A Grip on Sports: It may be the last day of August but around here it is just the beginning … of football and all that entails

A GRIP ON SPORTS • This is it. The final day of August in 2023. The last day of the last full month of summer. The last day to strip off all but your bathing suit and jump in a warm lake to celebrate the sun’s return. And, maybe, the return of football. And the M’s most-successful month ever.

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• Ya, you read that right. The M’s just finished their most successful month, winning 21 times, in the franchise’s history. One would have though the 2001 team that set a baseball record with 116 wins overall, would have won 21 times in a month. But that’s not so. Only the let’s-zoom-to-the-top-of-the-division 2023 Mariners have done it.

They won that 21st game yesterday afternoon, rallying to a 5-4 win over Oakland, losers of 95 games already. And they did it without Julio Rodriguez.

The engine of the offense was out again, nursing what even the team is calling “a weird foot injury.” For one day, at least, he wasn’t missed. The big hit came from a lot-more-likely source this season that expected, J.P. Crawford.

C’mon, did you have Crawford ascending to the leadoff spot and supplying an offensive spark while figuring out how well the M’s would do this season? We’ll admit it. We didn’t. He seemed destined for another season hitting ninth, helping with his glove a lot more than his bat.

But what do we know? This year, Crawford started hot and stayed that way. Since ascending to the top of the order, his on-base percentage has increased each of the past three months. Not only does he hit home runs to lead off games, not only does he work the count prior to Rodriguez’s at-bats, he adds a key RBI no and again. Like Wednesday, when his two-out, two-run, seventh-inning base hit lifted Seattle back into the lead.

The M’s have today off en route to the East Coast – funny, the pros get that, which makes us wonder if the former Pac-12 schools will do the same for their athletes? – where they will face the Mets for three, the Reds for three – we know, not on the coast – and the Rays for four before returning home.

• By the time the Mariners return to Seattle, we should know a little something about every college football team in the area. Mainly because all of them will have played.

But if you don’t want to wait, today is your day. Every college football program, and the Seahawks, are featured in The Spokesman-Review’s football section.

Want to know about the Cougar schedule in the final year of the Pac-12 as we’ve known it? In there. Want to what’s on Washington’s agenda? In there. The Eagles and Vandals and the Big Sky race? In there. Whitworth? The Seahawks? More? Yep, in there.

It’s a cornucopia of football information a couple months before the word cornucopia is usually used. But why wait for Thanksgiving to give thanks, right? At least for college football.

• The football section gives us one more opportunity to wax nostalgic about the Pac-12. About its demise. About the Cougars’ (and the Beavers’) final resting spot.

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Washington State and Oregon State seem destined to be the last folks holding up the Pac-12’s banner, as Cal and Stanford race for, get this, a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Really?

Anyhow, the question remains. Can the two Northwest state schools rebuild the Pac-12 from the ashes? Or will they be forced to enter a new era, latching on to the Mountain West in some form?

We’ll see. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week or next month. Today, though, we have memories. Some from the Cougars, some from former Washington State beat writers, some from all those who gave the heart and soul to the West Coast’s conference over the years.

And, for one day at least, that’s enough.

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WSU: You can find all the football section stories at one link, but we want to call your attention to a few Cougar-specific pieces. We linked a couple historical pieces above, but in the this-year category, we offer three stories from Greg Woods. He has an overall look at the season ahead, a preview that focuses on the offense and a look at the schedule. … Greg also has a preview of Saturday’s game at Colorado State. … He also looks at how the school’s alums did on NFL cut down day. … Former WSU beat writer Jacob Thorpe shares his feeling the Cougars could be more than well off if, after all the shaking ends, they end up with Mountain West schools in a new conference. … The Times has this story on quarterback Cameron Ward as he enters his second season in Pullman. … Hey, a basketball story. Theo Lawson, who also has a memory in the Cougar part of the football section, noticed Josh Hawkinson’s outstanding play in the World Cup for Japan. … And another basketball story, this from Greg. Cheney High standout Evan Stinson announced yesterday he will attend Washington State, the school where his aunt is the volleyball coach.

• Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, we have divided this section today. We start with the overarching Pac-12 items, including Jon Wilner picking each game this week in the Mercury News. The conference’s first week includes a schedule that stretches from tonight to Sunday. … The S-R football section also contains Wilner’s Pac-12 season preview. … Now for the weekend, divided by the day of each school’s first game.

