A Grip on Sports: The M’s holding on for a win was the one shot-in-the-arm we were happy to receive Friday

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We’re going to apologize up front. With a pretty wide-open weekend, and the prospects of Canadian smoke derailing any outdoor plans, we decided to take the plunge yesterday and receive our second shingles vaccine shot. Which has hit us hard.

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• We swear we didn’t drink anything last night. Not a drop of alcohol. But we know what a hangover feels like and we are experiencing one today. Pounding headache. Weak all over. And a left shoulder so sore we hardly can lift it. That last one isn’t a hangover symptom unless your night of revelry includes getting punched in the arm repeatedly by about 20 folks.

You know, like the way we did hazing 40-plus years ago in college baseball.

Anyhow, we felt pretty decent last night. Decent enough to watch the M’s game. By the time it was over, however, our blood pressure was probably 195 over 105. Or two numbers added up that seem to correspond to Jose Caballero’s fielding percentage.

We exaggerate, sure. But if MLB scorekeepers were grading fielding as they did, oh, 20 years ago, we might be right.

Look, we understand playing shortstop in the major leagues is hard. The fields are so manicured they take perfect bounces every time. The balls are brand new so they feel the same each time you throw them. And, darn it, the ball is hit so hard these days.

Ya, satire. Over the past decade or so we’ve argued the M’s biggest roster failing year in and year out is their bench. No matter who the general manager is, they are trying to build depth without a fully funded wallet, so attracting a veteran reserve – think Mark McLemore – that can fill gaps throughout the season is darn-near impossible. Add in the financial motivation of player control (a factor that has eased some with the new CBA) forcing players with bright futures into longer minor league stays and the Mariners’ have for years had to make do with hoping their backups play over their heads.

Which, in Caballero’s case, hasn’t happened recently. He’s not hitting. He’s made baserunning blunders. And his fielding deficiencies are magnified when he has to play a regular role – with J.P. Crawford on the concussion injured list, that’s the case. Meanwhile, the two second basemen the front office have handed Scott Servais this year – Kolton Wong and Josh Rojas – have shown the rare major league ability to actually drop a perfectly thrown ball.

Both contributed to Friday’s angst, with Caballero costing Bryce Miller an out – and a spot on the mound – by booting a routine ground ball in the seventh, Rojas dropping a sure ninth-inning double-play relay – because of an out being recorded, there was no official error – and Caballero being unable to field Yordan Alvarez’s ninth-inning 12-hopper – an error if there ever was one but ruled a hit in the new, “let’s-bump-up-their-batting-averages” big leagues.

The bottom line, though, is the M’s won – even though they also were 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Do the errors cause extra wear and tear on pitchers? Sure. Wear and tear on Servais’ patience? More than likely. Wear and tear on the rest of us watching at home? Heck yes.

• By the way, with the win, the M’s raised their record in the final 62 games of the season – they were 50-50 after the first 100 – to 17-5. And pushed them past the Toronto Blue Jays into the final wild-card spot. For the first time ever, is it possible we could say “if the season ended today …” and have it actually happen? No? Darn it.

• One more thing. Can you remember a Mariner having a hotter streak than Julio Rodriguez? Us neither. Wow. Heck, if the official scorer had been consistent, Rodriguez would have been 5-for-5 again. One could make a case Caballero’s play on the slow-footed Alvarez’s ground ball was just as easy as the Rodriguez’s popup Jeremy Pena dropped in the seventh for an error.

OK, maybe not. But if we are wishing for the season to end today, why stop there? Thirteen hits in three games are impressive. But might be unlucky. Fourteen would have been safer.

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WSU: One of the tips we share to anyone who asks questions about covering college football is simple. Get to know the specialists. They are always really bright, they have lots of free time at practice and they rarely receive appropriate accolades for doing their job. It seems Greg Woods learned this lesson somewhere because today’s notebook begins with a look at the kickers, punters and long snappers. … You’ve probably seen the video on social media somewhere, but Washington State has gone on the offensive concerning conference realignment. In this case, the cliché, Cougs vs. Everyone, seems to be appropriate. … We linked this L.A. Times story when it appeared on the publication’s website a couple days ago. If you weren’t able to read the in-depth accounting of the Pac-12’s demise, it’s now on the S-R’s website. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, the speculation about which president came up with the $50 million-a-year media value centers around Arizona State’s Michael Crow. … Jon Wilner answers a bunch of questions in the Mercury News. … John Canzano points out how Chip Kelly has bucked another trend. … Non-sports people come up with the darndest ideas, especially when it comes to college football. … Washington is counting on the running back Dillon Johnson to give its offense a jolt. The other Dillon Johnson? He’ll have to watch from the stands. … Oregon State has a lot of questions to answer before making decisions on future football games. … With linemen out, Oregon is building depth up front. … Colorado’s center and new quarterback have to build chemistry as well. … Utah has a defensive lineman who could be a difference maker as a sophomore. … It must hurt California alums that the school’s athletic future depends on the school across the bay. … USC is rebuilding on the defensive side of the ball. … An Army transfer has to speed up his football learning curve at UCLA. … Arizona is set for its “First Look” scrimmage. … In basketball news, a newcomer has impressed on Washington’s overseas trip. … Arizona should be challenged when it faces Lebanon’s national team early today.

EWU: The Eagles have a scrimmage scheduled today at 1, but with what went on just down the road in Medical Lake yesterday and the Canadian smoke making our air very unhealthy, we’re guessing it won’t happen. Anyhow, Dan Thompson put together a preview. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State needs its defensive line to make an impact. … Montana’s new defensive coordinator will be doing new things. … The present is bright at UC Davis but there is even more hope for the future.

Preps: Dave Nichols returns to his main beat, high schools, as he put together this roundup of key North Idaho football games from Friday night. Yep, they are underway across the border.

Indians: Dave also has the coverage of Spokane’s 4-3 win last night at Avista. Fireworks occurred after the game and during the bottom of the eighth, when the Indians took the lead.

Mariners: Miller was special, again. Rodriguez was special, again. The bullpen was special, again. That was enough for the 2-0 victory. … Servais understands the stress injuries (and the lengthy season) puts on the players.

Seahawks: The Hawks host Dallas tonight and there are a few things to watch, as always. … Isaiah Stanback is back in Seattle, working the game tonight. No, not as a player. … Seattle does not do joint practices.

Storm: Playoffs? What were we thinking. Seattle lost Friday night and that pipedream is pretty well smashed.

World Cup: By the time we type here again, we’ll know who won the women’s tournament. Spain or England? How about the U.S. officials? … By the way, another U.S. administrator stepped down. The team will have a new front office for the Olympics.

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• Sorry about the lack of depth to our column. But it is hard to make chicken salad when you feel like, well, when you feel not good. We’re going back to bed. Until later …