ success in this story.

Seahawks: Russell Wilson’s fall from grace might be hard to watch for some, but most Seattle fans see it as karma. His position with them would have been secure for life. But he threw it all away. … Will there be trades before the deadline?

Kraken: How is Seattle going to bring Shane Wright along?

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• We watched a few minutes of baseball last night. Same with the NBA. But neither really held us, partly because we haven’t put the M’s demise behind us completely. So, instead, we watched some of the Game of Thrones prequel. Are you surprised? Until later …