• Utah: The first game this weekend is tonight in Salt Lake City, when the Utes host Florida (5 p.m., ESPN). No one outside of the program is sure if Cam Rising will play against the Gators but everyone knows the entire team will have to be better for Utah to three-peat as Pac-12 champs. … Arizona State: The Sun Devils, under new coach Kenny Dillingham, open their season tonight by hosting Southern Utah (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).

• Stanford: Troy Taylor’s Cardinals have a Friday night game at Hawaii (8, CBS Sports Network).

• Washington: The Huskies begin Saturday and we have Colton Clark stories in the S-R’s preview section, covering the season and schedule ahead. … Elsewhere, there are best- and worst-case scenarios for UW. The Huskies are title contenders. … No matter what, Michael Penix Jr. will play a key role for Kalen DeBoer’s second Washington team. … So will a couple of pass rushers. But they won’t have a Heisman campaign, like Penix. … Boise State will be in Seattle (12:30 p.m., ABC). … Oregon: A bigger defensive line will help the Ducks all season and in their Saturday opener against Portland State (noon, Pac-12 Networks). … The offense is powered by a couple of close friends who have traveled a long way. … Colorado: The Buffaloes open their season in Texas against TCU. Their roster is mainly filled with newcomers. The game starts at 9 a.m. on Fox. … California: The Bears used the transfer portal in a big way heading into a key season for coach Justin Wilcox. They are at North Texas, starting at 1 p.m. on ESPNU. … USC: The Trojans play their second consecutive MWC opponent on the Pac-12 Networks when Nevada visits at 3:30 p.m. … There is also a story on the new athletic director.  … Arizona: The Wildcats hope to avoid an upset (again) against Northern Arizona at home on Saturday night (7, Pac-12 Networks). … UCLA: Keeping alive its tradition of obscure nonconference opponents in the Rose Bowl, the Bruins host Coastal Carolina on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

• Oregon State: The Beavers begin their season Sunday – yes, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on CBS – at San Jose State, which lost its opener last weekend against USC.

• In basketball news, the nonconference schedule for Colorado is interesting.

Gonzaga: Around the WCC, a former USD standout was killed in an accident in Germany. … Saint Mary’s and Hawaii will play a charity game for the victims of the Maui fires.

EWU: Before we get to Dan Thompson’s two stories in the football section, we want to pass along Dan’s preview of Saturday’s opener against North Dakota State in Minneapolis. … OK, now we can link Dan’s season preview and look at the schedule. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Sacramento State kicks off games this weekend when it travels to Nicholls State for a 4 p.m. matchup. … Weber State also plays, hosting Division II Central Washington at 5 p.m. … Northern Colorado’s and UC Davis’ openers are tonight as well.

Idaho: The Vandals begin their 2023 schedule tonight in Beaumont, Texas, against Lamar at 5 p.m. Colton Clark has this preview. … Colton also has a season preview and a look at the schedule.

Whitworth: There’s a new (old) byline on the Whitworth stories in the football section. Our friend Greg Lee has the season preview and the look at the schedule.

Indians: Spokane’s chances to extend its season took a big hit last night as Everett defeated the host Indians 6-4. Dave Nichols was at Avista and has this story.

Chiefs: The team’s training camp opens today and Dave has a story on the roster.

Mariners: The 5-4 victory kept the M’s in first place, percentage points ahead of the Astros, who won at Boston. The Rangers fell a game behind after another late loss to the Mets. All three A.L. West contenders have today off. … The next month will be crazy.

Seahawks: The Hawks are part of the football preview section as well, with Dave Boling kicking off their coverage with this column on Geno Smith’s encore season. … Dave also has a preview of the upcoming year and a look at the Hawks’ schedule. … There are lingering questions for the Hawks after the roster moves. … A big part of that is in the secondary due to injuries. … Former Cougar Easop Winston Jr. will be part of the Hawks’ practice squad.

Sounders: The long winless drought ended with a late goal last night in Austin.

Kraken: Hey, the TV schedule is out.

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• Way too many links today. Not sure anyone, including your friendly columnist, has enough time to read every story. Which means it would be a good day to pick up a printed copy of the paper and read it at your leisure (if such a thing exists during football season). Until later …