A Grip on Sports: Saturday mornings may seem different these days, but not much has really changed over the past 50 years

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is nothing we wouldn’t give for one more chance to be transmitted back to 1966 on a Saturday morning. You know, the chance to pour a bowl of Cap’n Crunch, sit in front of the RCA and watch Bugs Bunny, Underdog and the Flintstones. Instead, we’ll eat high fiber, turn on the LG and watch college football. Not as much fun, but we can still wear pajamas while we do it.

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• Nothing really changes much, does it? Instead of being assured the Coyote will never catch the Road Runner, we are certain the Washington State flag will wave on GameDay. Instead of worrying about the relationship between Tom and Jerry, we focus on the Big 12 and the Pac-12. Casper? How about the ghost of Larry Scott?

We may not have bet on whether Magilla Gorilla’s little hat would be knocked off, but we’re guessing more than a few of you have placed a wager or two on whether Alabama would be knocked off its perennial perch atop the college football landscape.

Saturdays back in the day – pre-cable and Internet – were all about enjoying some laughs, forgetting about school’s pressures and being bombarded by commercials for children’s toys. Now they are about laughing at the outrageous calls, forgetting about work’s pressures and being bombarded by commercials for adult beverages.

Parallels? Sure. But today’s youth doesn’t have to wait for Saturday to watch cartoons. They are on 24/7. Heck, even adults have their South Park, Rick and Morty or Bob’s Burgers to watch throughout the week. There may be remnants of the past still floating around on Saturday morning, but usually the hours not devoted to football on the networks are taken up by local programming.

Nothing wrong with that. Heck, even Elmer Fudd would understand.

• The Mariners’ run to the postseason did one thing to us this year. It made this part of the playoffs seem boring and non-consequential. It’s hard to get excited when the team you followed, the team you cared about, the one that made you sweat through inning after inning, is suddenly gone. No longer a part of the action. Hardly mentioned during the broadcasts.

How can that be? They were part of the Elite Eight.

But that’s the way sports are. They move on. What happened in the past is not important. Today is all.

And yet, our thoughts are still about the M’s. We don’t care about the Yankees and the Astros. We would be happy if they both lost. The Phillies and Padres? Really? Maybe if the Chicken were still around. But, no. Let Bryce Harper and Manny Machado arm wrestle at second base and call it good.

• Back to college football. If there were one Pac-12 football team that could win today, who would you want it to be? We ask today because the Cougars aren’t playing and that eliminates the obvious answer for many of you.

Would it be California because they are hosting the Huskies? That seems too obvious. How about Colorado? The Buffs were awful to start the season, fired Karl Dorrell and picked up a win last week. Everyone loves an Underdog story. Or would it be UCLA, just to see Oregon embarrass itself on national TV?

Tough choice, isn’t it?

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WSU: Around the Pac-12 and college football, a play in the Oregon win at Washington State was featured in an NCAA officiating video. No, not the one you might think. … Washington does play in Berkeley tonight (on ESPN) and its one of only two games not on the Pac-12 Networks. The Huskies have to play better on the road if they want to get past a Bears team heck-bent on redemption. … The showdown in Eugene is on Fox, though ESPN has planted GameDay there this morning. The storylines are numerous, as is always the case when two top-10 teams match up. Oregon has to show the country its defense has improved over the season. UCLA wants to show its undefeated record is not a fluke. And there is more to focus upon for Duck and Bruin fans. … Host Oregon State has a chance to get on a roll, but Colorado isn’t going to be as easy as it was a few weeks ago. … Stanford won at Notre Dame last week. Arizona State also won. One team will have that “streak” broken today in Northern California. … In basketball news, Oregon State has a few newcomers to meld into the roster.

Gonzaga: When we linked CBS Sports’ preseason All-American team, we noticed Drew Timme was one of only two unanimous choices. That distinction ended up being important, as the Zag center earned player of the year honors. Theo Lawson has more in this story.  

EWU: The Eagles need a Big Sky win in the worst way. Standing in their way is quite possibly the Big Sky’s worst team – and a coaching staff familiar to EWU followers. Dan Thompson has keys to today’s game in San Luis Obispo. … Around the Big Sky, there are two showdowns. Seventh-ranked Montana, coming off the loss to Idaho, is at No. 2 Sacramento State. And third-ranked Montana State hosts No. 5 Weber State, with both undefeated in conference play. … UC Davis travels to Northern Colorado. … Idaho State hosts Northern Arizona.

Idaho: The Vandals earned a huge win last week. Put themselves in the thick of the conference race. But it will all be for naught if they can’t handle Portland State at home today. Dan Thompson has things to look for out of Moscow.

Preps: Mt. Spokane handed Gonzaga Prep its first GSL loss last night and, in the process, threw the football race into disarray. The Wildcats meet Mead next week with a chance to win the title. But a Panther victory may bring about a three-way tie. Dave Nichols has the coverage of the Wildcats’ 31-27 victory at G-Prep. … University hosted Lewis and Clark (though the Tigers were the home team) and picked up a 33-23 victory. Steve Christilaw has that story. … Dave has a football roundup and another for all the other sports.

Seahawks: Whether Tyler Lockett will play against the Chargers is still to be determined. Pete Carroll is, of course, optimistic. … If you’re wondering, Russell Wilson may not play for the Broncos this week. If he can’t go, Shadle Park High grad Brett Rypien will.

Mariners: Will Mitch Haniger be back next season? The guess here, and it’s just a guess, is no. Unless he has an overwhelming desire to be part of the M’s finally reaching the World Series.

Kraken: Leave the friendly confines of Climate Pledge Arena and earn a win. Is that all it takes? No. It also took a solid performance from Karson Kuhlman in Denver, home of the defending champs.

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• Our sister is a UCLA grad. And a fan of the Bruins football team. There is little doubt who she’ll be rooting for in today’s showdown with Oregon. For every other Pac-12 fan, the choice might be a bit tougher. Hope a school that is leaving the conference wins and remains undefeated. Or root for the hardest-to-like school that is staying. It is quite the conundrum. Until later …